How to create an effective electronic files system ^u^
back to school challenge: nine days to go!
hey it’s rebecca! my second advice post today is all about keeping your filing system on your computer/tablet nicely organised and free of any junk, allowing you to use it effectively throughout your school year without losing files only to find them the day after they are due~ (what do you mean of course i’ve never done that)
it honestly isn’t as hard as you think, it just takes a bit of time and patience to sort out everything that has piled up over time, and once it’s done it’s up to you to ensure it never falls to pieces again - so get your playlist pumpin’ and get goin’!
step 1: PURGEEE!!!1!!1!!!
this is probably one of the longest things you will have to do - go through absolutely every folder and file on your computer and delete everything that is irrelevant, unhelpful and has been used at that point - you don’t need anything that is wasting storage (the downloads folder is a particular offender for carrying these kinds of files, just a load of random shit is often found here). don’t be too hasty though, check what files are (please don’t delete something if it will break your computer) and if they may have some significance in the future, hang on to them for now and you can deal with them later when you have the time.
step 2: create a simple, understandable folder system ヅ
unless you have a load of really random shit that you need to keep, you should be able to divide most of your documents into a few large categories. for example, mine are split into school, work, church, and then an other category (for things like onenote notebooks, guarantees, app folders and other random documents that i’d want to keep). now go through everything and sort them into the corresponding folder.
step 3: create subfolders
now to organise everything even further (!!!), you should create subfolders in each folder to make sure you know exactly where to go when looking for a document. for example, in my school folder everything is divided into subjects, then in each subject folder they are divided into the academic year, then in there i may divide documents depending on the unit/area (e.g, in my maths folder there are folders entitled application, expressions & formulae and relationships - corresponding to the three units). this will make documents even easier to find!
step 4: rename everything
your life will become a helluva lot easier if you rename your documents so that they make sense (’applications cheat sheet’ as opposed to “document 1″, for example). create a naming system that will work for you and stick to it throughout the year - make it a habit that you can’t break! one thing that i don’t personally do that is super organised to date everything! by this i mean rename your files with the date as YYYYMMDD_filename . this makes it super easy if you have ever lost a file or can’t remember where you would put something, as you can just search for it !
KUDOS TO YOU!: another thing you could do to be the organisation ~*~qUeEn~*~ is to back everything up using a programme like google drive or onedrive or dropbox! i do not do this currently but one day when i have the time i plan to just go through everything and back it all up in case, god forbid, anything happens to my laptop ://
don’t slip back into bad habits with this, so with every new document (or edit) you make, ensure when you come to save it that it is going into the correct folder (and not downloads!!) also keep an eye out, and when you have a spare moment, have a quick skim of your folders to delete anything that has creeped onto your computer.
you know how the saying goes: a place for everything, and everything in its place - it is so so important to remember that this goes for all your digital space too, and hey, who wouldn’t like an easier life B)
i hope you have found this helpful and i will see you tomorrow!