by Monica Nelson

Created on: February 28, 2007   Last Updated: October 23, 2009

Design My Documents To Fit Your Lifestyle

Lost in My Documents unable to find your file? Take an hour to redesign your filing method and never get lost again. Here's how:

Define Your Roles

Who are you? What are the different hats you wear? Every person has different aspects of their personality that they practice from day-to-day. Uncover who each of these alter egos are. These become your top layer of files.

You may be a spouse and a parent. Each of these would be separate roles. Careers, businesses, social roles, volunteer positions, etc. are all responsibilities that demand a distinct file. Don't forget yourself and self-fulfilling functions like hobbies, interests, and personal growth.
Create holding files for each of these positions. Numbering them in order of importance will place them at the top of your list. For instance: #1 Entrepreneur, #2 Business Owner, #3 Spouse, etc. You will want to keep utility files like My Pictures, My Webs, My Downloads, but every other file you have will fall into one of the groups you have just created.

Determine Projects or Categories

Under each role you will list categories describing what is required of you in regard to that role. These endeavors may take the form of individual tasks or larger, all-encompassing projects.
This is the level at which you may start placing documents, if you choose. Projects demand their own folder, but you may also place single documents that don't fit into a specific format here. It is up to you whether you leave them loose or create a General Miscellaneous folder to hold them.
If you find it useful, you may also number these project folders as described earlier.

List Documents

You don't want to create so many levels that you take up a lot of time just getting to them, but at this stage you may create even more subdivision if you find that necessary. However, for the most part, you will file your documents within your project holding files.
Move all your files into their appropriate folder. This is a good time to clean up clutter and eliminate duplicate files.
If you still find that you can't remember where your documents are, you can create a macro using a small font to display your file and path at the end of your document.

Using this method of file organization will help you remember where your files are located and eliminate getting lost in My Documents. Let your unique lifestyle design the layout for personal information organization.

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