File Management Guide

Computers are vital now containing nearly everything one needs. People use computers to store personal and work files. Personal files typically cover family, friends and the many interests of a person even add wedding concerns, for my case. Work files differ for any person but one just has to think of the different departments or clients you have to cooperate with or answer to in which it would even multiply if one manages multiple businesses.

So I'm pretty sure people out there to have these kind of problems with their files or memory space:

• Always getting your computer's memory maxed. And no matter how much you expand it (either by getting a computer memory upgrade, network attached storage or external hardrive), you still get the same problem in just a few days, weeks or months.
• Losing important files in a maze of folders
• Duplicating files confusing you and even giving you the hassle of opening each file so as to know which version you are looking for

 This had always been a problem for typical computer owners today.

There is no single answer to this but one really just have to learn to manage it or else you will always find yourself wasting money and memory space altogether even losing very important files.

I think the solution lies in the mixture of three options one does to fix these kind of problems.

1. Expanding Memory Space
2. Deleting Files or Reformatting
3. Re-organizing Files

The first one being the easiest and most typically used option, while the last being the most tedious and rarely used one.

I have a lazy habit of just dragging items to the desktop and keeping the downloads in my download folder so I always end up doing the third option. Here are some things I do and learned to have to do:

Back-up your work files
Laptop or computers get corrupted, so in these kind of events you won't have to worry. I suggest keeping it at a cloud or an external hardrive. You can probably make your own schedule for this, I do this once a week.

Separate your personal, media and work files.
I suggest this kind of physical separation:

• Media Entertainment: Network Attached Storage
• Office / Work: Laptop/Desktop with backup (cloud storage or external hardrive)
• Personal files: External Hardrive 

Put a system in your files
Take advantage of the following:

• Use a simple filing hierarchy and an easy to follow file naming scheme (Author/Series/Book/Ch01-Audiobook.mp3)
• Put version numbers at the end of a filename of a regularly updated and changed file so as not to overwrite and lose previous ones
• Take advantage of using tags or putting info in the properties section of a file so when all else fails, you can use the advanced search function and just type those in. 

Do not hesitate to delete files not needed
Knowing what is not needed is entirely up to you but I typically just answer these questions in my head:

1. Is this important?
2. Do I use this regularly?
3. Is this accessible and downloadable from a site? Is it editable once retrieved?
4. Is this an easy to retype or recreate document?

Answering these questions give me the idea as to what I should do with my files. Having a yes, no answer to Q1 and Q2 would mean I will just put the file in my backup. But a yes for both would mean to keep it in my computer. Finally, two no's for the first two questions would mean deleting it. The next two rows of questions are secondary and are optional, but they can aid you further in what you can do with the file.

These are just some things I do. And I hope this can help any of you out there. If any of you would like to suggest other methods, feel free to do so. C=