10 Ways to Keep Your Digital Files Organized

Everyone hates a mess. You do not want to see your digital files disorganized and causing
chaos all over your desktop. You do not want to take time finding the files needed for your
work. You do not have to wonder around on what folder you put your bills last month and to
sacrifice your time on finding that certain project to submit tomorrow. As much as possible, you
want to see things on-the-spot and just with one click.

Keeping your digital files organized is one way of not wasting your precious time. It is a way
of finding things easily and can be accessible anytime - without too much work.

Here are 10 tips on how to fix and keep your digital files organized:

1. Decide on a Sorting Method

In organizing your file, you can sort it by type, date, or project. There are advantages and
disadvantages for each sorting method. You can also use a combination of both or all of the
three. Just decide on what kind of sorting you will use depending on your convenience and that
fits your style or workflow.

2. Do not Put Files on the Desktop

As much as possible, never ever store your files on your desktop. Files placed on your
desktop will look messy and untidy to look at to. It is okay to put temporary files but delete it
right away or put into other location.

3. Skip Downloads Folder

When downloading necessary files, do not leave the files on ‘Downloads’ Folder. Delete
them after using or put them on necessary file locations.

4. One Place for All Documents

When organizing files, better put all documents under a single root folder or in the ‘My
Documents’ Folder or if you have another storage for your files, you could put them there. Do
not mix your personal or business documents with other computer files. Application Installers
should have a different folder location; installed applications or files for the system is put under
‘Program Files’ Folder. Avoid putting and mixing your documents with the application files to
prevent malfunction of your computer system.

5. Limit Numbers of Folders

Create folders in the least numbers. Before categorizing your files, think on what type of
method to use in which you could only create the least possible number of folders.

6. Create Folders within Folders

 You can create sub-folders within the main folder, especially when needed. Be sure to have
files in every folder than have uncategorized files listed.

7. Name Files and Folders Practically

In naming files and folders, think of names that can easily be identified. As much as possible,
be descriptive but do not be much for some path names have length limits.

If you need some punctuations to separate thoughts, you can use an underscore or dash
because other characters such as (* / ? < > \ ) are prohibited in naming files or folders (e.g. John
Doe – Nov. 20, 2020.pdf or Jane Doe_Nov192020.pdf). You can also name your files by date and
description (e.g. 10202020_Assignment 1 or Oct. 10, 2020 – Assignment 1).

8. Clean Unnecessary Files Regularly

If you have time, clean your files regularly or weekly. Delete unnecessary files or remove
files that cannot anymore be used. Also, put to trash those duplicate files and no longer helpful
for future use.

9. Minimize Storage Space

Storage spaces have only limited capacity. You can free up space by clearing unnecessary
files to give room for more files in the future. Full storage spaces could cause bad performance
to your computer and can possibly delay your work.

10. Back-Up Files Regularly

One of the worst possible thing could happen is to lose your files. Back-up your files
whenever possible. Better buy an external hard drive for an extra storage and a back-up of your
important files which you could also carry anywhere with you. You can back-up your files in
your Cloud or Google Drive or OneDrive to easily access online. You should back-up your files as
many locations as possible.

Organizing your files is a skill and it is a much help if you want to keep your things in order,
for easy identification, and for future use. It is a different feeling of satisfaction once you
organize your file and keep you at ease in finding the files you needed in one search. Follow
these tips consistently and it will greatly save your time, work, and money.