The Coronavirus Pandemic has had most of us locked in our houses for the greater part of 2020. Greece is currently going through the second LOCKDOWN. As a result, I, like many others, spend almost 15 hours daily staring at a computer screen. I use my computer for my PhD, for my stories, for entertainment, for socializing and networking, for work out, for recipes, for news. Everything I do, I use my computer for it. And I bet you do, too. So in this post, I'll talk about how I organize my computer files, so I don't lose anything amidst the chaos, hoping it will help other people with organizing their files, as well.
A screenshot of what my desktop looked like on the day I wrote this post.
1. Nothing on desktop
My number one advice is to never EVER save anything on your desktop. We've all been through that point where you just hit save as --> desktop --> dsfghjhjgfd.png - or whatever that looks like for you. And then your desktop gets all covered by files and folders and you can't find what you're looking for, and every single time you open your computer you're overwhelmed. So stop doing that. Don't save anything on your desktop. I went a little further and even removed the bin. A clean desktop eliminates visual digital clutter making your work less overwhelming.
2. Save files you use everyday on your computer
I used to create folders in my C:/ drive for every category, until I just realized it's not possible to keep everything inside my laptop. When I was an undergrad and I was working on my thesis, my old computer shut down and never opened again and I had to rewrite everything from memory. That's not something I'm willing to go through again. The only things I've stored on my drive are apps and virtual machines I use on a daily basis. And that saved me a couple of weeks ago when my laptop died and I had to purchase a new one. All my files were intact. So where do I save my files?
3. Portable hard disks
I'm a huge fan of portable hard disks. I have one where I store anything related to the university, one for everything related to writing and reading, and one with personal stuff like pictures and such.
4. Category specific folders
Putting everything in one hard disk could still be chaotic and overwhelming to look at if you don't have specific folders for each category. For instance, in my Writer's disk I have folders such us: writings, youtube, blog, instagram. Inside the writings folder I have these folders: novel, short, novella and so on. Inside Novel, you'd find folders titled after each novel I've written so far. Inside those folders you'll find other folders such as: First draft, Second Draft, Edited. And finally in each of these folders you'll find all the different versions of the file.
5. Specific file names
Don't use "project.doc" as a name for your file. "New novel.doc" is a terrible choice, too. Give it the very specific name it deserves and I'd even go ahead and suggest you add the date, too. So each update you make will be a different file. For instance, in my story Fresh Paint's first draft's folder I have files that look like this: fresh_paint_1st_draft_2019_12_03.docx, fresh_paint_1st_draft_2019_12_04.docx. That way you could always go back to a previous version of your file, if you change your mind and are not satisfied with the updates you've made.
I know it seems too much to some, but if you asked me to retrieve a file for you, any file, I know exactly where to find it this way. You can try it for yourself and see how it goes. It will probably take you a couple of days to sort all the files out. Trust me, however, it is totally worth the time and energy you will save for your future self. You'll thank yourself later.
It is also essential to keep back-up copies, just in case. I'd suggest you use a cloud, so you have access to it from any place.
Is there a way you organize your files that has helped you? I'd love to find out new ways to incorporate in my organizing routines.
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