WorldExecutivesDigest.com | How to Organize Computer Files for a Business: A Complete Guide | Computer organization is essential for a business. This guide teaches how to convert files and how to organize computer files for business.
Do you have a business? Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot that could be done online. Now as we all grapple with working remotely there’s even more reason to get your house in order and make sure you organize computer files in an efficient way.
If you’re wondering how to organize computer files then be sure to read on to learn more.
Use an Online Cloud Service
One of the first steps you need to take when thinking about how to organize computer files is to use an online cloud service. This means you will never have that dreaded nightmare moment where your computer breaks down and you’ve lost everything.
It also means you can share your folders with work colleagues easily. All you have to do is right-click and select the share option. You can even restrict some of the files so that they are read-only while they can edit others. This is one of the ways that you organize business files.
iCloud
The iCloud is Apple’s answer to cloud storage and it’s great. It allows you to access all the files you need from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer. Until recently it was locked to Mac systems.
Now Apple iCloud is available on Windows computers and other machines. You can either download the file to sit on your desktop or you can open your iCloud using your web browser.
There is a limited amount of storage available for free and for $0.99 a month you can upgrade to 15GB, enough to satisfy most average users’ ambitions. If you are a business then you can upgrade this even further.
Google Drive
Google Drive is another cloud file service that is a great option. You can get more initial free space but also get access to Google’s set of programs known as G-Suite. This makes collaboration even easier as you can see what each other is writing in real-time within files.
You can access this via a downloadable folder or by your web browser. Google’s programs generally work better with the Google Chrome browser. Google has beefed up its Drive for businesses so it’s well worth looking into.
Use Lots of Sub-Folders
Organizing your work into simple folders might seem like a great way forward but if you deal with thousands of documents you need a more advanced system than this. You need to make use of as many sub-folders as possible.
This involves organizing your files into as many sub-file as is possible. Instead of dumping all of your ‘work’ files into one folder and your ‘home’ files into another, you can organize everything much more clearly.
Consider organizing your folders into projects or years so that you can get to your most recent work more easily.
Place your tax files into a separate folder and organize those by tax year even if your other work is organized by standard calendar years.
Consider having a separate folder for PDFs and keeping these on the desktop so that it’s easier to get to your most important files. Also, remember you can convert pdf to text so that you can edit a document. This is a top tip for how to convert files.
Archive Files You Don’t Need
As the saying goes, out-of-sight-out-of-mind. And that’s exactly the mentality you should take with archiving files. Be sure to store any files you don’t need away somewhere, perhaps in a different cloud system or on a USB memory stick that you keep safe.
Every few months devote some time in your schedule to have a clear out. You wouldn’t leave your house cluttered with documents lying around for years-on-end so why would you do the same with your computer?
Always try to be ruthless and delete some files from time-to-time. It’s important that you keep anything that might be useful later on and if you are mainly saving text or word files you are likely to have almost unlimited space. But if there’s anything that can be deleted, be sure to delete it so that it doesn’t clog up your mind.
Remember that most accountants agree it’s safe to destroy invoices, receipts, and accounting records after seven years have passed so consider deleting these if you think you’ll never need them again.
Color Code on Mac
Another great thing you can do on Mac OS is to color-code your files as well as using a filing system. This gives you double the filling options and makes it easier for you to find a file.
For example, you could have a separate file for every project but there might be a specific document that you need to use for every project. Instead of having to go into every single project file and open them up individually, you could color-code them.
This way you can just open up all the files coded with that specific color whilst still retaining the project-by-project file system. You could ask your employees to use this filing system too. This is how you organize business files.
How to Organize Computer Files? Be Consistent and Back-Up
If you want to know how to organize computer files then the answer is to develop a system that is simple and consistent. You should understand it and be able to find any document you want in a few seconds. Take advantage of color coding if it is available on your system.
But above all, use cloud computing software such as iCloud or Google Drive so that all of your employees can access everything at once and you don’t lose your files if your computer or server crashes.
If you want to know more about how to organize computer files be sure to check out the rest of our site.
