Studies show that over 50% of Americans feel overwhelmed with clutter, but don’t know what to do about it.
Whether you are dealing with physical clutter, mental clutter, or clutter on your computer, it’s important to get it cleaned up and organized to reduce the amount you feel overwhelmed.
In this article, there are 9 pro tips for document organization that will make you feel way less stressed and way more organized.
1. Find Trash…and Delete It
There are so many places on our computers that we don’t even know exist. By spending time searching around your documents, desktop, applications, and so many other places, you are able to find the things you don’t use and don’t need.
Delete them.
And when you delete all the ones you don’t need, head to your trash folder and permanently delete them all. This declutters your computer from all unnecessary documents and programs.
2. Put Files in Folders
Much like you would do with paper in real life, you want to organize documents similarly on your computer.
This means that if you have a word document or excel document, you should put it in a folder so that it doesn’t clutter your desktop (just as you would not want it to clutter your desk).
For instance, if you have a file about your dog (maybe his medical records), you can name a folder by the dog’s name. Any document from that moment forward about your dog can go in their folder.
3. Be Consistent With Naming
Getting elaborate with the naming conventions you use can seem fun at the time, but it’s mostly a waste of time and will likely confuse you down the road.
Let’s say that you name a folder “Work.” What happens when you change jobs and forget about that folder? You may get a bit confused.
Instead, consider naming the general folder by your job title. Within it, you can have separate folders with the different areas of your job. This works just as well for the document management that you need for your personal life too.
A quick tip: Don’t use abbreviations. You’ll probably forget what it stands for.
4. Use a Document Management Software
Whether you run a business or are a stay-at-home mom that needs to feel more organized, document management software may be what you need.
If you’re in the healthcare industry or medical field, Allied Health document management software is a great option for a document manager. This can help with security, organization, and time.
5. Search For Files
While organizing your files is an important thing to learn to feel like you are not overwhelmed with clutter, you don’t want to have to navigate through folder upon folder to find one file that you are looking for. That’s what you would need to do if you were doing it the old-fashioned way with pen and paper and file folders.
When you open up your computer, you can simply use the search navigation folder to find any folder or file you need.
6. Use Cloud Storage Providers
If you want optimal document storage on your computer, you may want to try using more than just your computer software.
This is when using cloud storage providers comes in. For instance, this is a great way to share documents and collaborate on them rather than sending them back and forth over email, saving them multiple times, and creating a mess on your computer. Instead, everything is happening in one place on the cloud.
7. Remove Duplicates
Have you ever gone through your photos and realized you had 20 photos of what seems to be of the same exact thing? That’s called having duplicate photos.
There’s no point to these other than just wasting storage space and creating a mess on your computer. Get rid of these to better your document organization.
There are even a few programs that can scan your computer for duplicates and then will ask you if you want them deleted. Say yes.
8. Use a Note-Taking App
Just like when doing it in real life, taking notes on sticky notes, random sheets of paper, or multiple notebooks can get a bit messy. Trying to find the right sticky note when it comes time to order your groceries can be stressful.
To keep this organized, you want to take your notes all in one place. This way, you know where to look.
This is easy on a Mac because you can just go to the Notes app, which may connect to your phone if you have an iPhone! There are similar programs you can use as well.
9. Organize Regularly
All of these tips are great – in theory. If they are not actually put to use, then your document organization is not going to be as clean as you want it.
While you may not follow all of these tips every day, you can set up a time for document managing weekly or monthly to ensure that you are keeping it all organized.
Tips for Document Organization
There’s nothing worse than having a computer with no organization. You can’t find anything, and you’re too overwhelmed to even try.
By staying up-to-date with your document organization, whether through document management software or your own organization system, you’ll feel a ton of relief knowing where your files are.
Did you find these tips helpful? Don’t forget to browse some of our other articles for other great tips!