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Organising the Miscellany

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by bizzo 1 view

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I thought I'd start this as a discussion rather than a question, as I don't think it will have a specific answer.

I'm about to start organising the files I have on my machine, and would like suggestions as to directory structure.

"D:\Miscellaneous" just doesn't seem to cut it anymore!

It's my work laptop, so I have installation files for various contracts, code and scripts I've written, documents I've produced or downloaded, whitepapers, ebooks, etc ... the list goes on.

I've always been very disorganised when it comes to this kind of stuff, but now I've taken on a new role, I feel that it may get out of hand unless I do something about it. Hence I'm intending to sort it before it becomes a problem.

So, how do you sort yours?

4 replies

by tig2

With my name on it. Inside that folder I have a structure that calls out what is likely to be inside- The3Day, Pictures, Downloads_Work, Downloads_Personal- that kind of thing. In each folder may be a second structure. For instance, in the 3Day folder is a structure to sort content- Flyers, Pictures, Contacts.

When I need to back up, I just copy the contents of the folder with my name on it to my back up folder on the external hard drive.

Regardless of how you sort things, make sure that the structure makes sense to you.

by charliespencer

Create several subfolders and initially name them something like 'Folder 1', 'Folder 2', etc. Don't worry about the names at this stage; we'll change them to something significant later on.

Start moving files from Miscellaneous into these folders. Move files that are related in some way into the same folder. These could be related by topic, project, subject, contract, program, etc. If you have a file that significantly relates to multiple areas, consider linking to it from one folder to another, or moving folders under each other.

Don't worry if you have one folder full of code and another of contact info, or if you have a mix of file types in the same folder. Just pay attention to how the files in a folder relate to each other.

Once you establish the relationship, you can rename the folder to describe the relation. If you wind up with any folder that contains only a single file, move that file back to Misc. and delete the unneeded folder.

For example, I have
How-To's
Misc. Work
Misc. Non-work (yeah, I know; work with me)
Monthly Reports (subdirectories by year)
Personnel
Purchases
Templates
Virtual Machines

by dadspad

As you can see organization is a personal matter,it must make sense and make you feel good, no one else.

Use a pad of paper to do an outline of the subjects that make sense to you and easy to find. Make the outline just like the directory tree you would like.

This will give you a visual of what it will look like. Once you have the organizational idea you like, you will not need the paper outline anymore.

Starting simply is usually the best idea, then expanding to your needs.

Good luck.

by bizzo

Thanks to everyone who's answered so far.

I'll let you know how I get on. :-)

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