Save yourself time and money by knowing where your files are.
You CAN do this. And I’m here to help.
“Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.” -Barbara Hemphill
Getting your digital files organized saves time and money finding what you need when you need it, preventing multiple copies of the same file, and knowing your information is safe and backed up in case something happens.
Who Am I?
Hi, I’m Allie. In my life, I’ve been a content developer (technical writer), corporate librarian, high school math and physics teacher, and naval officer. I also have a husband and three boys, two of which are twins. If you’ve met me, you know how much I like helping people. I’m also a bit of a nerd.
How I got here
I love organizing things. In one of my past jobs, I took it upon myself to organize a server used by 180 engineers that hadn’t been cleaned in 10 years. It took a number of months to get approval from all the senior engineers and management, but went of more successful than anyone else involved imagined.
The process I used became these four steps below. Obviously, the more people and content involved, the longer this process will take. But these steps still remain the same.
Step #1: Find and inventory all your accounts and drives
Take about 15 minutes per category below, one at a time. Make a list or worksheet of all your accounts and drives.
Keep your worksheet list handy because over the next few days, you WILL remember things you forgot in the first session.
- Cloud storage: Programs designed for storing files like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. (Note: Every Gmail account also comes with a Google Drive. If you have a Microsoft Office subscription, it also comes with OneDrive.)
- External storage: Physical storage drives you can hold in your hand.
- Software storage: (optional) Storage that comes with programs you use for other purposes that stores your work in their space and not on your (Adobe Lightroom, Canva, etc.)
- Devices: (optional) Things you use for other purposes but have storage available (phone, laptop hard drives, electronic picture frames, Xbox, etc.)
Create your list with pen and paper, a Word or Google Doc, or a spreadsheet. Use what works best for you.
Take action: Make a note of how many files and folders are there, how much space it takes up, how much space total you have, and how much you’re paying.
The purpose of our inventory is not to make an exhaustive list of every single file in every single folder, but rather to get an idea of what you have.
Keep an eye out for patterns. Do you have lots of files from certain types of events? Do you have lots of one file type versus another?
Write down the first and second level folders, and maybe a note of what’s in them. If you really want, you can go to the third level (folder in a folder in a folder) or deeper but don’t let perfection get in the way of progress. Don’t worry, you’ll go through all these files in step 4.
Make an indented bulleted list in Word or Docs, in a spreadsheet, or using good old-fashioned pen and paper.
Each drive should be its own page, tab, or sheet of paper.
Take action: Create your inventory.
Step #2: Brainstorm and build your new system
Phase 1: Brainstorm For about a week, write down categories and subcategories of topics you create files for.
Phase 2: Build Now that you have lists of ideas, it’s time to start building them into an architecture.
Take all the things you just brainstormed and build them out into a list of folders and sub-folders.
Take action: Use sticky notes, documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or mind maps to build the way your files should be organized based on what your needs are now.
Step #3: Plan and move your files
Look at your calendar and your life.
Because you’ve done a brief inventory, you know about how many files you have.
You also know how similar or different your old system is from your new system.
Don’t plan to move files around before a major event like a launch, or time you want to enjoy like a vacation or the holidays. If your life is busy, and no time is a good time, then just pick the time with the least impact.
When you’re ready to get started, pick the place (or places) where your final files will live. Build an empty set of folders based on the outline from Step #3. Use your drive list from Step #1 and pick a place to start. As you finish, cross those drives off the list and celebrate!
Take action: The exciting and difficult part is finally here: moving all your content into the new organization.
Step #4: Keep your files organized going forward
Look at your habits and when/how you create content.
- Are you creating new files and filing them directly into the new folders?
- Are you receiving lots of files that go into your Downloads folder?
- How quickly are you creating content? Are you a photographer creating a few hundred photos in a session? Or are you a part-time blogger creating one blog post a month?
Schedule time for yourself every day, week, month, quarter, or year as necessary to keep your files organized.
Take action: Treat yourself and your business with the same priority as your clients. Book time and stay consistently caught up.
You Can Do This!
Looking for more like worksheets, videos, or someone to just talk with?
These steps are just the beginning. If you’d like more help such as worksheets, videos, following along with me as I organize my own files, some one-on-one time, or having your files organizing for you (with your input, of course), use one of the buttons below. I’m always excited to chat with people.