Since the dawn of the information age, learning how to organize file systems and documents in a digital space has become an essential practice.

As a data analyst with nearly 13 years of experience, you learn a thing or two about data organization, and those skills easily trickle into file management systems. Organizing our digital data is essential for finding or recalling emails, folders, photos, and more. Basically, you’re helping the future version of you find what you may need down the line.

Imagine a library without the dewey decimal classification system. Finding that textbook on the American Revolution would be a lot more difficult if everything was thrown into a pile, out of order. Book lovers probably couldn’t even dare to imagine such chaos… and yet, millions of people leave their digital workspace in permanent state of disarray.

For a millennia, mankind relied on parchment and other papers to document, plan, or express the happenings of society. You really only had two potential options: burn it or lose it, both of which have some level of intention behind it. Being a physical object, paper requires a much more thoughtful process when interacting with it, unlike the simplicity of accidentally deleting a file on your desktop or mislabeling it so you’d never find it.

Practicing file organization allows you to find what you need quickly.

For some, organizing files, emails, and photos is like an OCD-level satisfying dream come true. For others, it’s a waste of time – but I’m here to tell you, it’s possible and useful!

Sometimes, finding files efficiently in critical or time sensitive moments can be the difference between success and failure, depending on the situation. Can you imagine putting together a wedding album without photos of the bride’s family? Or, what about that funny email an old friend wrote a few years ago that you wanted share once again? Bad file organization is like missing memories in your mind, and if you miss enough, well… you’re simply missing out altogether!

Here are a few ways that you can change your file organization habits for good, and stick to it!

GETTING STARTED

When you are in the process of developing a new file structure, it’s important to design a system that incorporates not only the types of files you are organizing today, but what you may be organizing or using in the future. For the sake of examples, I’m going to use references to music… primarily, George Michael, because why not?

Types of Files

There are seven (7) primary types of files that most people use, excluding essential computer system and software files (e.g. EXE):

• Audio
  • M4A, MP3, WAV
• Archive
  • RAR, ZIP
• Document
  • DOC/DOCX, HTML/HTM, PDF, RTF, TXT, XML, XLS/XLSX
• Image
  • GIF, JPG, PNG, SVG, TIFF
• Presentation
  • PPT/PPTX, ODP, KEY
• Project/Software
  • AI, EPS, PSD, PTX, WPD
• Video
  • AVI, FLV, MOV, AVCHD

Types of Data Components

There are five (5) primary data components you must consider when you are saving or labeling electronic files:

• Subject: The subject or title of the content within document, audio recording, video, photo, etc.
  • e.g. George Michael
• Category: The type, collection, or grouping of content within the file.
  • This is an optional component, but you may find it useful for organizing project files.
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert
• Description: The variation, purpose, or destination (location/event) of the content.
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – Somebody to Love
• Date: The year, month, day, and even the time of day of the content.
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – Somebody to Love – 1992-04-20
• Version: The variation of the content, such as multiples of the same or similar files with minor changes.
  • This is an optional component, and is not necessary if there is only one (1) version of the file.
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – Somebody to Love – 1992-04-20 – Track 1
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – Killer – 1991-03-22 – Track 2

Each component allows you to create a system that’s easily searchable by email systems, desktop search parameters, and cloud storage systems.

Standard Naming Conventions for Files

When you are developing a system for your digital files, it’s important to create a standard – and stick to it.

Using the primary data components, there are minimally five (5) ways to organize files:

• Format A: Subject, Category, Description, Date, Version
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – Somebody to Love – 1992-04-20 – Track 1
• Format B: Category, Subject, Description, Date, Version
  • Useful for file systems where there are multiple files under the same purpose, intent, or description.
  • e.g. Live In Concert – George Michael – Somebody to Love – 1992-04-20 – Track 1
  • e.g. Live In Concert – Adele – Set Fire to the Rain – 2011-11-22 – Track 5
• Format C: Subject, Category, Date, Description, Version
  • Useful for file systems where there are multiple files under the same Subject with varying Dates, but you want to organize by chronological order.
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – 1992-04-20 – Somebody to Love – Track 1
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – 1991-03-22 – Killer – Track 2
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – 2014-03-17 – Feeling Good – Track 7
• Format D: Date, Subject, Category, Description, Version
  • e.g. 1992-04-20 – George Michael – Live In Concert – Somebody to Love – Track 1
• Format E: Subject, Category, Version, Description, Date
  • e.g. George Michael – Live In Concert – Track 1 – Somebody to Love – 1992-04-20

Your file system should be based on your personal preferences and/or what you believe should be the most important vs. the least important information. You may find it more important to categorize all of your files by Date first, versus using the Subject.

Additionally, some computer systems allow you to utilize tags on files, but it’s best practice to label your file names according to what information is available in the file itself.

DISCUSSION: How do you organize your digital files and folders?