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So, a couple of weeks ago I made a video about how you should minimize your digital environment and we talked about **(split screen)** minimizing the time you spend around your devices and minimizing your digital space, that is, documents, photos and files.
Since I'm still in the pursue of minimizing and decluttering my digital environment, today I will be talking about 10 tips to organize your documents and files , whether they're stored in a physical device or in a Cloud system.
1. **Use dates to organize different versions of the same file** - in case you are working in a file and want to keep past versions available, you need to rely on a good system to quickly identify all the different versions. I personally like to use a date method where I write the date in the beginning of the file in "year month day" format and then type the name of the document followed by the number of the version with three digits. This is an easy way to sort different versions by date and get an accurate view of the history of that document.
2. **Distinguish between "working on" and "archived" folders.** You can do this by a change of icon type, color, naming the folder with an abbreviation or signaling the folder or file with a tag in case you're working with MacOs. This dual organization method will allow you to know immediately which folders contain files that keep information that is not currently relevant and which folders contain documents that are important for the tasks you're currently engaged in
3. **Create a root folder for document files.** This makes backup and searching tools easier to run.
4. Back up files regularly. This is pretty self-explanatory. Back up files so you won't lose them. Period. You can use a cloud service, a hard drive or even your gmail account to do this. Just set up a system with an alarm so you don't forget. This is particularly important if you're engaged in a long-term project (like a thesis) and you simply can't afford losing progress.
5. Don't be afraid to [**delete things]** after you backed them up once or twice. Even if you don't physically see all the information that is stored in your computer or your hard drive, it's *still there and it's taking up space.* Know when to identify when a certain file is no longer useful and get rid of it.
6. **Create a useful naming system** for your files. Previous to naming any actual files, just type open a new document or note and decide how you would like to name and identify certain types of files. Articles, recipes, receipts, bills, academic documents, work files and contracts should all be labeled accordingly so you can easily find whatever you're looking for. The secret here is to categorize in a smart way and not overdo your labeling system. I like to stick with date_category_subject and I make sure to stick with it for the entirety of my file management system.
7. Tied to the last one is getting into the habit of **naming files correctly** as soon as you create them. Create a file naming system that will work for all devices and back up units and use it as soon as a document is created so that if you are in a rush while saving, you have already named the file properly.
8. **Don't go crazy with folder creation**. You don't need folders that have such restricted categories that only one or two documents fit in there. Categorise are supposed to create an automatic filter that allows you to understand intuitively where a file belongs to. If you need to write a manual to be able to successfully hierarchise documents, you're doing it wrong.
9. Use **photo scanning softwar**e to take pictures of bills and receipts in paper format and store them neatly in a folder. I like to use an app called CamScanner for this. It's digital organization that allows me to improve the organization of my physical objects since I don't need to waste so much space in storing paper.
10. Migrate your organizational system to in-app file management. Maybe there are some apps that you use very often and have integrated document management systems, like Goodnotes, Evernote or even Notion for instance. The idea is to migrate the previous principles to these apps so that your brain knows how to apply one system well across all iterations of your digital organization system.
FTC: This video is sponsored by Skillshare.
