From The Mailbag: Organizing Computer Files
August 23, 2007
Q: Annette asks — How do you recommend people organize the files on their computer? I’m a writer, which means that I have many clients and many projects and I also am a bit freaky about having an organized computer. The trouble is, I’m constantly in a state of reorganizing, always convinced that there must be a better way:-)
A: What a great question! 1st I want to say that there is no right or wrong way to organize your computer files as long as you can find what you are looking for in a timely manner. If you are having a problem finding the documents that you need when you need them, then I would say that you need to get a new system into place.
In Annette’s case (and for others that work for many clients) I can’t express how important it is to make good use of creating “Folders” . Most people create folders in their ‘My Documents’ folder (which is often the default directory for saving documents.)
Be sure to create a folder for each client that you work for/with and within that folder you can create subfolders to keep everything organized.
For example — let’s say that I am your client. You would go into your ‘My Document’ folder (or wherever you keep your documents) and create a folder called ‘Aurelia Williams’ and within that folder you can then create subfolders for jobs, and projects of mine that you are working on. You can also add a subfolder for my invoices. Basically, any file that has to do with me would go into that folder or related subfolder. This way when it is time to concentrate on the work you need to get done for Aurelia, you are literally 2 clicks away! The beautiful thing about this is that lets say you have 30 clients (YAY) you can name a folder for each client and you can easily find the folders because you can sort them alphabetically.
For other things such as your personal documents, I suggest the very same method. Create a ‘Annette’s Personal Folder’ (or something of that nature) and place your personal files in there (i.e. your budget spreadsheets, resume’s..etc). Just be sure that you think about the title of the folder before you create it and name it appropriately.
Also, learning when to let go of and combine folders and or documents is key. Go through your documents at least every three - six months and give them a good cleaning up. Set up new folders and combine like items into them. When you go to create a document, don’t let it sit there without a home, place it in a folder (smile). There of course are some files or folders that you may want to keep on your desktop if you use them frequently but for the most part - using folders and sub-folders inside the My Documents folder is the key to great computer file organization!
Hope that helps :)
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I already have the folders and subfolders on my computer. You’re right, it’s the best way to keep track of things. My problem is that I’m running out of space on my 80gig hard drive. :( Any suggestions about what can be backed up to a CD/DVD?
Hi Mara — Glad you find the folders useful.
Well, I would periodically back up files that aren’t used often at all on a CD and clearly mark it and remove it off of the PC.
I have all of my past client files on CD, and other things on CD’s as well just in case I need to refer to them but usually I follow the rule that if I don’t use a file in a year - it goes on my CD that is clearly labeled and its clearly labeled :)
If you are in dire need of more space. You can you go though your pc uninstall programs that you don’t use.
Defragmenting your hard drive is also good. It rearranges the files on your hard drive so they are back in order, which cuts down on the time it takes to access your files.
To start the defragmenter, close all unnecessary programs and disable your spyare and anti-virus programs then click START then Programs then Accessories and then System Tools. You’ll find Disk Defragmenter in that folder. Click on it to start it and it let run.
Lynette our Technology Expert here, I am sure can help you really maximize your space but the tips I gave you are some good housekeeping rules :)
Great advice, Aurelia. I work with a lot of documents, graphics, and I restore family photographs for people. All of these items require a lot of space and organization!
My honey bought an external hard drive for me and I organized it as you mentioned above but added colored folders because I’m such a visual person. I store my docs and graphics on the external. I then put shortcuts in folders on my desktop to access them only when I need them.
I don’t know if this would work well for others; but, it works great for me. If I make a change to a doc or graphic, it’s automatically saved and backed up in a safe place. This setup also allows my computer to have more “running room” for programs.
Hi Aurelia,
Thank you very much! I do have folders, many many folders, but I don’t make use of the subfolder idea nor do I get rid of anything. Looks like I’m cleaning my computer house today! Thank you again!
You are very welcome Annette.
I would suggest going throught and doing agood cleaning of old files then work on getting those sub folders created.
Now, I wouldn’t be a good coach if I didn’t ask this next question:
“So, when do you think you can go through your folders and add subfolders where needed?”
Please keep in touch and I will work to keep you accountable to get those files in Tip-top shape :)
Aurelia
Great tips Aurelia! I have a TON of folders on my computer and they do work.. I also like to keep the most important ones on my desktop so I can find them quickly and easily.
If I didn’t use the folders and subfolders my documents would be a mess! As Angela stated above about keeping the most important ones on her desktop - I also do this as well.
I do need to do some ‘housekeeping’ and get rid of some old things on my computer - time to put them on CD and off my PC so I have more room! That’s gonna be my goal for this week - computer hosekeeping :-)
[...] it seems like Annette’s question really opened up a nice can of worms. As you can imagine, the more organized our computer is, the [...]
Hi Aurelia,
I am nothing if not efficient! I went through all of my folders and organized everything.
What I’m finding is that because I have an external hard drive that I back up to once a week, I am going to have to make sure that the folders are consistent or I’m going to end up with a mess on my backup drive.
The one question that I do have is regarding subfolders. I’m not sure how to organize those. I have several clients that I work with on a consistent basis so I don’t know if I should take the extra step and establish monthly subfolders or subfolders by project.
I often reference past projects so having to search through subfolders could be time consuming. You’ve been so great - thank you! Any advice would be appreciated!
Annette - congrats! Sounds like you are really making a lot of great changes.
I think the answer to your question is “whatever works best for you” :)
If you do project based subfolders - will you be able to name the folder clearly so that it is easy to find?
If you do monthly subfolder for projects? 5 months from now will you know to look into Septembers subfolder for a project that you did in September? (Meaning how will you know when a project was done, month from now and be able to find it)?
Keep up the great work!!
I think I might try the sub-folder idea!
Since I’m a photographer I have lots of pics on my computer. I make a back up CD as soon as I add them to the computer so then I can take them off and still have that immediate back up.
I want an external hard drive, too!!
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