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    5 Ways to Keep Your Files Under Control

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    The computer you’re using right now is a veritable jungle of data. 
    The number and distribution of files is overwhelming. 
    And trying to track down a blueprint becomes an almost difficult task. 
    Where do you start if your files start to get out of hand?
    Fortunately, organizing your design files is not difficult at all. 
    Simple decency mixed with a little self-control, and rinse and repeat. 
    Similar to how brushing your teeth becomes second nature after repeated practice. 
    Your PC and your design files will be organically organized.
    Alright then, here are the 5 effective ways to keep your files under control.
    1. Ruthlessly delete unnecessary files
    This may seem like a no-brainer, yet often the simplest solutions are disregarded. 
    Ignore all the hoopla around productivity tools, file streamlining procedures, and other self-congratulatory bullshit and just get rid of old, unused files.
    It’s analogous to straightening up your room or arranging your paper documents. 
    When you examine each object, you ask yourself: does this serve a useful purpose? 
    If not, you discard it without hesitation. 
    By keeping your possessions to a minimum, you can maintain order. 
    There are no hidden agendas.
    Examine each file on your computer and ask yourself if it serves a purpose or is still vital. 
    When in doubt, purge it without hesitation; you won’t be using it again and it’s only taking up space in your virtual office. 
    These documents are often older versions of a project or obsolete designs.

      A young woman holding a delete key of a keyboard
    That’s fine and all, but is there ever a time to be brutal and get rid of unused files? 
    But, after all, nearly everyone dislikes tidying up their own space.
    Now, just as you should take care of an object as soon as you encounter it to reduce the need to plan cleaning your room, so too should you decide if you need to delete a file as soon as you discover it. 
    So, onto point number two…

    2. Take immediate action on files you encounter

    Scheduling time to organize and clean up your computer design files is a hassle that may be avoided if the need never arises. 
    Do something right away whenever you come upon a file.
    However I am sure that you have engagements and destinations of your own. 
    While dealing with files, you can’t just stop whatever you’re doing to attend to them. 
    If so, how do you determine the optimal time to act? 
    Adhere to the “5-minute rule”: if handling the file right now won’t take more than 5 minutes, don’t put it off.
    Man is editing photos on laptop, using graphics tablet and interactive pen display, sitting at the table at cafe with cup of tea. Close-up.
    Seem familiarAs a result of being “inspired” by David Allen’s GTD: Getting Things Done, a bestselling book. In it, he recommends acting on each work that can be completed in less than five minutes to preven a growing list of things that need to be done.
    This applies to your computer design files as well:
    • Found a half-finished logo? Wrap it up and send it off.
    • Almost done with a piece of code? Finish it.
    • Have a group of files you’re not sure you need anymore? Go through them, decide, and delete if necessary.

    3. Consolidate files when possible

    This one is easy to solve. Naturally, you would have fewer files if you can merge many files into a single larger one. The less files you have, the less chaos there will be.
    As an additional perk, file consolidation makes it simpler to locate certain documents. The clutter in your file system disappears. How, No need to go through many files looking for the one you need; all the important information for the project will be in one place.
    How do you go about consolidating your files?
    • For text, simply copy/paste related content from multiple files into one main text file.
    • For visual designs, you can copy/paste different elements and variations into one main graphic file.
    Paper cut of Manila folder with some document

    Use the support for layering, labeling, and grouping provided by all graphics programs, major and minor. One graphics file may include many logos or various components of a larger design.

    Of course, not all file or content types can be combined.code, for instance.Because of this, the previous sentence is titled “where feasible”; try your best, and any effort that reduces the volume of files is beneficial.

    4. Have as few folders as possible

    Don’t over-categorize your work into dozens of different categories. Use simple categories like “logos” and “websites” instead of a “folders” subfolder with dozens of subfolders. If you choose, you may create separate folders for each project and store all files relevant to that project in those folders.

    Why do this? Two reasons:

    • No indecision paralysis: is the file a logo, website stuff, or part of a project? Just throw it in the respective folder and be done with it.
    • Anti-too-many-files filter: when you see the folder filling up with too many files, you’ll be more inclined to delete old and unnecessary ones. Similar to seeing too much stuff in your room, rather than hiding it in drawers and other rooms.

    It’s best to keep folder names and categories general. More categories can be created with more particular naming of folders. The addition of extra folders means you’ll have to prioritize where to save the file.

    The chances aWhy not just employ a system of tags instead? If that’s the case, you probably don’t need any more folders. That makes sense in concept, but in practice it will lead you to produce and store far too many files.

    high that it doesn’t fit neatly into any of them, so you’ll have to choose one at random. The next time you need to sort any files, you may simply recall the folder into which you put one that was quite similar. And it doesn’t help that you have no idea which folder each file actually belongs to.

    Here’s what will happen:

    • You tag your initial files, feeling good that you’ll be able to easily find them later by searching via tags.
    • You become liberal with tags by creating too many tags that are too specific – this is due to indecision paralysis since you couldn’t choose between two tags and decided to create a new one specifically for that one file.
    • You end up having too many tags which become overwhelming to find stuff with.
    • What’s worse is since you didn’t feel the need to keep your file count low, you now have more files than if they were constantly visible in a general folder you looked in.

    5. Ditch auto-organizing features

    The enemy of file management is automatic file organization tools (like iTunes’ auto-rename and sort function, but for all your files). They promote a relaxed attitude toward creating and saving new files. While this may work great at first, it quickly becomes untenable as more and more files are added.

    Is it not better to just remove unused or outdated files from storage? Using the auto-organize function will make it less tempting to remove. Like Google’s “never delete, only search” option in Gmail. Searching emails is simple since there is just one sort of material (text), but searching files is difficult.

    There is no easy method to look for certain words or phrases inside the text, especially for multimedia files. So, you will be limited to working with filenames and perhaps a meta description. There will be too many files if you do that.

    Instead than relying on automated filing systems, take full responsibility for all of your work by manually cataloging all new documents. At the very least, you’ll be reminded of its existence and given some attention, making you more careful about the files you keep on your computer. You’ll have a better idea of when your file collection has grown out of hand and when you need to start purging aggressively.

    Conclusion;

    I sincerely hope that these 5 tips weren’t just some kind of productivity porn: stuff to read in order to avoid doing the kind of work that actually brings you the outcomes you want in life. Instead, they were meant to be practical steps you can take right away to ensure that your digital and design files remain under control.

    Nobody enjoys the process of sorting and managing digital and artistic documents. You may prevent having to resort to such drastic measure by adopting the following five behaviors. The most crucial step in forming any new routine is to actually begin doing whatever it is you want to accomplish.

     

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