Best Practice to Organize Your Computer Files

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Another pro tip - Create a template folder with the tree structure under it. When you create a new project, just duplicate the project template folder and you don't have to go and set up the structure every time. Saves time and means that your folders are consistent.

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I use to create an alphabetical list of main folders (AB,CD,EF...etc) where each folder has sub-folders with their labels for the main topics (personal, work, projects,personal info etc) .It may look quite simple to you, however is so practical when arrives a moment to search any file, moreover the back-up disk has the same structure, so when an updated is needed, all the repeated files are no copied (unless the "weight" is different) ....Your tutorial gives me a new perspective and fresh ideas....Thank you so much Miss David.

Use 00, 10, 20, etc as prefixes for folders as this allows you to number keys to navigate and you can add temporary/special root level folders like 11, 21, etc.

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This is a very good simple instruction on how to organize data files in a PC. I would add one thing I have done is structure my accounting files along the lines of a balance sheet. 01 - Accounting files (then subfiles)01 Cash, 02 Accounts receivable, 03 other current assets, Property and equipment etc. In an accounting department this is a very useful way to organize files.

I've been using the Hierarchy Structures since the very first time I worked in an office, and I am very happy to see how my method of naming folders and files is similar to yours. While I don't use sequential numbers for the folders, I also try to apply some level of hierarchy to the files, like: Project_File Type_Date_Version I also wrote a script in VBA to mass read and rename the files, so I don't have to change one by one. Thank you for your content!

Thank you for your file naming protocol. I have used this for the past 10 years and it makes it a breeze to find things and, more importantly, not look at files that are out of date. Also, the attorneys love an organized files structure for discovery.

Thanks a lot for sharing this. I've always used a hierarchy in my file system to store and find files afterwards, and I've been doing it for more 25 years now. Nonetheless, this video can still ispire me better solutions and an even 'cleaner' approach. Managing and organizing files in a very healthy way has always been a very neglected issue, leaving it all to the personal approach, which sometimes is simply not as efficient as it should be. Keep it up Lea, great work!

Thanks for showing practical advice on this very important topics in life! I'm sure people will have to further modify to fit individual life. But, the message of "there are better ways" is critical. ****** For those who are concerning not able to find the wanted file buried inside the directory tree, Window's File Explorer has a very robust "search" function that can search entire directory tree. So, as long as you name the filename and directory name with needed keywords about files, searching is easy!

Wow this video just made my pc so user friendly THANK YOU LEA ! Finding stuff was so frustrating, sitting here since waking up organising files, its so satisfying

In the 70’s, one of my first jobs was working with filing systems for different companies. The lessons I learned stay with me today when organizing my computer files. It’s close to your hierarchy system but labeling is based on time or place or client name or project name. I am a Realtor now so beyond client files, there are rule or legal changes, advertising or graphics. It’s a lot to track.

Thank you for sharing these tips. I organised my files that way and it looks much better now!

Good one! I've long used hierarchical, frequently using 3-digit numerical prefix (e.g. Book Writing projects. Having written over a hundred books, 3 digits required). Also, love the suggestion of yearMonthDay sequence. Helps to keep things properly organized by date, where optimum. And good advice on file path limitations. If folder identity becomes too cryptic, I will add a 0_filename.txt file which sorts to the top with further description of contents. Sometimes this can be in the filename itself, and other times I will add a longer description in the file contents, e.g. 0_Contents.txt -- "Research on local dinosaur species for Pangaea Sister Sites."

Nearly 70 years old and have used a similar system from about 10 years ago. I can find a file so quickly it amazes others. Still use it for any payments and invoices in my retirement days here in S Africa. I like your explanation.

I just started implementing this. The number prefix makes folder ordering really flexible and very easy to adjust. Thank very much for sharing this great approach.

5:43 for dates in the filename you better put in the end of the rest part of it. this will differentiate your files with dates. and the sorting algorythm will put identical files with diff dates and/or versions in one place rather than sort them by dates

I use a variation of those structures depending on the requirement or situation. If I am busy working on a specific topic or folder for a few days or more, then I will put a + or - in front of the Folder name. this will then push them to the top of the folder structure and makes it much quicker and easier to find.

I use a hybrid approach depending on the type of files. For images I generally dump them in the 'pictures' directory; but if a given picture or group of pictures has a special use, I will grab those, and place them in a folder below the pictures directory. For text documents that I create, I place in various project folders inside the document folder. For documents I find that are for ongoing historical or reference use, I place in a 'reference' folder in the main document folder, that has subfolders for different topics (e.g. history, military, technical manuals, tools, business & finance, etc). For things like tax documents, reciepts, and other personal things over a given year, I have 'year' folders.