File Management
Your computer’s digital copies of your documents, drawings, photographs, movies, music, and so on, are referred to as files.
Throughout most of the history of computers, files have been stored locally (on the computer itself, and nowhere else) on the computer’s storage device. Common storage devices for computers include Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), though a more recent and technologically advanced iteration of computer storage is the Solid State Drive – it has fewer moving parts than HDDs and is thus much faster at loading your files while being less prone to errors.
In more modern times, tech companies have provided options for storing your files remotely, alongside storing them remotely. One such way is through portable storage media, such as floppy drives, compact disks, USB flash drives, external HDDs, etc. This can also be done through the technology of cloud storage, wherein tech companies – particularly Google and Microsoft, among others – provide us with a virtual storage closet wherein we can place our files, all for the sake of safekeeping and the ability to access all our stuff anywhere, provided that an internet connection is available.
Enough with the history lesson, let’s now proceed with some tips you might want to keep in mind in order to more efficiently manage, organize, and safekeep your files:
1. The rule of threes
If possible, keep three different copies of your important files in three different forms of storage. A common suggestion is to keep one copy of your file in your local storage (your computer’s drive) while keeping two backup copies elsewhere: one in the cloud (by using cloud storage services such as Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive) and another in a portable storage drive (maybe a flash drive or external HDD).
It might seem costly to have to do this, but ultimately, it’s up to you if saving money on storage costs is more important than avoiding the risk of losing your precious files.
2. Create folders
Even though you might feel lazy to start this habit now, it will eventually pay
off once you have to work with those many files that you have. This advice rings especially true for those who do work involving clients, such as lawyers, accountants, designers, and so on: you don’t want to interchange one client’s files with another! Apart from violating their right to privacy, it also makes you seem unprofessional.
3. Take advantage of search
All operating systems by now should come with a feature set specifically for the purpose of searching your files. You can even filter the types of file/s you’d like to find: filter your search according to categories such as file type, date made, etc., to make your life easier. You can press the Windows key to search for files and programs. Mac OS has something similar in the form of Spotlight Search, which you can activate by pressing Command Spacebar.