What Is Digital File Management & Why You Should Care?

Managing your computer files is one of the main aspects of being organized, but it is often highly overlooked by many users. People only think about organizing their digital documents when they have to spend a considerable amount of time searching for a file or a presentation.

On realizing that they are the ones who are responsible for organizing and managing their computer data, they start strategizing the file management strategy. But no one knows how often they follow this strategy in real-life.

Well, if you are among the users who have never prioritized the file organization tasks on your computer, it’s high time. You should do it now before the file that you want next week gets lost in the sauce.

Believe us, it demands nothing more than your time, and once you start to manage your files on the computer, you will feel much better.

Make a Digital Filing Cabinet for Organizing Folders

More than half of the data stored in your computer has nothing to do with your work which simply means that you don’t need it. So, why don’t you delete that clutter as it is doing nothing more than consuming storage space and sometimes resources?

The good old days have taught us many good things, and the digital filing cabinet is one of them. On your computer, make a folder for the current year, and then start creating relevant subfolders with appropriate names.

You can save multiple files and folders in the parent folder, say department-wise, employee-wise, or simply one folder for one file format. All your digital mess will stay organized in its respective folder, and you will be able to search for them easily without wasting any time.

If required, clean your computer by deleting files, folders, and apps that you don’t require. This will filter out important data and simplify the task of managing data on the computer. You can either delete unrequired data manually or refer to the list of automatic cleaners to accelerate the task.

Goals of the Digital Filing System

A file organization strategy should have three major goals that include, but are not limited to the following:

• Easy to File: The filing system doesn’t have to be huge; in fact, it has to be simple and easy to understand.
• Easy to Find: One of the major reasons and objectives of file management is the easy location of data. The file search will become quick and effortless.
• Repetitive Use: You can use ready-to-use and reusable templates as well as naming conventions.

How to Organize Your Files Digitally on Computer

You can organize and manage your files simply on the computer without any hassle by following simple rules. So, let’s start to learn and understand the ways to organize files on your computer – be it Mac or Windows.

• Avoid Storing Files on Desktop

As mentioned earlier, your desktop has to be free from clutter, so you need to clean it regularly. It will help you to flaunt the beauty of your high-resolution desktop while giving it a clean look. Keep a recycle bin or trash can on the computer and put all the files into their respective and relevant folder where they deserve to be.

• Don’t Create Too Many Folders

Think minimal when you are creating folders to store files and other data. Folder mapping is an essential step, and many files would find a way in the already created folders, so you don’t have to build a new one each time you look to save new data. Build new folders when you have a bunch of files to save in it.

• Learn to Name Your Files & Folders

This directly relates to and fulfills the ‘easy to find’ objective that we have discussed earlier. Naming conventions help you store your files and folders with relevant names, considering the data saved in them or the date when they are created. These names allow you to search and locate the files by their names.

• Store Files in Cloud Drive

Make your files more accessible by storing them in the Cloud drive. Once done, you can access your files from anywhere, anytime, on any smart device by signing in to your iCloud account. Another major benefit is that it helps to free up space on storage media as you can delete files from the local disk.

Conclusion

Now when you know the ways to organize your digital files, it’s time to bring this knowledge into practice. Once you start working on your strategy, you will automatically find new ways that seem more practical in real-life. So, it’s never too late; start organizing your files and optimizing your computer efficiently.