Organize your files and folders.

• aim to organise your data in sub-folders. You can use a structure like the one below:

If you don't know how to create it, you can use your "My Documents" folder instead of "my username" and start the structure from there.

A very good starting name for your folders is the date in ISO format:

year(4 digits) month(2 digits) day(2 digits).

In our example on the left, we have used a dash to make the date easier to read. As you can see in the example, if we use another date format, the sort order is not chronological. You can use the date in any folder, not only for pictures and videos.

Add details after the date, e.g. "2010-12-25 Christmas party"

This way your folders will be chronologically sorted whenever you sort items by name.

• use suggesting file names. Don't be afraid the file name gets too long, if you can't see it well in icon view you can always switch to list or details. After several months, you may forget the names of files you use seldom, but chances are you remember a part of it, so you can search for that part and locate your files successfully!
• Try to separate the current work from old one that you don't need any more. Move the old one outside the "my username" or "My Documents" folder. This will allow you to find things easier. You can create a folder called "Old data" on the C drive and sub-folders like "2008-12 – 2009-02".