Find Files Faster - How To Organize Files and Folders

8/21/2016
FindFilesFaster:HowtoOrganizeFilesandFolders
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Find Files Faster: How to Organize

Files and Folders
Chelsea Beck / March 1, 2016
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You're sitting at your desk, putting the nishing touches on todays big project,
when ding! a message comes in from your boss: Can you nd that project we
scrapped three years ago? You and John from UX worked on it, I think? We are
thinking about picking it back up again.
For me, requests like this always used to result in a moment of dread followed
by a wasted day searching through old les. That is, until I learned how to
avoid all that stress and wasted time. How? With organized le and folder
structures.
https://zapier.com/blog/organizefilesfolders/
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An Intro to Folder Structures

What Makes a Good Folder Structure?
4 Eective Folder Structures
What Makes a Good File Name?
How to Quickly Find Files
An Intro to Folder Structures

Organizing les on your computer is just like organizing anything else. Say you
want to organize your clothes. You might sort each type of clothes into
separate stacks. Then you might pair the socks or group all the shirts by color.
Or, you could throw everything into one drawer and hope you can nd the
right pair of socks when you need it. And that's how we typically treat our les:
we save les randomly to our Desktop and Documents folders, then waste
time searching for les every day.
Folder structures can help, just like drawers and dividers can keep your
clothes organized. A folder structure is the way folders are organized on your
computer. As folders are added over time, you can either keep them at the
same levellike Folders 1, 2, and 3 in the chart belowor nest them within
each other for a hierarchylike Subfolders 1B and 1B-1 below. Nested folders
generally make it easier to nd specic les later, because you dont have to
sift through all your les at once.
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Picture a le cabinet, with three drawers, and several folders in each one
that's how this folder structure would look in real life. Heres how that same
folder structure would look on a computer if you view your les and folders in
List mode:
Folders and subfolders like these can keep your les organized in a logical
way. Its easy to get into a trap of creating a subfolder for everything. If you
have 15 subfolders under every folder, though, you might want to reconsider
your strategy. At this point, subfolders stop being helpful and start causing
workow problems.
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What Makes a Good Folder Structure?

The best folder structure is the one that mimics the way you work. Do you plan
important tasks by quarter? A new folder for each quarter's work might be
good. Or do you work around projects? Consider new folders for each project.
Browsing through your folders and nding les should be intuitive. If your
method of organization is tedious, its going to be tough for the rest of your
team to follow along. For company projects, pick something that works well for
everyone in the team, since everyone may not search for a le or folder in the
same way you do. If you want to maintain your folder structure long-term,
youll want to make sure everyone understands (and hopefully likes!) the
system.
Theres no le management silver bullet, but there are a few tricks to help your
le structure be successful. Here are some tips from digital asset management
expert Edward Smith:
Create a template: Copy and paste it every time you start a new project or
task. Or, even better: save yourself from the hassle of manually re-creating
your structure over and over again by setting up a Zap to do it for you.
Think of folder names as keywords: Keep in mind that you can search for
les using folder names; the more specic, the more quickly youll nd
what youre looking for.
Keep folders unique: Make sure theres no overlap in what goes into your
folders (e.g., there shouldnt be two places youre keeping invoices for the
same project).
Make a cheat sheet: Its OK if you dont have every single folder
memorized. Theres no shame in saving a ow chart for quick reference.
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4 E ective Folder Structures to Organize Files

The rst step to building an eective folder structure is guring out your top-
level folder. Do you want to simply make a new folder for every new project?
Or perhaps you could organize by time, with folders and subfolders for each
year and month? Maybe you work on a couple dierent types of projects, and
could organize based on those types (e.g., copywriters might work on
advertisements, blogs, emails, and landing pages, while graphic designers may
divide tasks by medium, like print or digital)?
Build workows with your

apps.
Once youve worked out your top-level folder, its time to organize your
subfolders. Here are some strategies Ive used in the past:
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1. Working, nal, and archive subfolders

For this example, lets assume the top-level folders have already been
organized by year then project type. You can see from the screenshot that
were looking at the year 2016, and the main projects are advertisements, blog
posts, customer emails, and landing pages. Those are the four categories in
which youll put your dierent projects or tasks.
Inside the "advertisements" folder, I have three tasks listed. Heres where I put
Edward Smiths tips to use. For each task, I used the folder name to describe
the due date (mmyy), type of project (pay per click or PPC, in this case), and
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the due date (mmyy), type of project (pay per click or PPC, in this case), and
which product the task is focused on. These folder names act as both keyword
tags and add an extra level of organization. If you sort the folders by name,
theyll automatically be ordered by date due then project type. If you search by
product name or ad type, your folders should pop up easily.
Inside the 0116 PPC product x folder is where youll nd all the working, nal,
and archive les that have to do with January 2016 pay per click ads focused
on product X.
Heres how the working/nal/archive system should work:

Working: Anything youre currently working on. In this example, this folder
might contain any ad copy, banner designs, or targeting information for
the January PPC campaign that hasnt yet been nalized. This is also a good
place to keep native or source les.
Final: Anything ready for public consumption. Dont put les into the nal
folder until theyve been completely approved and no more changes will be
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made to them. In this example, the nal folder would only contain ads
ready to be posted live.
Archive: Anything that doesnt t into your working or nal folder. Put your
notes, brainstorms, research, and other miscellaneous info in here. Any
false starts can be dropped in here too if you change direction mid-project.
A false start, in this case, might be an ad concept you started working on
but later got scrapped completely. Dont clutter up your working folders
with les that will never be considered nal; throw them in the archive
instead.
This folder structure is particularly useful if youre working on a project with
multiple pieces. In this example, youd most likely be creating more than one
PPC ad at once. This system also works well for teams working on a project
where several people are working on the same deliverable. The person who
writes and designs the ads, in this instance, likely won't also post the ads. If
thats the case, the person posting the ad will know when les are ready to go
live by checking the nal folder. They wont have to ask the ad creator whether
theyre ready or not, saving everyone time.
Putting it all together, heres what youre full structure should look like:
2. To review and from review subfolders
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2. To review and from review subfolders

This strategy starts with the same top-level folders as the example above, but
instead focuses on keeping all the versions of a le intact. For example, in the
"blog posts" folder, I saved three dierent posts. These posts are arranged by
publish date (mmyy) and named by post topic, rather than by blog post title
since titles often change.
Within the 0216 topic a folder, the to review/from review folder structure
comes into play. This structure works really well with les that will be going
through many rounds of edits. I used this folder structure while working in
publishing to keep track of all the rounds of editing, typesetting, and proong
that goes into a nished book.
I keep track of each draft of the blog post by saving it to either a to review or
from review folder, meaning that the draft was last edited by me (to review)
or by my editor (from review). This helps eliminate confusion around the
draft number (I edited the blog post three times, but my editor edited twice).
Ive also named every le in this folder with v1 or v2 according to version.
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Ive also named every le in this folder with v1 or v2 according to version.
Heres how this structure works:

01 - draft (to review): By default, your rst draft wont have been reviewed
by anyone yet. Whatever youre working on (blog post, graphic design
project, documentation, etc.), put your rst draft in this folder. Name your
le with a v1 at the end, so anyone who comes across the le later will be
able to tell its a rst draft. When youre ready, send that draft to whoever
has to review it.
02 - rst edit (from review): When your editors send their feedback on
that draft, put it in this folder. Keep the le name the same, but add the
initials of the editor onto the end. In this example, Im using my own
initials: topic-a-blog-text-v1-CNB means that CNB has edited version 1 of
this draft. Dont do anything else with the le; leave it as is, with every edit
intact. By doing this, youll always have a record of what edits were
requested, by whom, and youll be able to cross reference to make sure
every edit was incorporated into the second draft.
03 - second draft (to review): Copy and paste the le from the 02 - rst
edit (from review) folder into this folder. Change the le name to include
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edit (from review) folder into this folder. Change the le name to include
v2 on the end and remove the initials. This will become your second draft.
Open the le, make your edits, and send your le back out for review.
04 - second edit (from review): This folder functions the same way as the
02 - rst edit (from review) folder. Because the number of reviews and
drafts your le goes through can vary, repeat this folder structure as many
times as necessary.
05 - nal version (sent to publish): When edits are complete, put your nal
draft here. Looking back on your folders later, this will help quickly nd the
nal version of the le.
z - archive: You can put all the les that didnt t into the above subfolders
here.
If you haven't already saved earlier versions of your les, you can restore recent previous
versions of les in Dropbox, OS X, Windows and more.
3. Year or client folders

If your Desktop houses hundreds of les, all related to work for just a few
clients, creating folders for each client might be your best bet. Or if you have
an overwhelming number of receipts for business expenses, sorting them in
folders by year or month could be the simple structure you need. More folders
arent always better! However simple, nd a system that works for you, and
then stick with it. Consistency is what will help you stay organized in the long
run.
4. Tagging
Instead ofor in addition tofolder structures, try tagging les. The benet of
tagging is the ability to add multiple tags to a le, such as tagging an invoice
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for Client XYZ with an "invoice" tag and a Client XYZ tag. Then you can see all
invoices together or all les related to Client XYZ together, depending on
your query.
Academic and researcher William Gunn points out the convenience of tagging
on the Mendeley blog: "With tags, you dont have to pick an organization
scheme up front." Answering questions such as Will year go underneath or on
top of department? become unnecessary because you can add both year
and department tags to the le, and still easily nd it. For example, if youre
working on a report for the logistics department that covers all orders made in
May 2015. You could store the report within a folder structure like this:
Or you could simply add department, report type, and date tags to the le
and avoid folders altogether, like this:
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So when you want to nd this le again, you can search for it by tags:
The key to tagging is to tag every new le immediately and consistently.

Without a folder structure to fall back on, tags are all thats keeping your les
from getting lost in chaos.
Tags work on any le on a Mac running OS X Mavericks or newer. On a Windows PC, tags are
supported on some le types, and can be added in a comma-separated list via the le
properties pane. Check this guide for more info on tagging in Windows.
Automatically Make Folder Structures for New Projects
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Once you've decided on a folder (or tagging) structure, it's time to start using
it. Eventually, you might want to go back and organize your old les according
to your new structure, but for now, start fresh with the les you are working
on today.
If you sync your les with OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive, you can
use Zapier to automatically creating your folder structure. The rst step to
using Zapier, in this case, is deciding when you will need new folders created. If
Connect apps. Automate tasks.
moreyour
done.
you make them every time new projects start, set up a Zap to Get
watch
project management app for a new project. Or, if you want new
Try folders
Zapier Free
created every month or week, use Zapier's Schedule tool to create folders on a
certain date.
Tweet after every Formsite form submission
Use this Zap
Create new Box folders every month
Use this Zap
powered by
Then, connect your le sync app, and have Zapier make a new folder. You can
then add more steps to your Zap, and have it make as many subfolders as you
needand can even have it copy default les into the folders.
For example, if customers sign up for your service with a Wufoo form, Zapier
will add their data to Pipedrive CRM, then create a new project folder in Box
along with any subfolders you use in your folder structure. If you need to save
contracts, templates, or other documents to that folder, Zapier will copy them
to the folder, too.
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Make Folder Structure for Client Projects

Whenever a new client signs up for your
service, log the details in Pipedrive, setup
default folders for the project in Box, then copy
your contract and other standard les into
those folders.
Build a Work ow
Or if you want to make new monthly folders in Dropbox. Start your Zap with
the Schedule app, choosing the day and time for it to run. Then, set up the
folder structure you need for your month's work.
Make New Dropbox Folders Every Month

Start your new month's work with the same
folder structure automatically, with a Zap that
runs on the same time each month and creates
the same structure of folders in Dropbox.
Build a Work ow
Here are some other Zaps to help you get started. Then you can add extra
steps to the Zap for each additional folder your structure needs.
Add Dropbox folders for new Harvest clients
Use this Zap
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Create Google Drive folders for new

Producteev projects
Use this Zap
Add new les in a SugarSync folder to

OneDrive
Use this Zap
Create Box folders from Wufoo form entries
Use this Zap
Copy new Dropbox les in a directory to

another Dropbox directory or account
Use this Zap
See more Dropbox integrations powered by
How to Make Great File Names

Organizing your folder structure is only half the battle. Keeping your computer
organized will also require tidying up your le names.
Files are made up of two components: the name (whatever you decide to call
it) and the le extension (the type of le, like
.mp3
or
.docx
). You typically don't
need to worry about le extensions; they're set by the programs you use, and
typically hidden by default on most computers. But you should take control of
the le name. The best le name is one that explains whats in the le, without
you having to open it.
For that reason, writer and editor Jill Duy recommends making sure each le
name is:
Unique: Its impossible to tell whats in a le if you have many with the
same name.
Indicative of what the le contains: Is your le an annual report?
Research? A to-do list? Put that information in the le name. Consider what
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Research? A to-do list? Put
that information in the le name. Consider what
recipients rst reactions will be if you email a le to them; best to keep all
the identifying information right in the le name, so anyone receiving the
le is clear about whats in it.
In line with your business structure: This goes right along with your folder
structure. Does your business think of tasks based on which client theyre
for or what month something is due?
Scannable: Make sure anyone who quickly glances at the le will
understand its name. Dont use any abbreviations that arent common
knowledge or long streams of letters and numbers without any delineation
between them. Including spaces doesnt always work, but you can use
underscores, hyphens, or camel case to make your le names easier on
the eyes. Here's an example:
Beyond making your le names unique, scannable, and easily understood, the
Stanford University Libraries recommends these tips for good le names:
Dates: Always write dates in
yyyymmdd
or
yymmdd
format, so your les will
naturally fall in chronological order. This rule is useful, but its not hard and
fast. In my examples above, I used mmyy because the folders were already
organized by year making month the most important descriptor.
Length: Be aware that some software programs have character limits on
le names. Include only necessary information in your names, and cut
anything superuous (e.g., words like a, and, or the).
Special characters: Not every program will accept or understand special
characters, so avoid using any of these in le names:
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~!@#$%^&*()`;<>?,[]{}'"|.
Sequential les: If youre naming les that go in an order, use leading

zeros (01, 02, 03 instead of 1, 2, 3). This ensures your les (or folders) will
stay lined up how you want them too.
Keep in mind, you dont have to use all of these rules. Purdue University
Libraries has a few tips to make sure youre getting the most of whatever le
naming convention you ultimately decide on:
Find balance: Only you can decide whats too much or too little in a name.
Document your system: Create a cheat sheet of any abbreviations youll
often use or any rules you may forget.
Start general then get speci c: Since your lenames will naturally be
sorted from whatever you type rst, start with the most general
components (year, department, client, etc.) then move onto the specics
(project title, ID, version, etc.). A general rule of thumb is whatever you
want to see rst, write rst.
How to Quickly Find Files
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Spotlight in OS X can nd les, emails, web searches and more
Finding les is much easier with a folder structure. Plus, with well-named les
and folders, your computer's search will be an even better tool for nding les.
Your new names and folders should be easy to nd in seconds.
On a Mac, Spotlight lets you search through your les and emails and preview
them to make sure you found what you are looking for. Click the search button
in your menu bar (or press CMD+Space), then type in the le or folder name
you're looking for. On an iPad or iPhone, just pull down on your homescreen
for a simplied Spotlight search to look through emails, notes, and apps on
the goor use the search tool inside the Dropbox or Google Drive app on any
phone to nd synced les.
On a PC running Windows Vista, 7, or 8.1, there's a search box in the Start
Menu to look for les and folders. In Windows 10, there's a Cortana search
button next to the Start button, which can search for les and foldersand
can also look up the weather or search the web.
If you want more tools to dig deeper in your folders or launch specic
programs automatically, there's also third-party search apps. Alfred is a
popular and powerful search tool for Mac, while Launchy is a common pick for
Windows searching.
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Zapier can search for les and folders in Box automatically
You can also search for les inside apps themselves. Dropbox, Google Drive,
and Box let you search through synced les and folders, while Zapier can
search inside many of your productivity apps. Zaps can search for specic les
and folders in Boxperhaps to nd a client's folderand then save les from
other apps into that folder to help keep everything organized automatically.
Save Payment Info to Client's Box Folder

Whenever a payment is submitted through
Freshbooks, have Zapier nd the client's folder
in Box then save the payment info there.
Build a Work ow
Get Your Files Organized Today

If your les and folders are already disorganizedit will take forever to clean
up. Rome wasnt built in a day, and neither will your new le structure. So start
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up. Rome wasnt built in a day, and neither will your new le structure. So start
out with this month's les, for example. Then save every new le according to
that folder structure.
Consider archiving all old les by moving them into an "Old Files" or "Archive"
folder. Anything you cant see yourself needing again, throw it in there. When
you have time, you can go through this Archive folder and store les using
the same folder structure you've already started using for new les.
What folder structure do you use to keep your les organized? We'd love to hear
about it in the comments below!
Using Dropbox to organize your les? Check out these 12 Hidden Dropbox Features for more
ways to organize and quickly nd les whenever you need them.
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Unlock the hidden power of your apps.

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Find Files Faster: How to Organize

+26 Recommend this

An Intro to Folder Structures

An Intro to Folder Structures

What Makes a Good Folder Structure?

4 E ective Folder Structures to Organize Files

Build workows with your

Try Zapier Free

1. Working, nal, and archive subfolders

Heres how the working/nal/archive system should work:

2. To review and from review subfolders

2. To review and from review subfolders

Ive also named every le in this folder with v1 or v2 according to version.

Heres how this structure works:

3. Year or client folders

The key to tagging is to tag every new le immediately and consistently.

Automatically Make Folder Structures for New Projects

Connect apps. Automate tasks.

Tweet after every Formsite form submission

Use this Zap

Create new Box folders every month

Use this Zap

Make Folder Structure for Client Projects

Make New Dropbox Folders Every Month

Add Dropbox folders for new Harvest clients

Use this Zap

Create Google Drive folders for new

Use this Zap

Add new les in a SugarSync folder to

Use this Zap

Create Box folders from Wufoo form entries

Use this Zap

Copy new Dropbox les in a directory to

Use this Zap

See more Dropbox integrations powered by

How to Make Great File Names

). You typically don't

format, so your les will

Sequential les: If youre naming les that go in an order, use leading

How to Quickly Find Files

Spotlight in OS X can nd les, emails, web searches and more

Zapier can search for les and folders in Box automatically

Save Payment Info to Client's Box Folder

Get Your Files Organized Today

Take the Work out of Work ow

By signing up, you agree to Zapier's Terms of Service.

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