computer filing 101

in today's world, our lives and our workdays are filled with what I like to call "electronic paper clutter" or all the e-mails, files, pictures and other documents that clutter your computer and your inbox. Although electronic clutter may not take up space on your desk, it will still clutter your work day and make it more difficult for you to find what you need on your computer or in your e-mail.

Just as organizing your physical papers is important, both for your sanity and your productivity, organizing your electronic papers might be even more important because you aren't able to quickly flip through a big pile of papers...you have to search through each file on your computer and hope to find what you need.

This is DAY 4 of our Week-Long Paper Management Marathon. Each day we will give you one more tip to get your paper clutter under control. Keep reading to learn more!

computer filing 101:
this can be more overwhelming than physical paper clutter but it is essential to maintain organized computer files if you want to accurately account for all your information...and be able to find it again!

1. to begin, create a file for every area of your job or your life. These should be major categories.
2. with in each major category, create several folders for sub-categories. These should be clearly labeled so you will easily be able to navigate your way through the folders. You can even create another group of sub categories within the first group of sub categories!
3. go through all your existing documents and file them into the appropriate folders. Create new folders as needed and delete any documents that are not needed.
4. If files are time sensitive, name each main folder by the year and each sub category as a month or week.
5. Try not to group too many documents in one folder as it is much more time consuming to look through 50 document in one folder than to look through 10 documents. The more detailed you can be when labeling your folders, the better off you will be.

Once you establish a system and commit to sticking to it, your electronic paper issues will be no more!

For more tips on how to manage your paper clutter, visit my website at: www.andreadekker.com