Organizing Computer Files: Sort Where They Belong

The best part about organizing computer files may also pose the greatest challenge. You are entirely free to make any organizing system which works best for you. Before everything will result to piled up files, bring order to organizing computer files. Think of the energy and time you will certainly save each time you look for a computer file.

Set up a broad-category folder within My Documents. You can also do this on the hard drive. For suggestions on labeling names, read the 185 Create a Flawless Filing feature.

Create a subfolder within every category. For instance, arrange the fiscal document by type or year or family-oriented computer files by person.

Utilize the sorting function of the computer. Put a space or "AAA" in front the most used folder while a bullet or "ZZZ" for the files that are least used. This process will top the former on the alphabetical listing, as the latter will be listed at the bottom. You can also use 1, 2, 3 and so on.

Identify the default file. This can be done through the Preferences menu. For instance, pull the Tools menu down to Options, hit the File Locations label and then choose Documents. Click to Modify.

Organizing computer files must also suit your personal needs. Arrange by date, by type or by kind and group all the spreadsheets, for instance.

Use meaningful markings for your documents. A file that says Inventory is less helpful than the filename Inventory_Engineering Dept_2007. Do not use colons, asterisks, slashes and other punctuations except for the single period prior to the suffix.

Refine your computer filing system for it to work better everyday. Rearrange or rename the folders and trash or archive the inactive ones. Avoid the duplication of folders, especially those that contain large files or photos. You will only fill up your hard drive and add confusion.

Make use of the Save As feature to save an unaffected version of a file. You have to make a new filename that you may base according to the old file or you may change it altogether. This trick shared by the traditional computer geeks still works well. You can also add V4, V5, V6 and so on at every end of a document to name a modified document.

Reserve the desktop for documents which need urgent attention. When you finish browsing and working those urgent documents, sort them to where they belong. Avoid storing long-term documents on the desktop.

Organizing computer files is an easy thing. You do not have to be a computer geek to be able to arrange a simple document and file it in the computer. It just takes your common sense and comprehension to organize things.