Tip of the Week: How to Keep Your Files Properly Organized

Now that we have access to better file storage and management than the file cabinets that we’ve historically utilized, our capabilities have increased exponentially… assuming, of course, that our better file storage and management solutions are kept organized. As this organization is so crucial to successfully undergoing your operations, we’re offering a few tips to help you keep your files in order.

Organization like this is best accomplished through the strict adoption of certain file management practices on your network. We recommend the following:

Keep All Documents Within a Root Folder

Whether you’re organizing documents on your own workstation, or are developing a file sharing environment, every document should be contained in a single folder (known as the root folder) and divvied up into various sub-folders to keep them organized. This will simplify the process of finding your files later.

Use Folders to Your Advantage

As mentioned, you will want to create various sub-folders to create a more granular organizational system. Let’s say you keep your contracts with your clients in a particular folder. Calling this folder “Contracts” lets you know what it contains and can be divided up into folders for each of the years that these contracts were agreed upon. All of your files should be easily located based on the folders you create.

Determine Specific Naming Conventions

You will want to make sure that all of your files are given descriptive names to simplify finding them later on. Simply naming a file ‘invoice’ will not be enough to help you identify which invoice is contained in that file and will only make it more difficult to find at a later date.

This is why it is so important to be specific as you name your files. The Windows operating system allows a total of 260 characters to be used - including the name of the drive, all folders, and the end file name. Therefore, being succinct while specific is crucial. Try to name your files in a way that clearly communicates what their contents are, so that both you and anyone you share a file with can get a clear sense of what it contains at a glance - even without the path hierarchy to tell them what it means.

You can also use your file names to make it more convenient to find the ones you need. Adding a character to the beginning of the name will make it default to the top of the list of files.

Create Files Where You Want Them

It is far easier to initially create a document where you want it stored than it is to relocate it later. Don’t hesitate to do so, using the naming conventions that you established.

Enable Collaboration

In today’s cooperative business environment, the capability for your entire team to accomplish productive work in a shared digital workspace is key. This is why it is strongly encouraged that businesses utilize the cloud for these file management capacities.

For assistance in creating this kind of hierarchy, supported by the capabilities of cloud technologies, reach out to Walsh IT Group. Our IT experts can help you design a workable and intuitive resource for your business to leverage. Call (832) 295-1445 to learn more.