Digital Data Management

How do you manage your digital files?

If you're a data hoarder like me and have a system that works efficiently for you, I'm curious to hear your approach. As for me, I used to save files with the default name, which made it tough to locate anything later on. But I adopted a simple and effective way of organizing my files with a directory tree of subfolders and files. Although I can't remember where I found it, I've adapted it to the following structure:

For each parent folder, I added more subfolders as needed. However, I try to limit the nesting of subfolders to two levels for simplicity.

I also keep "Unsorted" folders within my Downloads and the above listed parent folders. I have a folder for "In Progress" projects, "Urgent" tasks, and "Quick Access" for files I'm currently working on. When a project is finished, it goes into the archive folder.

Although it's not perfect, this system has made it easier for me to find what I need. When labeling folders and sorting files, I try to keep things as general as possible. I also pin frequently used folders for quick access, which saves me time in locating frequently accessed files.