Why & How You Should Organize Your Digital Files

Organizing your files and folders on the computer is one of the ways to optimize storage and stay productive. Keeping all the files in an organized manner prevents you from unnecessary clicks for accessing the required data. The time you spend finding a file takes up considerable time and affects your productivity. 

You cannot waste your precious work or study hours finding the important files. You should know the location of all the folders and files and should be able to locate them within a few seconds and not minutes. Organizing the digital files does not have to be difficult.

The digital mess is hard to detect as you will not realize that you have a problem in your filing structure unless you experience difficulty finding your files. This article explains different ways that help organize files and is not dedicated to any particular operating system. 

Let’s first understand why you need to organize your digital files. 

Why Is File Organization Necessary?

Keeping things organized can be a habit for many; however, some users need to take time out of their busy routine for file management. The common goal behind managing the important files on digital devices is finding them easily and quickly when required. 

Most of the users are looking for different file organization strategies for two basic objectives that include:

Easy Filing: Your filing system should not appear to be a huge maze where you have to spend minutes finding a single file. It has to be easy, simple, and straightforward and must save your time and effort. 

Easy Locating: All your files and folders must be stored in a logical hierarchy that makes it easier to find files on the computer. Locating files on the computer must be possible and can be done by using a search. 

How You Should Organize Your Files on a Computer

Learning some file organization rules and guidelines will help you to manage your files and folders easily on the device. Let’s learn some basic file management techniques. 

Don’t Save a Bunch of Files on the Desktop

Your desktop should be clean and contain only the recycle bin or trash, based on the operating system you are using. Any additional component will only clutter the desktop, giving it an untidy appearance. Apart from that, the desktop should display a high-definition wallpaper that resonates well with your personality. 

It’s fine to save your frequently used files occasionally on the desktop for quick access. Moreover, the recently downloaded files can temporarily be stored on the computer desktop but must be removed later for managing your system storage. 

Saving a lot of files and folders on the desktop just for the sake of convenience makes your computer slow and sluggish. Do not save app shortcuts on the desktop to ensure better performance and higher productivity. 

Always Keep Limited Folders in Computer

Keep the folder count minimal on your computer and save files in a logical manner for best management. Most of the files will find it into the hierarchy if you spend some time logically mapping the folders. 

If you find the need to save similar files into one single place, you can then only create a new folder. Saving a couple of files in a single folder will only make things complicated, and you will have to browse each folder to find the right document. 

You can save folders by year, month, week, or category wise and stay productive. Always sort out when it’s time to create a new hierarchy for better management rather than creating a multi-layered structure for each file or folder. 

Strategically Name Your Files & Folders

Naming convention matters when you are saving your files or documenting all the folders. The right name makes it possible to find and locate the files easily on Mac or Windows computers. Decide a file naming structure and follow it throughout for organized data management. 

Your file name very much describes the content or data stored inside the file, so you should always name them logically. Using an organized naming convention saves you from opening multiple files while searching for a particular one. 

So a good file name will allow you to look at the file and identify what each file is about without the need to open it. The same approach applies to the folders stored on your computer or other digital devices.