Okay, I confess that the topic of computer filing isn’t exactly a thrill a minute. Not even a thrill an hour. But get it right and it can ease your workday considerably: get it wrong, and your day becomes gruelling, with extra gruel.
There’s essentially three ways of organising your computer files: by type of document, by topic, and by name. I’m leaving out things like file size and date edited, because they’re silly. All three ways have advantages and disadvantages, so gather close around the fire as I tell you the blood-curdling tale of computer filing…
Note: For reference, I’ll use ‘checklist’ and ‘timetable’ to stand for different types of docs that have particular formatting and content (just so I don’t have to keep saying “for example” all the time).
By type: This doesn’t mean whether it’s Word or Excel, it means whether it’s a timetable or checklist.
Advantages:
- Easy to copy to create a new document of that type
- Easy to find any checklist
- Prevents you having multiple versions of a document - when the new one is born, the old one can be deleted or archived
Disadvantages:
- Annoying if you combine checklists with timetables frequently - you need to keep dipping from one file to another
By topic: If your work is divided into five different areas, you have five folders, each containing everything that’s relevant to that area.
Advantages:
- Works well if you frequently combine or reference different types of documents
- Keeps all the docs relevant to one area in one spot
Disadvantages:
- Absolutely fatal if you need one document in two areas - you end up with multiple versions of a document and you need to constantly work out which one is valid
- Annoying if you want to create a new timetable, because you have to go hunting for one to copy
By name: This veers close to my “all in one bucket” style of filing, which is something that Windows Users Should Not Attempt Without Safety Equipment.
Advantages:
- Simple, usually flat file structure (not lots of files nested in files nested in files)
Disadvantages:
- Falls in a screaming, tangled heap if you don’t have a consistent naming system
- Can take forever to find things simply because you’ve got so many files (unless your computer has a good search algorithm)
Overall, I think the best one is filing by type - it’s simple, and it prevents the you sending out an old, cobwebby timetable because you’ve got 5 copies scattered throughout your files, and you found the wrong one.
Anyone got any other suggestions? Or any other advantages and disadvantages of these?