Help, my computer files are a mess

As appeared in the Baltimore Business Journal - January 11, 2008
by Leslie Shreve

Question:
I can't find anything in my endless list of electronic documents in the computer. How do I organize these so that I can find what I need when I need it?

Answer:
First, look for major themes or categories in your list of documents and then set up category folders accordingly. Categories may be departments, areas of responsibility, initiatives, projects or programs. Then look for opportunities to set up sub-folders within the larger category folders for further ease of finding and filing documents. As you proceed with filing all your e-documents, you'll surely come up with additional folders you need.

Creating them as you go is fine. File everything so that there are very few, if any, loose documents in major category folders. When naming documents, be consistent with naming conventions.And if you have multiple years of documents in your list and only need to access the current year, consider archiving older documents or setting up sub-folders by year.

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