Organizing Computer Files

Organizing computer files does not have to be hard...but it IS important.

Computer files are much more apt to be cluttered than physical filing cabinets; when you discover how to easily weed out the excess and organize the keepers, you'll also see how nice a stress-free computer can be.

In fact, DO think of your computer as one big filing cabinet.

We often forget that just because it's a virtual filing cabinet, it doesn't get cram-packed, but it does. And the more files and documents on your computer, the harder it is to keep it organized.

So before you start organzing computer files, the first step is to clear off some of those files and documents.

Go through your documents folders and delete, delete, delete (which is also the best tool when learning how to organize email). Here are some documents you can definitely let go of:

• rough drafts of any letters, programs, or documents (keep the final draft and delete the rest)
• articles you meant to read and haven't had the time (don't keep things to do 'for later'...let them go now instead)
• articles you did read and thought you might need them later (if and when you need that information, you can find the lastest version online)
• any and all documents you no longer need, no longer reference, and no longer want

After you have deleted as many documents as possible in the process of organizing computer files, the next step is to organize them into easily-findable folders.

The simplest filing systems are the best...not only are they easy to create and use, but just as importantly, they are easy to maintain.

Create folders and subfolders with simple headings, depending on what you need to file.

For example, if you run a business with regular staff meetings and you keep the minutes for the meetings, your files might look like this:

• Staff Meetings
• Minutes January 2010
• Minutes February 2010
• Minutes March 2010
• Minutes April 2010

And within each subfolder you would file the documents related to that month of staff meetings.

A good rule of thumb when organzing computer files is that whenever you have a folder with more than 25-30 documents, it's time to create subfolders within that folder...it's much easier to see at a glance what you're looking for, rather than skimming through a list of dozens of individual documents.

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