![]() ![]() Once you've established your top-level folders, it's time to organize your subfolders. For example, writers might work on blog posts, emails, and landing pages.īy time: If it's easier for you to reference your work by date, use the month or year for the name of your parent folder. Here are a few ideas to get you started:īy project: If you work on a lot of different projects, use the project name as your top-level folder name.īy project type: If you work on different types of projects, organize your folders based on project type. Ready to get organized, but not sure how to start? Let's take it from the top: Establish a clear hierarchical folder structure.įirst, determine your top-level folder. Experiment with these folder structure examples To prevent this, give every file an accurate name and home as soon as you create it. ![]() If you work with a lot of files, organizing your folders once a month may result in an insurmountable pile of chaos. Then set aside 15 minutes once a week to sort through these files-again, ruthlessly deleting the files you won't need again and rehoming the ones you do need. To make the process more manageable, consider moving all the files you won't need in the immediate future into an Archives or To be sorted folder. Tip: If you have a lot of files and folders that need to be sorted, it will take time to get everything organized. To keep your file and folder names consistent-regardless of the program you're using-include only necessary information and cut anything superfluous (e.g., words like "a," "and," and "the"). Some software programs have character limits on file names, or don't allow certain special characters (e.g., #, and &). To arrange your files in a specific order, add leading zeros (e.g., 01, 02, and 03) instead of 1, 2, and 3.Īdd "AA." By adding "AA" at the beginning of your file name, it'll automatically stack it at the top of your list, making it easily accessible. This will make it easier to identify the most recent version and avoid any costly mixups if there are multiple iterations of the same file. If you're working with multiple versions of a file, include the version number (e.g., V3). By putting a date (e.g., yymmdd) at the beginning of your file name, it'll automatically be listed in chronological order. If using compound words, capitalize the first letter of each word to make it easier to read. And if you're sharing the file with a client, consider using words that make it clear what's inside. For example, Invoice_2301 or Receipt_2301. Consider what terms you might search for to retrieve the file. While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to naming conventions, here are some tips to keep in mind. The goal is to use names that clearly indicate what's inside without having to open it. ![]() Give your folders and files specific, logical names-and be consistent. The best folder structure will mimic the way you work.įor example, if you're a freelance writer, your top-level folder may be Freelance projects, and within that folder, you have subfolders for the clients you write for, like Zapier, WIRED, and so on. Start organizing your files by creating a logical, hierarchical folder structure. Establish a clear hierarchical folder structure If you find yourself doing mental gymnastics to figure out where you stored something, update your organization system with these file management tips. The obvious folder to look in would be Client invoices-not Client comms. Continuing with our lawyer example, let's say you need to find out when your client paid their retainer. How to organize files and folders on your computerīrowsing through folders should be an intuitive process. If you regularly find yourself clicking through four or five layers of folders to access what you need, that's a sign you may need to simplify your structure. Tip: Folders are great for organization, but having too many nested folders can make finding files cumbersome. ![]()
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