In the great digital abyss that is your computer hard disk drive, do you have many, many e-file folders and documents (electronic paper), photos and clipart and more on your computer, but like most paper in most offices, can’t find them when you need them? You might ad a stack or pile of jump/flashdrives, old floppies and zip disks, CDs and DVDs too of course. RUN SCREAMING!
Lots of wasted time and energy go into the seek and find of e-files.
Set up your filing “system”
Remember, if you don’t have systems, you have piles!
1. Think of your computer as a filing cabinet, like your paper filing cabinet.
2. Your computer’s organizational system is made up of two components: directories and files. The directories are like tabbed file folders, and the files (documents, pictures, or any other sort of data) are like the papers that you’d put in those file folders. Of course, unlike paper folders, however (this can be the bad part!) your electronic directories can hold a nearly infinite number of files.
3. Create your files. Like with paper folders and files, think broad categories first. Example:
RECIPES (MAIN FOLDER)
Vegies (Folder)
Corn (Folder or Document File in alphabetical order with all other vegies)
4. Your computer will do some of your work for you, like it automatically alphabetizes folders and files for you. If you ever a folder or file to be above another but alphabetically it doesn’t work, just put the letter preceding the other letters of other folders/files that are above it, like A-Corn will put Corn above Artichokes!
5. “Labeling” is a core organizing rule. So, when you label your e-folder/file, you’re “titling” it. Make sure to put the exact words you want in the title to a) find it easily and b) if you can’t find it, you can SEARCH on your computer for it. You can use long titles, but that can be frustrating to read and for your computer to deal with if you have a lot of data on your hard-drive.
TIP: When titling or naming your file, think about how you’d tell someone else to find it for you. Make it easy. Use keywords. What keywords would you think of first? What would be the most logical? If you were searching on the Internet for the topic, what would you type? Then make sure that you include these keywords in the title.
6. Just like paper files, take time to purge, archive and remind yourself of all that’s on your computer too.
7. Include file names on your documents The document name can be placed in the footer of a Microsoft Office Word document, for example, by using the AutoText command on the Insert menu. You can include only the document name or both the document name and the path to where the document is saved. (The latter is very helpful on a printed copy when you can’t find the document on your computer.)
8. Organize your e-mail Sometimes this means a big purge! In email you can create folders for listservs and have your emails automatically filed as they’re delivered into your account. Also, be sure to use good subject lines in your e-mail messages — it’s much easier to find an e-mail message if it has a subject line that applies to the content of the message.
TIP: When I sent my Speaker Marketing Packet to a Meeting Planner I put their name or company name in the Subject line with my Subject information so that as I BBC to myself, I can file it in my Speaking folder immediately and not lose them. Since my client’s name is in the Subject line, I can browse the Speaking folder and find it quickly.
9. The big e-purge. A bit more on purging here. Create a scheduled time of the month or so to keep up a good habit of going through your files and deleting the ones you will not use any longer.
TIP: By using the Search feature, you can find documents by date.
TIP: Some say that if a file was last modified or created more than two years ago, delete it. I use a lot of information on my computer that’s older than that! I update and reedit forms and such and am glad I had them and didn’t have to start over from scratch! But, realistically, if you think that you might use it in the distant future, burn it onto a CD before deleting it.
WARNING: All those CD’s you’ve burned . . . can and will deteriorate someday – we don’t know when! So, it’s really best to stay active with your files and don’t keep keeping CDs and backups and such around if you really aren’t going to use them.
This goes with my philosophy – BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!, and so in this case BURN YOUR E-FILES DOWN! If your computer crashed (burned down) and you lost all your information, what 20% would you miss. Then, back it up.
10. Backup technology. Backup on CDs or interior/exterior second hard-drives, or online for free or fee.
11. Last ditch effort. Like using a box to archive files into that you don’t know if you need them or are too tired to deal with! . . . create a directory titled “Old Documents” and put all of your old files, just as they are, in that directory. Then, plan the time to go back and as you review them or use those old files, save each of them to its place in your shiny-organized-electronic filing cabinet!
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