I was talking with a client recently about her newsletter. While we were on a call, she began struggling to find a document I had sent a few months ago. She looked in her email, she searched her hard drive, she even looked through a pile of papers she had stacked on her desk.
After a few minutes I asked, “How do you organize your digital files?” She said she just keeps them in the “My Documents” folder of her computer.
And it turns out that’s exactly what she meant. She has everything, thousands of files spanning years and years, sitting there, completely unorganized, in one big bin. It’s the digital equivalent of “filing” your documents by opening the basement door and throwing them down the stairs. No wonder she was frustrated and couldn’t find what she was looking for!
So, here are my 3 quick tips to increase productivity and decrease frustration:
1. Think in Terms of Categories
When setting up a new file structure, think about the different buckets you’ll need to store your information. Then make a separate folder for each. In my case, for example, my main categories are:
Clients – all client related files are found here.
Business – this is where I store the information use to run my business.
Personal – everything else – photos, family documents, etc.
Categorizing is more efficient than organizing files by date (as you might with paper files). This way, you’ll never have to remember “when,” just the more obvious “what.”
2. Make Use of Sub-Folders
Within each primary folder I create sub-folders – again grouped by category. So, for example, within my “Clients” folder, I have additional sub-folders by client name. Inside each of those, I have more sub-folders (e.g., newsletter drafts, logos, projects).
3. Choose Meaningful File Names
To make finding documents as easy as possible, make sure to give a meaningful name to each one. Not only does this allow you to find what you need quickly (without having to keep opening documents and looking to see what’s in there), it makes searching your folders quicker, too!
How much time do you waste each day looking for things you can’t find? I can’t help you with those lost keys, but if you follow these simple digital filing tips, you will definitely save yourself some time and increase your productivity.