Let's Get Organized!

Maybe you needed to reference an old essay you wrote months or years ago, or you wanted to add an old class project to your scholarship submission. Maybe your teacher marked an assignment as missing, and you need to pull the assignment to prove to them that you completed it. How long would it take for you to find the file you need? A few minutes? A couple of hours? If you don't have a decent file system in place for your assignments and other documents, you could spend days searching for a file!

Having a clear, comprehensible filing system for your assignments and projects can help you avoid endless searching and build good habits for the future. Whether you're heading into college or going full speed ahead in joining the workforce, learning how to manage your files now will save you a lot of headache in the future. 

Table of Contents

Many of you might already know the terminology around digital files, but there's no harm in a quick recap. 

File

A naming convention is a like a method or rule to follow for naming things. In this case, you'll be deciding on the rules to use when naming your files. It is important to use a naming convention that is easy to understand and remember so you can tell what the file is for without opening it. 

Which is easier to understand: a file named "English draft (1)" or a file named "English - Hamilton Plot Structure Report Draft 3?"

Using Your Teacher's Naming Convention

Your teachers may have a naming convention they prefer you use when you turn in your work, likely consisting of your name or student ID number, the assignment title, or the unit you are in. So long as you are consistently following the format and aren't swapping things around, then this would be a good naming convention to use.

Using Your Own Naming Convention

Now that you've decided on how you want to name your files, the next step is to figure out how you want them organized in your filing system. 

Creating a folder structure is easier than it sounds. It's much like figuring out how you want to organize your papers in your binders and backpacks. You may recall in elementary school how you were expected to keep a single folder for each subject you were being taught -- one for science, one for reading, one for math, and so on. Creating your file structure is the same. The only difference is that in place of arranging paper assignments, paper folders, and binders in your backpack, you are handling digital files and folders on your computer.

Take Advantage of Colored Folders

Google Drive gives you the option to color-code your folders. You can use this feature to visually separate your folders, or you can use it to give your Google Drive an aesthetic appearance. There's no harm in having fun with things now and again!

Make it Complex, or Keep it Simple

Chances are that you already have tons of files for your classes and are currently staring at a disorganized Google Drive. Don't let the task ahead of you get you down, though. Organizing a messy room feels like a herculean task at the beginning, but it becomes easy once you figure out where to start. The same logic applies here. 

Step 1: Make your folders

If you haven't already, create your file folders. Remember to name and structure your folders in a manner that is easy to use and makes sense to you. Remember to try and not nest your folders more than 5 layers deep to keep things easy for yourself.

Step 2: Decide on your naming convention

Make sure your naming convention gives you an idea of what the file is for and allows for easy alphabetical or numerical organization. It's okay if you go through different naming convention drafts at this stage, just make sure you pick one that you can use consistently with your files. 

Step 3: Name your files

This may be the most time-consuming step. Unless you already named your files when you created them (and didn't just name your file "adsajfkds"), you will likely have to open each file to see what the assignment was and which class it was for. Just chip away at it one file at a time. You'll get through it before you know it!  

Step 4: Move your files into your folders

Now that you have your filing system in place, you'll need to learn how to manage it. This really boils down to being consistent in using the filing system you've created, but there are a few future events you should know how to handle.

Naming and Re-Naming

What if you want to change your naming convention somewhere down the line? Preferably, you'd stick to the same naming structure you had been using before, but I understand that times change and that naming conventions you choose today may not apply as well in the future. 

In cases like these, you can still maintain a comprehensive organizational structure by using your new naming convention at the start of a new year, month, class, or quarter depending on how you've configured your folder structure. You should only change your naming convention in a folder you are actively adding to if you are ready to change the names of all other files in that folder to maintain its organization. 

Creating Backups and Copies Regularly

Cloud storages rarely lose all your data in the case of an incident, but that doesn't mean taking precautions to ensure that you'll always have access to an important files is unreasonable. It's generally good practice to keep copies of important files -- these usually include both digital and paper copies (where applicable). 

For your schoolwork, this can mean making copies of your assignments and projects before turning them in and sending those copies to a personal Google account. For Senior year students, you can migrate all of your files easily using Google Takeout.  

For personal files and anything not saved to a Cloud storage server, the best practice is to keep at least three copies of your important files saved on your computer, at least two copies on a USB stick, Cloud server, or portable hard drive, and one paper "hard copy." This is what is called the 3-2-1 Backup Rule.

Deciding Whether to Keep or Delete