If you don’t keep your digital files organized, chances are you are not as productive and efficient as you could be.
Are you a desktop piler?
Then you may also be someone who automatically saves files to the desktop. This means that you have icons all over the place. Your computer desktop is much less visible than your actual desk desktop, so it may not bother you at all, except when you need to find something.
Are you a closet piler?
You may save documents to the application’s default location (usually “Documents” on the Macintosh and “My Documents” on the PC). When you browse to that location on your computer, you will see a long list of documents.
When you know what to search for, file organization is not really an issue. But you can’t always remember the name of the file that you need. A combination of search techniques and good organization is what serves us best. Use search when you know that right terms. Browsing can be faster if you have good organization.
Start first with defining the best organization method for you.
If you work with projects, you might want to start with top-level project folders. Use sub-folders for each type of document. An example for a house remodeling contractor would be a top-level folder named “221 Main St.”, with sub-folders for each sub-contractor. If you’re a consultant, you might want to start with top-level client folders.
Your organization system might consist instead of document types. For example, you might have a top-level “Marketing” folder, with sub-folders for “Presentations”, “Flyers”, “Brochures”, “Blog Posts”., etc.
The best organization system for you will depend on how you look for things. The important thing is to start with a system, use it consistently, and to adjust it as needed.
Here’s a nice post from Seagate, the disk drive company, on file organization: Organizing Your Digital Files.
Get the “Controlling the Chaos” Newsletter and receive a free PDF download
“Drowning in Email – A Lifeline for Communications Overload”
