Top Tips to Organize your Digital Documents

We have come a long way from punching papers and storing them in different files. Today our files are all in the digital format. We can access them from anywhere we may be. Yet most of us find it tough to retrieve information especially if we haven’t organized our digital documents.

Here are a Few Tips you could use to organize your digital documents:

Have a system to store digital information

Make sure you have a protocol on storing digital documents. There should be rules in place when it comes to naming folders and files, switching between local and cloud use, performing backups, and many other things.

Put all of your digital documents into one folder

There should be one main folder where you need to organize all your digital files. Of course you can have subfolders to distribute information. But the main folder will be your server which will make it easy to search for information and backup your files.

Use names that are self-explanatory

Most people use acronyms to name their files and folders. But this can make it difficult for them to interpret the meaning of the files and understand what is stored in them. Self-explanatory names are a better choice when it comes to naming files and folders. In addition, make sure these names are brief and easy to remember. If you need to use long names you can use underscores to separate words so that they are compatible across platforms.

Use dates in the reverse format while naming digital documents

One of the best methods to name digital files is to use the date in the reverse format. For instance, a file called December 4^th 2016 gets named as 20161204. This way, it becomes easy to organize your files automatically by date. You can use the version at the end of the name along with an underscore (_v2, _v3, _v4, etc.).

Organize files in the appropriate folders right from the beginning

This might seem like an unnecessary step when it comes to organizing digital documents; yet it is one of the most important steps you need to take. Decide right from the moment of creation where you want to save your documents. This way you can avoid the disappearance of documents, which can lead to major confusions.

Don’t delete anything

Deleting files may not be a good move to make when it comes to organizing your digital documents. You can instead create subfolders with inactive files or old versions of files. That way if you need them in future, you will always know where to look.

Always give importance to backups

Have a system to periodically dump information from your server to a cloud or an external hard drive. This will give you the peace of mind that you deserve.

Review your local document folders on a weekly basis

Make it a point to transfer all your digital documents from your local document folder to your server, once a week. Store it in the appropriate folder while you do this and make this a habit.

Using these tips can make your life very easy and convenient. Check out coolutils for some of the coolest tools to manage your digital files. Stay organized at all times.