From Chaos to Order: Let's Organize Our Digital Files

I came to a realization about a month ago that I need to get organized! It was about that time I finished a long term project, my very own family genealogy book. This project is the kind where you have papers stacked upon papers in 5 locations around your houses and are always losing things. My desk had piles upon piles. I have a tendency to be so focused on my work I can’t see the mess until I am done. And then when I hit send, or have the final product in my hand I look around and find myself in a room that looks like a tornado went through. I always think how did that happen. This genealogy book was some thing I had been working on for years. I loved working on it, but I got to the point, where I would like to start working on other projects, like this website/podcast, for instance. So I made a deal with myself.  I just needed to be done. It was the type of project that could just go on forever. Just stop. And that is what I did. I tied up loose ends and ended it. It felt good. After the swirl of finishing the project I got up from my seat and thought, “Damn, how did it get this messy”.  After putting my physical objects away, I started assessing my computer. There were files everywhere. Files on my desktop, and files not put in their proper folders. Ugg. What a mess.

            I realized my next project needs to be a clean up. And so that is what I am going to do. I am going to clean up my computer. And since I am going to do it, why not do it right with some planning. I want to understand the thinking on how to take care of our personal electronic files. I want to know what other people doing and find a system that works best for me. Why not find out what I learn with everyone, plus, it will actually make me do it, if I blog about it.

            I will look at different authorities and customize their advice and implement it on my own computer.  I am a little nervous. Will this really work? Well, let’s find out shall we? 

If you are interested in seeing my the final version of my genealogy project, I published it through blurb.com and you can check it out Here.