Effective file structure.

All data in your computer is stored as files, files may be sorted by folders and may not. But for effective computer applying folders were created, and the topic is - how to arrange data on your PC to easily find it later, not depending on who’ll search.

Introduction

So, you are making some project. And you have some files referring it. You may save them all in one folder, called “Project”, for example, and name them “1.doc”, “2.doc” and so on... But it would be rather hard to rapidly find something you need some time later, right? So, some advice how to store data to launch it easily then.

File names

Name files you create according to what is inside, or what they mean. If someone searches it, he’ll easily understand the theme if the file is named properly. For example, if you create something concerning tomorrow’s meeting, maybe, a list of people who are to present, name it something like “tomorrow_meeting” or “personnel_list”. And try not to use special characters, it will make the search process harder!

Putting date in file name

If you are creating such lists for a long time, and you have a number of them, and they are to be stored, you may create some folders, for example “January”, “February”, “March” and so on... If there are already too many folders, you may create again folders like “1999”, “2000”, “2001” and so on and sort the monthly folders there. 

File description

Many file types support “Descriptions” and “WaterMarks”, that is you may write some words about containing and subject. For example, if you create list of personnel, like in the 1-st part, you may write in the description “List of personnel for tomorrow meeting room 1237 5:00pm 25 march John Prines Robert Duff”. 

So, people will search something according to the facts they are familiar with. They know that the meeting would be tomorrow, it’s 25-th march, or it would take place in 1237, or that it would begin on 5:00,  or that John Prines and Robert Duff surely will present. And according to the keywords the will find the required file.

How to stay better organized

So, these are very general advice, and only your yourself can determine, how to name, where to store and how to describe your file.

And it’s very important to study doing it properly, because often your information might be profitable for many people, and the effect it would have depends on the speed of information supply. And many benefits may be lost just because the data could not be provided in time.  

• Put files in proper project folders
• You and your colleagues should use FSA to do a fast search within your projects