Search your desktop, don't dig through folders

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Name your files properly and use search.

It's much faster to open a file through opening search with a keyboard shortcut followed by typing in a file name, rather than clicking through folders to find files with random or insufficiently descriptive names.

(Provided that you type quickly.)

I organise my files on my desktop with a naming system, allowing the above quick-search method to work for me. I know exactly what things are called, or rather I can guess intuitively such that a search will find it for me within the top few results.

Tools such as 'Wox' combined with 'Everything' allows this kind of workflow on Windows. 'Alfred' or native 'Spotlight' works on Mac.

I do use folders, but not with excessive nesting. I rarely have to dig through folders to find items. I find that to be a general waste of time (and these second-long interactions build up over time).