If you get weekly financial or marketing reports that are the same document, just with different numbers, then it's best. The nice thing about a date-based structure is it makes it very easy to find files from a certain period, for example, to look at last year's profit report for January.Ī date-based structure is best when you work with similar files regularly. Depending on how many files you work with, you can also have further subfolders for each week. With a date-based structure, you normally have a folder for each year with a subfolder for each month. If you've got multiple projects for the same clients, you can either give each project its own top-level folder or have individual project folders within each client folder. If file B is to do with client Y, it goes in folder Y. Within each project or client folder, you keep all the relevant files and documents.įor example, if file A is to do with client X, it goes in folder X. Project or Client-Based File Organization SystemĪ project or client-based structure is perhaps the simplest one to use.You should pick the method that seems to fit your workflow best and stick to it. You can use a combination, for example, grouping everything by project but within each project grouping things by file type or grouping everything by year but within each year grouping it by the client. There are pros and cons to each method of organizing folders. There are three main ways to structure your file systems: project or client-based, date-based, and file type-based. Then you can save a flow chart for quick reference. Make a cheat sheet: It's OK if you don't have every single folder memorized.And there shouldn't be two places you're keeping invoices for the same project. Keep folders unique: Make sure there's no overlap in what goes into your folders.Think of folder names as keywords: Keep in mind that you can search for files using folder names to find what you're looking for quickly.Or, save yourself from the bother of manually re-creating your structure over and over again by setting up a Zap to do it for you. Create a template: Copy and paste it every time you start a new project or task.Here are some tricks that help you to make a good file structure, such as: Nested folders generally make it easier to find specific files later because you don't have to sift through all your files at once. As folders are added over time, you can either keep them at the same level or nest them within each other for a hierarchy.
This can reveal itself in slower performance, that unsettling humming noise, and Mac's dreaded spinning wheel or Windows' spinning circle.ĭeep cleaning your computer of unwanted files and streamlining your folder system can not only free up storage space but improve your computer's performance.Ī folder structure is the way folders are organized on your computer. If you haven't been organizing and discarding files as you go, it means your hard drive is stuffed with downloads, unwanted photos, file copies, and other digital dust bunnies. Organize computer files and folders would help you move forward with your goals. Every time you have to explore a document you can't find or have to do unnecessary clicks to access a folder, this is a waste of time. One of the simplest and most overlooked aspects of being organized is getting your computer files organized.
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