I always love finding out new ways to organize digital files. Usually people underestimate the importance of having an easy to understand (and organized) system so that their files don't get lost in the black hole that is our computers. Though I never really considered anything like this method. I might need to sit down one Sunday afternoon and give this a try.
Agree.. in addition, my friends and I use FolderChanger - It can better organize files and documents by using a proper folder system. Search "Folderchanger" with google. It works great.
Nice system that can be improved by removing the first level of folders (A-Z) and keeping all the main folders in the root since they will be listed alphabetically anyway.
That's what I was thinking - although I guess this way you don't have to scroll through countless folders to get to the ones that begin with T. You could avoid empty folders by only setting up the Letter folder when there is something to store in it
And if you do that, in the root folder, press the letter you'd like to go to and the file explorer will scroll to the first folder or file starting with that letter.
This is a Terrible way to file. What happens when you forget which title you have named a particular file. It might work with this guy's files because he has so few files (that's also the reason he can get where he wants in 2 clicks). For anyone with a normal amount of files this method will quickly become unworkable.
Not to mention files category. I am a software developer who constantly reads and write personal files and also workout and cook for my son food and maintaining a diet and i have files for budget...why would i want so many files with different interests and categories in the same folder just because they share the same first letter!! In my opinion you categorize them under meaningful titles is a better idea. Like: Health & Food - Fitness - IT or Tech or Web Development - Finance or Money ...etc. Then when you are looking for a file with a specific nature you know that it's most likely will be under one of those categories because why would you put a file that includes a food recipe under money or IT.
First thing which struct me when he showed the folder under C. Why is "Content Outlines" under C? Why not O for "Outlines"? They you have "Completed Contacts" which is under C because they are Completed? So presumably you have "Underway Contracts" under U? Now you have to remember not only what the item is called, but the qualifiers you give for it. Worse, if you have action qualifiers such as underway, completed, active, etc. why aren't you applying them to everything. Why is it "Content Outlines" and not "Completed Content Outlines"? So either, you end up with a hundred "Completed" folders making C useless, or you'll have to remember every folder as having a qualifier or not.
Doesn't work for me. I would like the ability to back up all my info about "Scouting". I would rather look for a Scouting folder and then copy that one knowing I have everything to do with scouting contained within. The above method would send me around looking for different files until I thought I had them all.
That's an excellent point and one I should have addressed in the video. Even if you guess wrong the first time around, trying your second option is usually still faster than following a long list of sub-folders which may not get you to the file either. Thanks for bringing this up!
I use 'Search Everything'! Be it whatever folder structure. Using a search tool helps. Its lightning fast as it doesn't scan the content just the names & path. Works like a charm..
I was going to say the same thing. It's simply a large search engine that contains every folder and file on your system. Type in any key word you want and it lists everything with that word, or two words, etc. Then double click your choice and bingo, you have it in front of you.
Tags are better than folders. If you can break them down to their barest essence and apply a lot of them, then when it's time to search for a file, you can begin to narrow things down. If you had a vacation in Mexico in 2015 and you want to organize your photos, you have three tags right off the bat: vacation, Mexico, and 2015. Say this is a yearly thing for you, and you can't remember which year you went swimming in a cenote. You can leave out the year, and include other descriptive tags, such as "swimming" and "cenote". And boom, you found your photos. And this approach is very powerful. Let's say you want all photos, videos, and documents that involve you and your family swimming, regardless of context. You don't have to sift through some arbitrary folder structure. You just search for all files tagged with 'swimming' and you have it. The only caveat is that you have to be good about labelling. It's time consuming at first, but once your tags are set up, they should be quick to reuse. And it assumes you have a file system or cloud storage service that supports tags. If you don't, you're out of luck.
I use the Windows search feature at the top right of the explorer window. It allows me to group similar files into folders but also provides me with the ability to look up any specific file or subfolder from my root directory. This makes more sense logically than if I were to file them with the ABC method, especially if I should forget the name of what I'm looking for.
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION - What business are you in? What do you need to keep track of? INCOME perhaps? EXPENSES maybe? Customers - of course! Suppliers? You betcha! Get the pitcher?
This approach has a lot of logic and makes sense as long as your files are a collection of data that, once in this format, would meet the objective which is to only have to click two times for your file. But if I had a project with hundreds of files and saved each filed in a ROOT folder according to the file name, that would break the 2 click structure because people work on dozens of files simultaneously during a project so the ABC method means I'd have click every ROOT letter for every file of the project. Right?
I have ADHD, i have files within files, within categories, quick file search files, within drives duplicated, triplicated all different names for quick searching, going back 20 years, what a mess - i will give your ABC method a try - thanks
This was a best tip. I changed my whole archive system and I can now put my fingers on any royalty free picture by just using the alphabet. Thanks for sharing! 😁
I enjoyed knowing a different approach to managing information. However, I'm +1 to emphasize the issue within remembering the tag system used (how did I call that folder?). For a personal computer, it might be sufficient, as (1) you don't have so many files, and (2) you're often in contact with the naming system previously adopted, strengthening the long-term memory. For managing team information, it triggers a huge issue for different people adopting different naming systems, sometimes for the same thing. If the main issue is the number of subfolders, the ABC method could be translated in a rule of thumb of having just 3 levels of folders. In fact, I thought the ABC was an allusion to that possibility.
What are your ways for organizing? Could you explain the three level way you wrote about? I'm looking for information on this and these kinds of quick videos pop up that aren't bad, but aren't as thought through as I would like. On top of that, some of them like these are "genuine" while others "emotionally pander" for money.
My wife, who is an administration assistant loves your method, I do as well, I have hundreds of different file names and I cannot find things, because they are scattered. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas
I've been using this filing system for years as hard copies and never thought to computerize it in the same way shows you what a dumb ass I am sometimes
Just select the 3 dots near the like/dislike buttons. Then choose Open Transcript. Make sure to select English instead of the auto-generated one. I hope that helps!
Wow, this is great, i was really confused not knowing how to start organizing my boss's documents but i have finally found the answer to my confusion, thank you very much.
@@didndido3638 The video speaks for itself. Access to files in minimal clicks thanks to shallow directories. I see no dissadvantage to this method if maintained correctly.
Pressing Windows+Q opens the search menu in Windows. Start typing whatever you are looking for and use the arrow keys to select the right folder. it's quick and clean and works with any filing method.
Every method has its pros and cons. What will cause a problem in locating any file/folder is when using several criteria for naming it/them. For example, if you use "projects type" criteria in naming files, then you should stick to that and never name a file based on company's name, person's name, location or any other thing. Sticking to only ONE criteria is what makes retrieving any doc/file/folder easier.
This looks like the best method for me. I was an administrative assistant when we were called secretaries and files were my job. This is how we had things set up. Alphabetical with very few subfolders.
I love the idea, but as someone who worked with dozens of clients, for example, it definitely makes sense for me to create a folder for each client. I usually do this like [countryCode]-[client name]. So like "AU-Macquarie", "SG-DBS", "TW-Metrobank", etc. Within each client folder, I usually have no choice but to create sub-folders to handle segregation of documents released by the client over time. For example, RFIs / RFPs, architecture documents, etc. So, as nice as it sounds to have, say, all my architecture documents in one folder, it just doesn't seem practical if you have very similar documents for 80 different clients. Or maybe it is practical as long as you're diligent about naming conventions and versioning?
Thanks for watching and sharing your method, Stan. For those who work with large numbers of clients, it's true that giving them each a folder is important. And I agree, what you name the folder and the file is critical to any effective organization system.
Yes, perhaps my system for clients already is a good one. But on the whole, I'm not happy with my file organization strategy. Maybe a hybrid of keeping my client directories, but for "everything else" I could try the A-Z method?
Yeah the main problem I have with alphabetising is, sometimes, the person is looking for something that follows some form of logic, like a spreadsheet that belongs to finance, but they don't know what the first letter should be in. Would it be in F for finance, or because it was a finance thing done for one of the departments, is it under the department name, or is a spreadsheet named after a particular project or event? What if they're looking for something but don't know what it's called, therefore can't find it in the ABC method?
I am astounded at the simplicity and the organization presented here. I SO OFTEN find myself, as you say, second-guessing myself over where I might have put a file and go off wild goose chasing to find...well, now I'll just look under G for GOOSE. Thanks so much! It's Friday 3:18pmPT and I'm starting NOW!
I think it's brilliant, and although a few people are bitchin' about it for various reasons I've come up with a solution that helps me always locate the file or folder I want. I run a small business that starts with C - I do lots of quotes which starts with Q - along with plenty of invoices starting with I. So, I have the same business folder in C, Q and I. This way when I go to write up a quotation or an invoice for a customer there are three folders containing what I'm looking for. Very simple. Another example is a photo folder containing a family and friends holiday to the Maldives. This one folder can reside in H - holiday...M - Maldives....F - family.... along with it being in a folder containg the first letter of each person who you enjoyed the trip with. The real beauty of this is it's the exact same photo folder in all of those various letters. To place any folder or file into multiple folders, such as A B C simply create your first folder of your holiday pics in H. Then, simply click that new folder, hold down Shift & Z and you then add that folder to F & M and any other letters you think will relate to it. Works for me.
At my work i have different projects with reoccurring file structures. What is working very well for me is naming each folder with a number, title. As example, 2. Inspections. Why i like this system is it easily navigates, quickly up and down, in and out of folders. Type number, press enter, repeat repaeat. Back space gets you back up the folder section. So fast!!
I will give it a try. I always think that I put files in the right folder while doing it, and I still can't find them. Especially on my personal computer. At work it's better as I share folders with co-workers, so I always go back to the same files or folders. But in my personal drive it's still a mess, there are many files and things can go messy very fast.😢 Thanks for your organization tips! I organized a training session to introduce Trello with your video and advice my colleagues to follow your channel.
3:05 this is a great system, but it does have some less than good parts. For example, if you suddenly decide to call your "courses" lectures in your head then you'll be looking through L for something in C. It "restricts" how you can "describe" certain things. Also, if you have many things in many letters. For example if you make a new "container" every week for ten years or a new folder every month for 40 years you'll probably want a second way of "organizing" in each letter since you'll have 20 things in each folder! This is especially true given something many call "relative frequency." The letter A pops up 11% of the time and the letter T pops up a whopping 16% of the time!!! That might lead you to have 5 things in one letter and 25 in another! Meanwhile the letter Z pops up 0.045% of the time and K 0.86% of the time... so maybe you should "merge" Z and K together! :-)
Interesting approach. Seems to be based on themes. But what happened when files like are also person related? For example “recipe” and “Jason”? Where I should put the File in?
Nice video...BUT: isn’t it adding one click but having to organize this under particular letters? In other words, why not just list the folders int heir first order? It would automatically be in alphabetical order, and you wouldn’t have to both with he A,B,C nonsense??
Yes, you certainly could just list all of your folders in alphabetical order. However, that might result in scrolling a very long way to find the folder you're after. Another situation to consider is when you are uploading a file or attaching something online - I find it much easier to find my files with the ABC listing when I'm often given a small dialog box.
Amazing way to save you files , thanks for sharing ! I have a lot of stuff to save everywhere and it make a lot of sense doing it in this way , LOVE YOU RUclips ! LOVE YOU WHO MADE THIS VIDEO !
You are most welcome, Joan. Yes, the simplicity of this system seems laughable at first. But ask those who've used it for years and they tell you there is no better way!
I stumbled across this while trying to find a better solution than the Johnny Decimal System. I admit this looks like it might work, but I think categories would work better than the alphabet. Thanks for the video.
GREAT VIDEO, I have been looking for over an hour and all I get is jargon of messy desktops BUT HERE I jump forward to where you bring up the ABC method of organizing and THAT IS WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR THANK YOU SO MUCH
Why did so many people dislike this video, just why this isn't their preferred way to structure their data? If so, I don't get it, as this is a good produced and actually informative video. Disliking in such a case seems quite unfair to the content creator, because it has literally nothing to do with the video, you essentially get punished for trying to introduce people to something new that they've not seen before. When stuff like this happens you can see quite a good resemblance to the current state of our society, if you ask me.
I'm searching for an image management/ organizing app. Many times we take photos or vids that are given a digital name on the file. This leads to actually looking at the images latter. All that to say...It would be nice to have a way to see the images larger so you can organize them quickly. Seems that phones, and sometimes computers - don't offer large enough visual icons so I can drag it to a organized folder. I just need to be able to see the images first. Icons or thumb nails are to small.
Ironically, I just started this type of system but haven’t converted completely. My theory or thought is if someone had to use my system and only knew the name of what they were looking for would they be able to . So far I think I’m on the right path with the help of your videos. Additionally, I’m working on becoming completely paperless. So all of my archived, must paperwork I’m scanning and keeping in my computer backup with Google Drive . Perhaps, you can give me some creative ideas to keep all the necessary documents for property transfers, which is immense and home improvement documents with all their companion booklets I need for later reference?
I'm lost, something I should have done 10 years ago but now have so much work info and export information that I don't know how to file. I dont know what to start the files with part numbers or countrys I dont want to create multiple folders. I also what to add emails and notes to a specific folder,should I use One Note or just Word blank page.
You can also skip the ABC folder system and throw everything into one big directory. Then by pressing the starting character of the searched folder on the keyboard, you jump directly to the first occurrence of this letter. You could also use links from one folder to another to connect topics which are related in one or another way.
I’m wondering how well it would work for digital photos that are overwhelming me. Often when I look through older printed photos I recall the photo by who or what is the subject and not but some Year-Month-Day pattern, as seems to be the preferred method now.
Yes, this could be used for photos as well. Although many services such as Google Photos can add details automatically such as face recognition and place where the photo was taken. You may want to explore adding 'tags' with a service like this so you can find it with search.
That method works for some, I'm sure. But for most people organizing files by project/subject or context. Your example "courses": it's less intuitive than you think. Is the ppt presentation for the course under "courses" or did I name the main folder "teaching" or the name of the course or "presentations" etc
Backups might be a problem if you are working on various projects and need only back those up to DropBox or whatever. I am a writer and work on a number of assignments/projects with varying names or titles with aspects such as bookcovers, working art, manuscripts, articles, and their attendant research data. Under this method they would end up scattered all over the place.
I heard of this system for the first time and it looks productive. However, I make a separate folder for each activity, like Pictures and then sub-folders like Birthdays, Weddings, Outing, Parties. Thanks Simpletivity.
It seems like this method would result in more clicks if you don't remember what letter you stored it under. The example you gave of "did I store that under links or website?" If you grouped all those files under a Marketing or Communication folder, you wouldn't run into that issue since they would be grouped with similar information.
Thank you. I am using this information to now reorganize my Music collection. Originally sorted by genre. Now a chaotic mess as Genres seem to overlap and had to remember sub genres. This will make life a lot easier. Couldn't find anything when I was searching. Just how to organize the files using software (keyword search isn't my forte).
Just to share a thought: perhaps to try out this system, one might create shortcuts to existing folders, i.e., have an ABC folder full of shortcuts to existing files
A long time ago, before computers, my boss encourages us to make an ABC book. It was a loosleaf notebook with A to Z tabe. Random information was stored A to Z. it worked well.
I stopped relying on folders years ago. Art most they'll go 2 layers deep. That's because if you name your files with key words that have sub folder in mind (in the naming scheme) then you can pull up files through searches
i HAVE NOT USED THIS ABC SYSTEM, AFTER SEEING THE YOU TUBE I WOULD APPRECIATE TO FOLLOW YOUR SYSTEM PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW TO ARRANGE IT OR CAN I DOWNLOAD FROM YOUR SITE. THANKS MALDIP
Setting up this system is relatively easy. Simple start by creating 26 folders (1 for each letter of the alphabet) at the top-level of your file system. Then, take your existing folders and place them into the appropriate folder (same first letter of the first name). No additional software is needed.
@@Simpletivity I'm pretty sure the response was intended with a tone of sarcasm. One thing I've done to keep my list shorter (folders listed by client last name), is group multiple letters. Something like ABC for one folder, DE for another (based on grouping to keep a similar number of sub folders, so the last one is VWXYZ). This way I don't have one folder with 200 subs and a bunch with 0-2.
I prefer putting files and sub-folders where they logically belong. This makes it easy for me to locate them when my memory fails me to remember the eaxct file names. Let me add two tips that have been working fine for me: 1. Adding tags to files and folders (Windows file/folder search loves tags).. you can do this by selecting the file and adding the tags in the properties bar (bottom)..... and 2. Always viewing folder content in 'Details' view. This helps you sort files by time of modification, type, size, etc. In addition, you may filter unwanted files/filders out using column filters on top.
Thank you for this video, I have been looking for ways to organize my Google Drive Folders and if I understood correctly it is best to add files to the folders by alphabetical order so car repairs will go on the C folder not the R folder for repairs and Medical Insurance will go in the M folder, not the I folder for insurances. I like this method but may take me a little while to start using it. Also, I am trying to separate files by year so it is easier to separate the information, and I may start fresh and create a 2022 folder, then the ABC folders. Thanks again
The system is based on alphabeticalized folders, not files. So within each folder, you will have files relating to the folder name (regardless of what the file starts with).
Hi Scott! I'm getting ready to organize my Google Drive and am curious if you still use this method, and if you have made any adjustments over the past couple of years?
Thanks for the question, Steven. Yes, I still do use this method. Of course, it does evolve over time. I sometimes merge folders together or rename them depending on what I notice while using the system.
If nothing else, when other's see my desktop they will think I am organized. The process took more than two hours. I have done the same work for thirty years and had hundreds of files, and was unable to find many of them. While building this database I was astounded how easy it is to find what I need. I am pleased with the appearance of the process. I look forward to using this system.
I will give it a shot. I have many many folders in ... i admit ... multiple cloud servers ... time to consolidate. I think it will take me alot longer, may be few days to think about what is the best name of each folder so I don`t run into the problem of .... which folder did I name this in ? is it teaching or ... learning or powerpoint presentations ? I may still end up with files I can`t really sort.
My advice for naming folders is to go with your gut. Take a glance at the existing content, and then create a folder for the first thing that comes to your mind. You can do the same thing when saving new files. And if the folder doesn't exist yet, you can create it at that time. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for sharing! I personally use a software for that (Folder Marker), it is pretty simple to create a structure with 2 clicks, no need to waste a lot of time
The ABC Filing System seemed a good idea when I first slaw it on RUclips, but then on reflection it will not work for me. I have two course handouts comprising nearly one hundred files in one and about twenty in the other. I want to keep these two courses separate. I also have many files on typefaces, and these could be accomodated in the ABC System as well as receipts and recipes. It's just the courses that trouble me, and another course is being planned.
If you Google "unorganized", you'll see my picture. Okay, I'm exaggerating about the Google part but not about the unorganized part. I've got a great feeling about your A to Z system. I plan to give it a go. Thank you so much.
Wow , thank, actually SO simple that I am startled NOT to have found this way out before.. better late then never:-))) Thanks, Big thumbs up and hello from Amsterdam Holland!!
looks great at the first glance ,but then you need to remember what name did you give to a particular something you are looking for so you could go to that specific letter. You want to see a video ,but is it to the "V" letter or to the "M" letter?'(movie)?
What a great system. It will take a while to organize my files at this point. But I can set up the structure now and start using it and as I have time or use the other files, I can eventually get everything located in the new order. Thank you
simpletivity! .recently my android phone got defected and shuts down with message uids are consistent and then shuts down despite oning it again and again ,now only thing to be done is format but before doing this iwant to bring al stuff inside like videos photoas notes and make the phone empty of all the necesary data and save it to my laptop or pc in an organising way plese sugest what to do ?
The obvious best method is to implement as many layers of organisation as possible. Categorize manually and also get an application which can group folders alphabetically. In addition use search.
I like the idea but I’m not sure if it would work, I think it would but it would take several days for me to organise my links manually just to see if it works for me. I’m sure it would be possible for a programmer to develop an an app that extracts links and sorts them automatically in this way. There are free apps that will extract links from bookmarks to an HTML export file and then put those links in a CSV file that can be put into a spreadsheet for sorting.
I like this filing system. I actually use it in my file cabinet. The only thing you have to remember is the file name or search the name you thought you named it.
Very good and it is worth considering in my filing system for general. I once worked at a manufacturing factory and in the drawing office they filed client numeric and alpha drawing references by the very last numeric digit, eg, 0,1,2,3 etc. and then filed these drawings under this digital system. So the drawings were in 0-9 as a maximum. It sounds weird, but it worked. We could always find the drawings from this system. 95% of the time. Bit similiar to your Alpha system. Well done on simplicity and always rules
This sounds great except what happens if you have something that is regularly called two different things? For example you have Visual Basic which is part of Visual Studio. Do you put it under V for Visual Basic or do you put it under V for Visual Studio? This is hard man....
It is not the best way to manage files. It's simplistic and arbitrary. Files are information. Information isn't alphabetical in nature, merely encoded with an alphabet and a language, neither of which is logical by nature. Alphabetical filing , even when done by subject within a language is disorganized if viewed in another language. That is why the two most widely used systems for filing books in libraries are based on subjects and filed by numerical systems. While an individual can use any system if filing effectively, the one that will always be most efficient will be a function that persons interest and activities, not the alphabet. The same is true of groups and organizations. The true measure of an information management, physical or otherwise is how well all those who use it can store and recover stored information without losing it. That does not necessarily correspond with speed or effort involved in the management, but always does with the consistency and reliability of the process.
Hi! Question: How would I convert this structure? Current Structure: Drive: Dropbox Root Folder: /People Sub Folders: /Amy Smith /Brian Kromin /Chad Griffs /Larry Lones Example: Dropbox/People/Amy Smith This way I can save all digital stuff for each friend and family member directly into their folder. Sometimes, I'll share their folder with them so they can skim through photos I've taken or peruse through all of the little items I've saved over the years and scanned. BUT.... IF I CONVERT TO ABC METHOD.... It would look like this: Drive: Dropox A Amy Smith B Brian Kromin C Chad Griffs L Larry Lones Makes sense and seems pretty straight forward. BUT... Let's say one day I want to see ALL of the folders for my friends and family in one view. Using ABC, I would lose the ability to do this, right?
Yes, the old way of doing this has changed but the functionality is still there. These 2 pages should help you out: www.winhelponline.com/blog/windows-10-pictures-library-arrange-month/ answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080707011524AAvhged
pretty much suck.. my last resort was sorting the month like this... 01-jan, 02-feb.. right clicking never gave me the option for month, like 200 option but none of them is by month.. but hey thanks alot anyways
I always love finding out new ways to organize digital files. Usually people underestimate the importance of having an easy to understand (and organized) system so that their files don't get lost in the black hole that is our computers. Though I never really considered anything like this method. I might need to sit down one Sunday afternoon and give this a try.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. All the best if you decide to tweak your filing system!
Agree.. in addition, my friends and I use FolderChanger - It can better organize files and documents by using a proper folder system. Search "Folderchanger" with google. It works great.
where do you find folderchanger? and does it do anything more than change icons? thanks
check this.
ruclips.net/video/lHfAsX3Pn5s/видео.html
and this.
ruclips.net/video/KfNFsK-eilo/видео.html
Me too.
Nice system that can be improved by removing the first level of folders (A-Z) and keeping all the main folders in the root since they will be listed alphabetically anyway.
Plus it avoids having empty folders
That's what I was thinking - although I guess this way you don't have to scroll through countless folders to get to the ones that begin with T. You could avoid empty folders by only setting up the Letter folder when there is something to store in it
And if you do that, in the root folder, press the letter you'd like to go to and the file explorer will scroll to the first folder or file starting with that letter.
This is a Terrible way to file. What happens when you forget which title you have named a particular file. It might work with this guy's files because he has so few files (that's also the reason he can get where he wants in 2 clicks). For anyone with a normal amount of files this method will quickly become unworkable.
You're right. It is only work well with a few files
Not to mention files category. I am a software developer who constantly reads and write personal files and also workout and cook for my son food and maintaining a diet and i have files for budget...why would i want so many files with different interests and categories in the same folder just because they share the same first letter!!
In my opinion you categorize them under meaningful titles is a better idea. Like: Health & Food - Fitness - IT or Tech or Web Development - Finance or Money ...etc. Then when you are looking for a file with a specific nature you know that it's most likely will be under one of those categories because why would you put a file that includes a food recipe under money or IT.
First thing which struct me when he showed the folder under C. Why is "Content Outlines" under C? Why not O for "Outlines"? They you have "Completed Contacts" which is under C because they are Completed? So presumably you have "Underway Contracts" under U? Now you have to remember not only what the item is called, but the qualifiers you give for it. Worse, if you have action qualifiers such as underway, completed, active, etc. why aren't you applying them to everything. Why is it "Content Outlines" and not "Completed Content Outlines"? So either, you end up with a hundred "Completed" folders making C useless, or you'll have to remember every folder as having a qualifier or not.
Doesn't work for me. I would like the ability to back up all my info about "Scouting". I would rather look for a Scouting folder and then copy that one knowing I have everything to do with scouting contained within. The above method would send me around looking for different files until I thought I had them all.
Agreed.
Never thought about this method. Very logical. Thank you..
You're welcome! Have fun setting up your new system!
I did this with my passwords, organized them all alphabetically in one word doc. It never occurred to me to organize my files this way. Genius!
Thanks for watching and sharing your comments!
Unfortunately I forget things like, "did I call that 'links' or did I call that 'websites'."
That's an excellent point and one I should have addressed in the video. Even if you guess wrong the first time around, trying your second option is usually still faster than following a long list of sub-folders which may not get you to the file either. Thanks for bringing this up!
I use 'Search Everything'! Be it whatever folder structure. Using a search tool helps. Its lightning fast as it doesn't scan the content just the names & path. Works like a charm..
I was going to say the same thing. It's simply a large search engine that contains every folder and file on your system. Type in any key word you want and it lists everything with that word, or two words, etc. Then double click your choice and bingo, you have it in front of you.
You could also use shortcuts. Create a shortcut called "websites" under W, that points to links.
Good answer
I know a simpler method that my wife and mother-in-law use: save everything, absolutely everything, on the Desktop! 😀
🤡
😂
Work in IT and almost every user!! 🙄
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
😅😅😅🤣🤣🤣
*im still confused and overwhelmed*
lord have mercy
Im bout to bust
Lmao
lol
Tags are better than folders. If you can break them down to their barest essence and apply a lot of them, then when it's time to search for a file, you can begin to narrow things down.
If you had a vacation in Mexico in 2015 and you want to organize your photos, you have three tags right off the bat: vacation, Mexico, and 2015. Say this is a yearly thing for you, and you can't remember which year you went swimming in a cenote. You can leave out the year, and include other descriptive tags, such as "swimming" and "cenote". And boom, you found your photos.
And this approach is very powerful. Let's say you want all photos, videos, and documents that involve you and your family swimming, regardless of context. You don't have to sift through some arbitrary folder structure. You just search for all files tagged with 'swimming' and you have it.
The only caveat is that you have to be good about labelling. It's time consuming at first, but once your tags are set up, they should be quick to reuse.
And it assumes you have a file system or cloud storage service that supports tags. If you don't, you're out of luck.
This delivery is intuitive and very educative, my students greatly benefited from this output. thank You Sir.
You are most welcome!
I use the Windows search feature at the top right of the explorer window. It allows me to group similar files into folders but also provides me with the ability to look up any specific file or subfolder from my root directory. This makes more sense logically than if I were to file them with the ABC method, especially if I should forget the name of what I'm looking for.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Zach.
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION - What business are you in? What do you need to keep track of? INCOME perhaps? EXPENSES maybe? Customers - of course! Suppliers? You betcha!
Get the pitcher?
This approach has a lot of logic and makes sense as long as your files are a collection of data that, once in this format, would meet the objective which is to only have to click two times for your file. But if I had a project with hundreds of files and saved each filed in a ROOT folder according to the file name, that would break the 2 click structure because people work on dozens of files simultaneously during a project so the ABC method means I'd have click every ROOT letter for every file of the project. Right?
I have ADHD, i have files within files, within categories, quick file search files, within drives duplicated, triplicated all different names for quick searching, going back 20 years, what a mess - i will give your ABC method a try - thanks
Wishing you all the best as you make this change!
Give CloneSpy a try first, then pick a project manager that integrates with your Cloud storage. It helps a lot
This was a best tip. I changed my whole archive system and I can now put my fingers on any royalty free picture by just using the alphabet. Thanks for sharing! 😁
So glad that you found this helpful. All the best with your new folder system!
I enjoyed knowing a different approach to managing information.
However, I'm +1 to emphasize the issue within remembering the tag system used (how did I call that folder?). For a personal computer, it might be sufficient, as (1) you don't have so many files, and (2) you're often in contact with the naming system previously adopted, strengthening the long-term memory.
For managing team information, it triggers a huge issue for different people adopting different naming systems, sometimes for the same thing.
If the main issue is the number of subfolders, the ABC method could be translated in a rule of thumb of having just 3 levels of folders. In fact, I thought the ABC was an allusion to that possibility.
What are your ways for organizing? Could you explain the three level way you wrote about?
I'm looking for information on this and these kinds of quick videos pop up that aren't bad, but aren't as thought through as I would like. On top of that, some of them like these are "genuine" while others "emotionally pander" for money.
My wife, who is an administration assistant loves your method, I do as well, I have hundreds of different file names and I cannot find things, because they are scattered. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas
You are very welcome, John. So glad to hear that this system is working well for both of you!
I've been using this filing system for years as hard copies and never thought to computerize it in the same way shows you what a dumb ass I am sometimes
I'm so glad you found this video. Yes, I had a similar relization a number of years ago. Thanks for watching!
This is a truly novel method to manage your file system. Great video, keep up the good work. 10/10
Thanks a lot!
Hi Do you provide a copy of your transcript? (Not the RUclips auto generated one.) Thank you Scott!
Just select the 3 dots near the like/dislike buttons. Then choose Open Transcript. Make sure to select English instead of the auto-generated one. I hope that helps!
Wow, this is great, i was really confused not knowing how to start organizing my boss's documents but i have finally found the answer to my confusion, thank you very much.
Dude.............. u deserve an oscar
That's a very bad way to organize files..
Actually it is very effective. Why not try backing up your statement with a reason instead of making sweeping generalisations that don't help anybody?
@@naztubes ...just like you did now?
@@didndido3638 The video speaks for itself. Access to files in minimal clicks thanks to shallow directories. I see no dissadvantage to this method if maintained correctly.
Pressing Windows+Q opens the search menu in Windows. Start typing whatever you are looking for and use the arrow keys to select the right folder. it's quick and clean and works with any filing method.
Great tip. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
Every method has its pros and cons. What will cause a problem in locating any file/folder is when using several criteria for naming it/them. For example, if you use "projects type" criteria in naming files, then you should stick to that and never name a file based on company's name, person's name, location or any other thing. Sticking to only ONE criteria is what makes retrieving any doc/file/folder easier.
That's an excellent point, Khaled. How we name our files is even more importatnt than how we name our folders. Thanks for sharing!
This looks like the best method for me. I was an administrative assistant when we were called secretaries and files were my job. This is how we had things set up. Alphabetical with very few subfolders.
Thanks for your comment and endorsing this simple yet powerful system.
I love the idea, but as someone who worked with dozens of clients, for example, it definitely makes sense for me to create a folder for each client. I usually do this like [countryCode]-[client name]. So like "AU-Macquarie", "SG-DBS", "TW-Metrobank", etc. Within each client folder, I usually have no choice but to create sub-folders to handle segregation of documents released by the client over time. For example, RFIs / RFPs, architecture documents, etc.
So, as nice as it sounds to have, say, all my architecture documents in one folder, it just doesn't seem practical if you have very similar documents for 80 different clients. Or maybe it is practical as long as you're diligent about naming conventions and versioning?
Thanks for watching and sharing your method, Stan. For those who work with large numbers of clients, it's true that giving them each a folder is important. And I agree, what you name the folder and the file is critical to any effective organization system.
Yes, perhaps my system for clients already is a good one. But on the whole, I'm not happy with my file organization strategy. Maybe a hybrid of keeping my client directories, but for "everything else" I could try the A-Z method?
Yeah the main problem I have with alphabetising is, sometimes, the person is looking for something that follows some form of logic, like a spreadsheet that belongs to finance, but they don't know what the first letter should be in. Would it be in F for finance, or because it was a finance thing done for one of the departments, is it under the department name, or is a spreadsheet named after a particular project or event? What if they're looking for something but don't know what it's called, therefore can't find it in the ABC method?
I am astounded at the simplicity and the organization presented here. I SO OFTEN find myself, as you say, second-guessing myself over where I might have put a file and go off wild goose chasing to find...well, now I'll just look under G for GOOSE. Thanks so much! It's Friday 3:18pmPT and I'm starting NOW!
Wishing you all the best as you start your new system!
I am new to this, wish you have a video for beginners. I would really, really love to know how to do this digital filing
If you set all the folders arranged by name,
then without the ABC method,
all the folders are found to be frozen alphabetically.
I think it's brilliant, and although a few people are bitchin' about it for various reasons I've come up with a solution that helps me always locate the file or folder I want. I run a small business that starts with C - I do lots of quotes which starts with Q - along with plenty of invoices starting with I.
So, I have the same business folder in C, Q and I. This way when I go to write up a quotation or an invoice for a customer there are three folders containing what I'm looking for. Very simple.
Another example is a photo folder containing a family and friends holiday to the Maldives. This one folder can reside in H - holiday...M - Maldives....F - family.... along with it being in a folder containg the first letter of each person who you enjoyed the trip with. The real beauty of this is it's the exact same photo folder in all of those various letters.
To place any folder or file into multiple folders, such as A B C simply create your first folder of your holiday pics in H. Then, simply click that new folder, hold down Shift & Z and you then add that folder to F & M and any other letters you think will relate to it.
Works for me.
Thanks for sharing your system, Clint.
Sounds great, I'm not very savvy at this, but do I start with opening the File Folder and just create A-Z in the list under this PC?
At my work i have different projects with reoccurring file structures. What is working very well for me is naming each folder with a number, title. As example, 2. Inspections.
Why i like this system is it easily navigates, quickly up and down, in and out of folders. Type number, press enter, repeat repaeat. Back space gets you back up the folder section. So fast!!
Thanks for sharing!
I will give it a try. I always think that I put files in the right folder while doing it, and I still can't find them. Especially on my personal computer. At work it's better as I share folders with co-workers, so I always go back to the same files or folders. But in my personal drive it's still a mess, there are many files and things can go messy very fast.😢 Thanks for your organization tips! I organized a training session to introduce Trello with your video and advice my colleagues to follow your channel.
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. And thanks for sharing my videos with your staff. Always happy to help!
"How to kill a perfect tree structure system."
3:05 this is a great system, but it does have some less than good parts.
For example, if you suddenly decide to call your "courses" lectures in your head then you'll be looking through L for something in C. It "restricts" how you can "describe" certain things.
Also, if you have many things in many letters. For example if you make a new "container" every week for ten years or a new folder every month for 40 years you'll probably want a second way of "organizing" in each letter since you'll have 20 things in each folder!
This is especially true given something many call "relative frequency." The letter A pops up 11% of the time and the letter T pops up a whopping 16% of the time!!!
That might lead you to have 5 things in one letter and 25 in another!
Meanwhile the letter Z pops up 0.045% of the time and K 0.86% of the time... so maybe you should "merge" Z and K together! :-)
These are some great points. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting approach. Seems to be based on themes. But what happened when files like are also person related? For example “recipe” and “Jason”? Where I should put the File in?
Nice video...BUT: isn’t it adding one click but having to organize this under particular letters? In other words, why not just list the folders int heir first order? It would automatically be in alphabetical order, and you wouldn’t have to both with he A,B,C nonsense??
Yes, you certainly could just list all of your folders in alphabetical order. However, that might result in scrolling a very long way to find the folder you're after. Another situation to consider is when you are uploading a file or attaching something online - I find it much easier to find my files with the ABC listing when I'm often given a small dialog box.
Just type first 3-4 letters of a folder name and File Explorer will highlight that folder. Press Enter and you're in. Nothing faster than this :)
Thanks for sharing, Ivan.
Classy reply from Simpletivity. :)
I see you just can't take even well meant criticism...Good luck to you in life. It's always gonna be someone else's fault I can see.
Amazing way to save you files , thanks for sharing !
I have a lot of stuff to save everywhere and it make a lot of sense doing it in this way ,
LOVE YOU RUclips ! LOVE YOU WHO MADE THIS VIDEO !
Thanks for watching!
Thank you this is brilliant. I laughed at the simplicity and sensibility of it. Perfect!
You are most welcome, Joan. Yes, the simplicity of this system seems laughable at first. But ask those who've used it for years and they tell you there is no better way!
@@Simpletivity I believe that. I have already implemented it! Many thanks.
What if you simply forget what name or category you placed it in? Does Dropbox allow you to tag contents?
As far as I know, Dropbox does not allow tags. So performing a search would be your next best option.
Robin Barr Has
I stumbled across this while trying to find a better solution than the Johnny Decimal System. I admit this looks like it might work, but I think categories would work better than the alphabet.
Thanks for the video.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Conrad.
This is so simple and straightforward it stops being funny 👌
GREAT VIDEO, I have been looking for over an hour and all I get is jargon of messy desktops BUT HERE I jump forward to where you bring up the ABC method of organizing and THAT IS WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR THANK YOU SO MUCH
Why did so many people dislike this video, just why this isn't their preferred way to structure their data? If so, I don't get it, as this is a good produced and actually informative video. Disliking in such a case seems quite unfair to the content creator, because it has literally nothing to do with the video, you essentially get punished for trying to introduce people to something new that they've not seen before. When stuff like this happens you can see quite a good resemblance to the current state of our society, if you ask me.
Thanks for sharing your feedback. I really appreciate your input!
This is brilliant!!
Thank you for sharing!!
You are most welcome. All the best with your new setup!
Mind blower. Never would have thought of such a simple/effective process.
In a geek-ish sort of way, I love the ABC Method, and look forward to converting my filing system to it. Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome. Have fun cleaning up your old folders and putting together a faster and easier method!
I'm searching for an image management/ organizing app. Many times we take photos or vids that are given a digital name on the file. This leads to actually looking at the images latter. All that to say...It would be nice to have a way to see the images larger so you can organize them quickly. Seems that phones, and sometimes computers - don't offer large enough visual icons so I can drag it to a organized folder. I just need to be able to see the images first. Icons or thumb nails are to small.
Ironically, I just started this type of system but haven’t converted completely. My theory or thought is if someone had to use my system and only knew the name of what they were looking for would they be able to . So far I think I’m on the right path with the help of your videos. Additionally, I’m working on becoming completely paperless. So all of my archived, must paperwork I’m scanning and keeping in my computer backup with Google Drive . Perhaps, you can give me some creative ideas to keep all the necessary documents for property transfers, which is immense and home improvement documents with all their companion booklets I need for later reference?
Any updates on how you applied this?
I'm lost, something I should have done 10 years ago but now have so much work info and export information that I don't know how to file. I dont know what to start the files with part numbers or countrys I dont want to create multiple folders.
I also what to add emails and notes to a specific folder,should I use One Note or just Word blank page.
You can also skip the ABC folder system and throw everything into one big directory. Then by pressing the starting character of the searched folder on the keyboard, you jump directly to the first occurrence of this letter.
You could also use links from one folder to another to connect topics which are related in one or another way.
Thanks for sharing, Sebastian.
Clever! I didn't know about pressing the letter to get to the first instance.
What will you put in the x folder?
In this case some folders will be empty
True. I do have a few empty folders. These could be omitted if desired.
I’m wondering how well it would work for digital photos that are overwhelming me. Often when I look through older printed photos I recall the photo by who or what is the subject and not but some Year-Month-Day pattern, as seems to be the preferred method now.
Yes, this could be used for photos as well. Although many services such as Google Photos can add details automatically such as face recognition and place where the photo was taken. You may want to explore adding 'tags' with a service like this so you can find it with search.
That method works for some, I'm sure. But for most people organizing files by project/subject or context. Your example "courses": it's less intuitive than you think. Is the ppt presentation for the course under "courses" or did I name the main folder "teaching" or the name of the course or "presentations" etc
Backups might be a problem if you are working on various projects and need only back those up to DropBox or whatever. I am a writer and work on a number of assignments/projects with varying names or titles with aspects such as bookcovers, working art, manuscripts, articles, and their attendant research data. Under this method they would end up scattered all over the place.
I heard of this system for the first time and it looks productive. However, I make a separate folder for each activity, like Pictures and then sub-folders like Birthdays, Weddings, Outing, Parties.
Thanks Simpletivity.
You are very welcome, Adnan. Thanks for watching!
It seems like this method would result in more clicks if you don't remember what letter you stored it under.
The example you gave of "did I store that under links or website?" If you grouped all those files under a Marketing or Communication folder, you wouldn't run into that issue since they would be grouped with similar information.
Thanks for sharing your comments, Matthew.
Thank you. I am using this information to now reorganize my Music collection. Originally sorted by genre. Now a chaotic mess as Genres seem to overlap and had to remember sub genres. This will make life a lot easier. Couldn't find anything when I was searching. Just how to organize the files using software (keyword search isn't my forte).
You are most welcome, Michael. All the best as you organize your music!
What if I want to keep work files separated from private files for example?! I would suggest a higher level category before the A-Z thing.
Agreed. You may want to start with 2 branches to begin with.
@Heddy Bell I bet he ment "work A-Z" and "private A-Z"......
thanks for sharing this great way of managing digital files
I will try this. I am much better at Tai-Chi than I am at playing 'hide and seek' with my files. This looks like a good idea. Thank You.
Have fun!
Just to share a thought: perhaps to try out this system, one might create shortcuts to existing folders, i.e., have an ABC folder full of shortcuts to existing files
Yes, that could be a great way to modify this system. Thanks for sharing!
A long time ago, before computers, my boss encourages us to make an ABC book. It was a loosleaf notebook with A to Z tabe. Random information was stored A to Z. it worked well.
Thanks so much for sharing this story. A great example of how this system can work in a number of ways.
I stopped relying on folders years ago. Art most they'll go 2 layers deep. That's because if you name your files with key words that have sub folder in mind (in the naming scheme) then you can pull up files through searches
Very true. The better you name/label your files, the easier they are to retrieve. Thanks for sharing!
i HAVE NOT USED THIS ABC SYSTEM, AFTER SEEING THE YOU TUBE I WOULD APPRECIATE TO FOLLOW YOUR SYSTEM PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW TO ARRANGE IT OR CAN I DOWNLOAD FROM YOUR SITE. THANKS MALDIP
Setting up this system is relatively easy. Simple start by creating 26 folders (1 for each letter of the alphabet) at the top-level of your file system. Then, take your existing folders and place them into the appropriate folder (same first letter of the first name). No additional software is needed.
@@Simpletivity I'm pretty sure the response was intended with a tone of sarcasm. One thing I've done to keep my list shorter (folders listed by client last name), is group multiple letters. Something like ABC for one folder, DE for another (based on grouping to keep a similar number of sub folders, so the last one is VWXYZ). This way I don't have one folder with 200 subs and a bunch with 0-2.
Yes, that's a great way to keep things nice and consice. Thanks for sharing!
I prefer putting files and sub-folders where they logically belong. This makes it easy for me to locate them when my memory fails me to remember the eaxct file names.
Let me add two tips that have been working fine for me:
1. Adding tags to files and folders (Windows file/folder search loves tags).. you can do this by selecting the file and adding the tags in the properties bar (bottom)..... and
2. Always viewing folder content in 'Details' view. This helps you sort files by time of modification, type, size, etc. In addition, you may filter unwanted files/filders out using column filters on top.
Those are great suggestions. Thanks for sharing!
Any program to generate folder structures? Cant find in google:(
Thank you for this video, I have been looking for ways to organize my Google Drive Folders and if I understood correctly it is best to add files to the folders by alphabetical order so car repairs will go on the C folder not the R folder for repairs and Medical Insurance will go in the M folder, not the I folder for insurances. I like this method but may take me a little while to start using it. Also, I am trying to separate files by year so it is easier to separate the information, and I may start fresh and create a 2022 folder, then the ABC folders. Thanks again
I was looking for what if we are managing multiple projects (Development Sector) at the multiple locations.
Why is the Steve Dotto... file in the "C" folder? Yes, it's course content (training notes), but shouldn't it be in the "S" folder?
The system is based on alphabeticalized folders, not files. So within each folder, you will have files relating to the folder name (regardless of what the file starts with).
How would you use it for surface pattern designs????? That's a little bit different.
Hi Scott! I'm getting ready to organize my Google Drive and am curious if you still use this method, and if you have made any adjustments over the past couple of years?
Thanks for the question, Steven. Yes, I still do use this method. Of course, it does evolve over time. I sometimes merge folders together or rename them depending on what I notice while using the system.
You are truly HELPFUL in sharing this information! Thank You Very, Very Much! Bless YOU! Also you explain very well!!!!!
You are so welcome!
I gave this a try and love this method. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless and take care!!!!!
So glad you enjoy this system, Rachel. Thanks for watching!
If nothing else, when other's see my desktop they will think I am organized. The process took more than two hours. I have done the same work for thirty years and had hundreds of files, and was unable to find many of them. While building this database I was astounded how easy it is to find what I need.
I am pleased with the appearance of the process. I look forward to using this system.
All the best with your new setup, Charlotte. Thanks for taking the time to provide your feedback!
your voice is so calming :)
I'm glad you found it relaxing! 😊
I will give it a shot. I have many many folders in ... i admit ... multiple cloud servers ... time to consolidate. I think it will take me alot longer, may be few days to think about what is the best name of each folder so I don`t run into the problem of .... which folder did I name this in ? is it teaching or ... learning or powerpoint presentations ? I may still end up with files I can`t really sort.
My advice for naming folders is to go with your gut. Take a glance at the existing content, and then create a folder for the first thing that comes to your mind. You can do the same thing when saving new files. And if the folder doesn't exist yet, you can create it at that time. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for sharing! I personally use a software for that (Folder Marker), it is pretty simple to create a structure with 2 clicks, no need to waste a lot of time
Same!
What if I have a Payment that made from Citibank to my Oxford University? How would I train my brain to remember it's P/C/O?
It's not really about training or changing your mind. It's more about which one naturally makes the most sense to you.
The ABC Filing System seemed a good idea when I first slaw it on RUclips, but then on reflection it will not work for me. I have two course handouts comprising nearly one hundred files in one and about twenty in the other. I want to keep these two courses separate. I also have many files on typefaces, and these could be accomodated in the ABC System as well as receipts and recipes. It's just the courses that trouble me, and another course is being planned.
If you Google "unorganized", you'll see my picture. Okay, I'm exaggerating about the Google part but not about the unorganized part. I've got a great feeling about your A to Z system. I plan to give it a go. Thank you so much.
All the best as you try out this setup!
Wow , thank, actually SO simple that I am startled NOT to have found this way out before.. better late then never:-))) Thanks, Big thumbs up and hello from Amsterdam Holland!!
Glad you found this useful. Thanks for watching!
Doesn't folder sort by Type - filename already do this?
1.5 speed is the speed you would expect a normal human voice to use, oh my god.
looks great at the first glance ,but then you need to remember what name did you give to a particular something you are looking for so you could go to that specific letter. You want to see a video ,but is it to the "V" letter or to the "M" letter?'(movie)?
What a great system. It will take a while to organize my files at this point. But I can set up the structure now and start using it and as I have time or use the other files, I can eventually get everything located in the new order. Thank you
You are very welcome, David. This system just becomes more refined and convenient over time!
simpletivity! .recently my android phone got defected and shuts down with message uids are consistent and then shuts down despite oning it again and again ,now only thing to be done is format but before doing this iwant to bring al stuff inside like videos photoas notes and make the phone empty of all the necesary data and save it to my laptop or pc in an organising way plese sugest what to do ?
The obvious best method is to implement as many layers of organisation as possible. Categorize manually and also get an application which can group folders alphabetically. In addition use search.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Neil.
I like the idea but I’m not sure if it would work, I think it would but it would take several days for me to organise my links manually just to see if it works for me.
I’m sure it would be possible for a programmer to develop an an app that extracts links and sorts them automatically in this way.
There are free apps that will extract links from bookmarks to an HTML export file and then put those links in a CSV file that can be put into a spreadsheet for sorting.
Thanks for your comments, Ian. Yes, this method does take a little time to set up and get used to. But for many, once they change they never go back.
I like this filing system. I actually use it in my file cabinet. The only thing you have to remember is the file name or search the name you thought you named it.
Thanks for sharing, Angela. Yes, it works great for physical files as well!
Very good and it is worth considering in my filing system for general. I once worked at a manufacturing factory and in the drawing office they filed client numeric and alpha drawing references by the very last numeric digit, eg, 0,1,2,3 etc. and then filed these drawings under this digital system. So the drawings were in 0-9 as a maximum. It sounds weird, but it worked. We could always find the drawings from this system. 95% of the time. Bit similiar to your Alpha system. Well done on simplicity and always rules
Thanks for sharing this numeric system, Ron. I love hearing about other simple methods to organize your files.
This sounds great except what happens if you have something that is regularly called two different things? For example you have Visual Basic which is part of Visual Studio.
Do you put it under V for Visual Basic or do you put it under V for Visual Studio? This is hard man....
what if you more folders under the word c that start with another word? example excel courses but its under completed courses which is under C
Not sure if this can work in my desktop,but I'll try it on my download
Thanks for sharing your comments, Ricardo.
Very effective method, and great presentation. Thank you for sharing this valuable tip!
You're very welcome, Steve. Thanks for watching!
It is not the best way to manage files. It's simplistic and arbitrary.
Files are information. Information isn't alphabetical in nature, merely encoded with an alphabet and a language, neither of which is logical by nature.
Alphabetical filing , even when done by subject within a language is disorganized if viewed in another language. That is why the two most widely used systems for filing books in libraries are based on subjects and filed by numerical systems.
While an individual can use any system if filing effectively, the one that will always be most efficient will be a function that persons interest and activities, not the alphabet. The same is true of groups and organizations.
The true measure of an information management, physical or otherwise is how well all those who use it can store and recover stored information without losing it. That does not necessarily correspond with speed or effort involved in the management, but always does with the consistency and reliability of the process.
totally agree with you.
and your suggestion is? People are always so good and identifying the weakness but usually refrain from providing the solution. Maybe they can’t!
Not true, when I list in category sometimes I can't choose which one and I just stick in either and forgot which.
Thanks for the video, I tried my best to manage my folders and e-mails in different ways but ABC method is the best. Thanks again
You are very welcome. I'm so glad you enjoy this system!
Hi! Question: How would I convert this structure?
Current Structure:
Drive: Dropbox
Root Folder: /People
Sub Folders:
/Amy Smith
/Brian Kromin
/Chad Griffs
/Larry Lones
Example: Dropbox/People/Amy Smith
This way I can save all digital stuff for each friend and family member directly into their folder. Sometimes, I'll share their folder with them so they can skim through photos I've taken or peruse through all of the little items I've saved over the years and scanned.
BUT.... IF I CONVERT TO ABC METHOD....
It would look like this:
Drive: Dropox
A
Amy Smith
B
Brian Kromin
C
Chad Griffs
L
Larry Lones
Makes sense and seems pretty straight forward. BUT... Let's say one day I want to see ALL of the folders for my friends and family in one view. Using ABC, I would lose the ability to do this, right?
hello, does windows 10 took off the option for arranging in months.. cause ive been having a pain in the butt to arrangdem by month
Yes, the old way of doing this has changed but the functionality is still there. These 2 pages should help you out: www.winhelponline.com/blog/windows-10-pictures-library-arrange-month/
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080707011524AAvhged
pretty much suck.. my last resort was sorting the month like this... 01-jan, 02-feb.. right clicking never gave me the option for month, like 200 option but none of them is by month.. but hey thanks alot anyways
the only solution to finding things is tagging each file on creation and keep solid tags.