What about when you have virtual files in multiple locations or want to use different devices to access those files?

Envision, you’re working on a document in MSWord – on your computer at home. Now, you need to leave real quick to run into town. While you’re in town, you run into someone who’s knows more information about what you were writing on – you want to send them the file so they can double-check some information for you.

• Do you have to wait to get home and email it to them? (Running the risk of forgetting once you get home); OR
• Can you send the file to them while you’re standing there talking? (or maybe wait until they walk away)

The answer is yes, but it will depend on where you saved the file.

OR how about when you’re working on a project, and the power/internet at your house just went out. You need to gather up your laptop and head to a coffee shop to work a few more hours.

• If the file is in your desktop, you’re out of luck – unless you’ve been working on the file in “the cloud” or had time to properly eject the external hard drive.
• If the file is on your external hard drive, and you happened to be working on your laptop at the time, you can just disconnect the external hard drive and take it & your laptop to the coffee shop (because the laptop has a battery, you’ll have time to properly eject the hard drive). <- This happened to me this week. While it was annoying to have to stop everything and run to town. I was really thankful I’d been working on the laptop to start with.

Accessibility:

There are a few variables here:

1. In the first scenario above, if you saved the file only on your computer’s hard drive/on an external hard drive before leaving, you will have to wait until you get home to send it on.
2. If you saved the file to One Drive/Google Docs/iCloud/Drop Box (“the Cloud”), the file can be accessed as long as you have your account login information.
   • If you want to access your Cloud files from your phone, you will have to have the appropriate app installed for the platform you are using. From the app you log into your account and then can send the file from your phone standing in the middle of wherever – as long as you have wi-fi or cell service.

Which MSOffice do you have?

Do you have MSWord on your computer (installed from a disc a few years ago), or do you use a cloud based version of MSOffice or Office 365?

1. IF you have MSWord on your computer, from years ago and it was a disc installation, One Drive is not an option. Unless you have created a Microsoft account and set it up independently and you manually save files there (like one would with DropBox).
2. IF you have MSWord downloaded (not disc installation), THEN you may have saved your files into either the hard drive of your computer or in One Drive. When I purchased my last version of MSOffice for Mac, it was a code for a download. So, I have the option of storing things in One Drive, but I choose not to.
   • The settings default in this case is One Drive.
3. IF you have the monthly subscription version of MSOffice, which is called Office 365, I believe the default there is also One Drive.

So, it really comes down to how instantly you need to have access at all times. As I already told you, I spent a lot of time getting all my files into the cloud just to get hung up without strong/fast enough internet to consistently access what I needed. If you live in a rural area and there isn’t always instant, super fast internet/cell service, you might not want to go this route either. I believe since I tried, many platforms allow for “working offline” – so the internet isn’t as much of an issue because it’s okay if the connection comes and goes while your working on the document.

Data Usage:

Another aspect to take into consideration: are you limited on data download – either at home or on your other devices? My constantly trying to access files in the cloud, downloading them to work on them, and the saving process then re-uploading, wreaked havoc on our download limits. In Alaska, we still have the issue of the amount of internet data (downloads/uploads) used is monitored. (current example: we pay $94/month to have 250GB we can download/upload/stream. My son just moved into his own apartment and set up his internet – he’s paying $29.99 for 1TB of download/upload/streaming!)

Updates:

Another issue I ran into – every.single.time I tried to open a MSOffice program, it wanted to update. For example, say I used MSWord, went thru the whole stupid update process (for all of MSOffice, whether you use each program or not)…then tried to open Excel – I had to go thru the update process again – for all three programs! Now, to be totally fair – maybe it’s because cloud storage is much newer than my computers and the problems were at my computer’s end.

I do know our Alaska internet download limits, and lack of consistent & fast internet were not issues related to my older computers. So, regardless of whether you can work offline or not, make sure your internet package can handle cloud storage.

On day 12 I talked about Finding Your Virtual Files – I wanted to explain something a little bit more today.

Remember how I said it’s similar to getting directions:

• Where are you starting from?
• Where do you need the file to be for access later?

The “starting from” is where you have clicked on the left column. The “where you need the file to be” is in the saving process, and whether you save or save as.

But, when you’re looking at this (or the Windows version) it can look like a whole lot of nothing. Imagine the left column is a hallway with lots of doors.

How do you track which files you’ll find behind which door? Simple: consistency in naming and location.

The blue box is over the door into the iCloud Drive. If you’re using a different Cloud based drive, such as Google Drive (Google) or One Drive (MsOffice), you would access those files differently, even though they’re “in the Cloud”; they’re only accessible by logging into the platform (obviously iCloud is Apple, so this is directly accessible from a Mac). Wherever you’re paying for a subscription service for Cloud storage, they will have their own access.

iCloud is Apple’s storage, I have a Mac, so it is an automatic option in my computer. Another way to access iCloud is by going to iCloud.com and signing in there. Anyone can have an iCloud account – have an AppleID? It’s the same log-in info for iCloud.

These are the doors into different “rooms” of the hard drive on my Mac. Again, AirDrop isn’t for storing files, it’s just a portal for transferring files between Apple products (iMac, MBP, iPad, and iPhones) – it’s still considered a door.

If you need a refresher on what those areas are for, you might want to check out my other post.

This is the external hard drive. Here I have “opened the door” into the LaCie Documents room. And the right side column is the index of everything in this “room”. If you have two, three, or however many USB ports to have other external drives plugged in, they are just listed here. At the time of this screenshot, I only had one external drive plugged into my computer.

When working on an external hard drive, it’s really important to eject the drive before unplugging it from the computer.

Ejecting the drive is similar to looking at the doorway and making sure nothing is in the way. To not eject & just unplug is to slam the door on whatever might be in the path. This can be no big deal (socks, etc.) – or it could be a really big deal (someones fingers could get slammed in the door). Similarly, to not eject is to risk “slamming a file in the door” – which could corrupt it. In order to eject an external hard drive, you have to close whatever documents you were working on, (and sometimes the programs you were using with those documents). Then eject, otherwise you’ll get an error stating the file is “in use” – this is the same idea as being in the door closing path.

The shared devices are connected by wi-fi. The visibility of these devices are set by each specific device. You don’t eject these, they just lose their wi-fi connection.

When both of my children were in the living room working on school, and their computers were connected to wi-fi, I could see them in the list of “Shared”. <- This is why it is important to pay attention to your security & privacy settings if you do much work on public wi-fi.

So, this is a random interjection into virtual organizing….but, my justification: Shutterfly is one of the Cloud based storage options for photos I mentioned on Day 11 | Storage.

I want to share a wonderful Shutterfly* (affiliate links throughout this post) deal with you.

Get a start on your Christmas list:

• IF you are a new customer, you can get a FREE calendar until September 30, 2017! (code: FREECALAFF)
• All Customers get a free 16×20 print until September 30th. (code: FREEPRINT)
• New customers get 35% off your $50 order until September 30th. (code: 35OFF50)
• All Customers get 25% off your order until September 30th.  (code: 25OFF2017)

For several years I scrapbooked 5×7 calendars and then had them color photocopied as gifts – they were displayed on an easel, or hung with a clip. I’m so excited, Shutterfly now has 5×7 Easel Calendars! The last five years I’ve ordered myself a calendar from Shutterfly. I use the free code, pay shipping – and I get 12 months of memories in print. They’ve always been beautiful. The one time there was a white, unprinted line down the side of each photo. I called them, and they sent me a correctly printed calendar right away – free of charge, even though it had been free in the first place.

I haven’t printed many photos for scrapbooking since moving to a digital camera, but the ones I have printed – from 4×4 to 16×20 – have been beautiful.

I’ve printed a several digital scrapbooks, and Shutterfly‘s books are lovely. You will essentially have personalized full color, bound books. And their editor makes it all very customizable. Side note: I was actually contemplating not printing any more photos (haven’t printed any in 10 years) – just catching up with digital scrapbooks…but I’m thrilled my children prefer the “old” way of scrapbooking. (I’m actually excited to have the excuse to get to play with all my paper & supplies again :-D!) So, while I’m going to stick to the not-so-virtual route of scrap books for my children, I am going to start working on a highlight book of each year. Not super in depth, but an overview.

In case you don’t know, Shutterfly has several options under the categories of

• Photo Books (8×8 up to 12×12, themed, seasonal, with several options);
• Cards & Stationary (seasonal, blank, graduation, rubber stamps, personalized postage stamps, address labels, stickers, and many more ideas);
• Prints & Posters (4×4 up to 20×30, collages – including various paper options);
• Calendars (Desk style, 5×7 Easel, Poster, Magnet, Mouse Pad, 8.5×11 and 12×12 Wall Calendars)
• Personalized Gifts (memory game, playing cards, paperweights, ornaments, mugs, etched glass, pillows, blankets, iPhone cases, and many more options),
• Home Decor (canvas, metal, wood, acrylic, stockings, photo cubes, shower curtains, and many more ideas.).

*I am an affiliate for Shutterfly, meaning if someone places an order using my link they will pay me a commission for sharing their sale with you. Here are more companies I like and trust and am willing to share with you.

Yesterday I talked about storage – but what about when you are trying to find your virtual files in multiple locations, how do you find them on the computer, on an external hard drive, or cloud based?

What about when you have different files in different locations? It really comes down to making sure you know where you’re starting. It’s similar to getting directions – where are you? where do you need to go? which direction will you be coming from? The biggest thing, you want to be consistent, such as:

• all usable files I use on both computers = LaCie Documents, the name of my 1TB LaCie Rugged external hard drive;
• back-ups on LaCie CloudBox <- ideally; and
• photo backups = LaCie Orange (photos), the name of my 500GB LaCie Rugged external hard drive;

Just to make sure we’re on the same page: All my screenshots are from my computers, which means I can only show you Mac versions. I can’t even begin to translate for Windows based machines (I haven’t used Windows since 2009, I think it was called Vista). Anything I say will be rooted in frustration of trying to help my parents with their storage – finding – etc. (they still have Microsoft computers/tablets)

In the Section: Favorites

In the above photo you can see all three storage locations (hard drive, external hard drive, and Cloud based). The top left is a direct link into the iCloud Drive – when you’re logged in and tell your computer when to have access. If you use Office 365 or other similar cloud based programs, it will by default put your files “in the cloud”. Office 365 puts files into One Drive.

AirDrop = form of transferring files between Apple products. It usually takes me less time to move the files with an external hard drive – or email them to myself.

Desktop = the actual desktop of the computer I’m using at the time. When I take a screen shot they automatically go to the desktop. (This is NOT the same as the DESKTOP folder you can see on the LaCie Documents external hard drive.)

Downloads = self-explanatory…. except, I have mine set so when the external hard drive is connected, my downloads actually go into the DOWNLOADS folder (to the right on the gray/white lines) on the LaCie Documents external hard drive.

Pictures = again, self-explanatory…. except for the screen saver photos, they have to be located by the computer in the Pictures file, I don’t use this destination because I don’t use Mac’s Photos program. I choose to put my photos into the PICTURES folder on the LaCie Documents external hard drive. You can read more about what I do here.

akeller = the hard drive of my computer, the “top” of the directory root. I don’t actually use this – it’s more of the computers internal technical stuff. I don’t go there.

Applications = the programs on the computer’s hard drive.

The next section is: Devices

LaCie Documents = the name of my LaCie external hard drive. So, when I want to find a file on the external hard drive, I click there to start. Then I see the list on the right (on the gray/white lines). Since I could end up with the same list of folders on the hard drive under “akeller” – I renamed the ones on the hard drive with “on iMac” in front of each folder name. This way if I don’t have the external connected I realize it right away, BEFORE I try to use an old file or place a new file in the old location.

When I have the second external connected, it’s called LaCie Orange (Photos) – this tells me it’s the “cleaner” back up of my photos.

The section is: Shared

This is everything connected to our wi-fi. You can see we have an Epson & HP printer, they’re both wi-fi so they show up here. Also, you’ll see my delinquent LaCie-CloudBox attached.

Just like storage for tangible items, we have to have store our virtual files.

There are basically three places to store files:

1. Your computer’s hard drive
2. An external hard drive/s (external drive)
3. A Cloud based drive

There may be others, but I don’t know anything about them.
Your computer’s hard drive (typically the C drive, or on a Mac it uses your name) is the storage inside the computer – whether you have a desktop or laptop. This is NOT the same thing as the disc drive. Disc drives read discs & don’t seem to be standard with computers any longer. Now we pretty much download anything we need/want. It used to be the only way to get info into the computer, then it was just how we installed software, and now I think most people use them to play CDs/DVDs they’ve owned for a while.

Hard drives in the computer come in different sizes. I’m going to use Apple products for examples because they are the devices I know. Most current iPhones/iPads come in variations of 32 GB, 64 GB, 128GB, or 256GB – a computer’s hard drive may have as little as 256GB or as much as 1-3TB. The bigger the storage, the more it can hold – similar to square footage in your home.

Another option is to have less GBs available in your computer hard drive and get an external hard drive/s for storing things. (a flash or thumb drive = a mini external hard drive) An external hard drive is also handy when your computer hard drive gets too full because you can “add” extra storage by connecting an external hard drive. There are times when you can have the software programs you use on the computer on an external drive. I don’t choose to have my software on the external drive because I found it to be slower than just accessing the file and having the program run on the computer. (I have “old” computers, mid-2009 and mid-2010.)

I keep software on the iMac & MBP hard drives and all files on an external drive. This way I can access the same files on both my iMac and my MacBook Pro. When I need to work somewhere other than at home – I take both my laptop and the external hard drive. Yes, it does mean I must have the program installed, updated, etc on both machines – but technology takes upkeep, again – just like your home.

The photo above is showing the storage on my iMac is 1 TB (999.35GB) and the storage on the external hard drive is also 1TB….

You can also see I have over 600GB of photos on the external and only 246.76GB on the actual hard drive. This is because I have my whole photo library on my main external, some are on another external hard drive not connected at the time I took the screen shot, just some photos live on the computer (remember my multiple copies… :-D)

Cloud based storage is storage you don’t tangibly carry – you sign in for access to your files; typically “paying” some kind of rent/fee. There is some concern over who actually owns the files when you upload them (it’s super important to make sure you read all Terms & Conditions, and decide for yourself if you can live with what the company who owns the cloud storage says they will do/not do with your files). It totally creeps me out to think of Google reading my email (Gmail) – so why would I put ALL of my photos and documents “up there”?! Also, I’m a big proponent of not having my “stuff” inaccessible when I don’t have reliable internet (traveling, when we’re at our family’s cabin).

I’d venture to say most people tend to live VERY dependent on electricity, instant connection, wi-fi connections, and cell service.

Since I still like paper files most of all (even if they are always a mess), I don’t want to be one more step removed by have them all in a “Cloud”. Here are a few examples of cloud storage:

• Amazon | owned by Amazon – document & photo storage
• DropBox – document & photo storage
• Google Drive | owned by Google – document & photo storage
• iCloud | owned by Apple – document & photo storage
• One Drive | owned by Microsoft – document, not sure about photo
• Shutterfly – photo storage

There are plenty of other options… again, these are just the ones I’ve heard of or have tried.

Cloud based storage must be a great option because lots & lots of people use it…but, I live in Alaska. Apparently, our internet is not consistent (or fast) enough to make this be a good idea. Especially since a lot of my files are large graphic/image files. Text files are MUCH smaller and easier to access without too much hassle. I spent hours – days – over several weeks (seriously!) getting all my files into iCloud just to have endless problems with accessing my files. I ended up pulling them all back out of the Cloud so I wasn’t paying for storage I didn’t need. Such a royal pain & SO many hours wasted!

My solution to not having two sets of files and always having to remember what I worked on and save the newest version on both machines: get a portable, heavy-duty, designed for carrying around external hard drive (the LaCie Rugged – I have two, one is 500GB & the other is 1TB). I just ALWAYS make sure to work off the files on the external drive. All I need is power (or laptop battery) to access my files & work.

I use the 500GB LaCie Rugged for another set of photo backups. I keep the files on this hard drive to actually important photos – not EVERYTHING (the hard drive is 500GB & look above, you’ll see my whole big photo mess is currently sitting at 600GB…). Also, I periodically put some really special photos on each machine, the external hard drive, possibly my phone (which backs up to iCloud), and Shutterfly. (again…remember, I have multiple copies because I stink at regular rotating backups)

I do have a 3TB LaCie CloudBox, my idea was a total flop…and I don’t like it at all, it takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to do anything. When I called tech support, the woman said the CloudBox was a “chatty Cathy” – it had to say ‘hi’ to every aspect of the computer, modem, and wi-fi router in our house BEFORE accessing the files. My goal is to get it set up and try it for Time Machine backups and have it include the external drives in the backing up. It would give me another regular back-up. …but I haven’t taken the hours it’ll take for me to figure this out yet 😊.

Have you ever wanted to keep a file, but have another exactly like it? Do you know the difference between Save or Save As?

You can easily duplicate files using File – Save As. When the location box opens, change the file name and/or change the location. The following are four different file names in a computer, but not when naming an online file. (we’ll get in to this in the second half of the month)

• dotandink
• dot-and-ink
• dot and ink
• dot_and_ink

File
– Save = saving the file you are working on with no changes to location or file name. When you save a file, you are saving the changes you just made to the original file. In the exact same place where you opened the file.

In the photo above do you see both Save and Save As as options under File? If you click on Save As, you should get a similar box to below.

File
-Save As = this option allows the you to change the file name and/or the location of the file. It will leave the original, unedited version of the file named as-is, where-is, but ONLY IF you SAVE AS something/somewhere else.

You can see the file name is highlighted and you can see the location of the file. You can maneuver away from this folder into any of your folders. Do you see the Format: drop down? This is where you’d change the type of file.

If you can’t save a file as another file type using File – Save As (see above), try exporting the file as another file type – depending on what the program you are using allows you to do. Below you can see the drop down options in InDesign when you are using File – Export.

A few major parts of organizing files – file names, file types, and storage. It can be horribly confusing if you don’t get how/where certain files come from.

Some Common File Types

Could be Considered General Documents:
.doc or .docx (MSWord) |.pdf (Acrobat Reader) | .xls or .xlsx (Excel)
Could be Considered Graphic Documents:
.ai (Adobe Illustrator) | .eps (Vector) | .indd (InDesign) | .jpeg or .jpg (photo) | .gif (capable of animation) | .png (capable of transparent background) | .tif or .tiff (can use as an image file format)
Used for Presentation files:
.key (Keynote) | .ppt (PowerPoint)
Not as Common, Creates Large Documents:
.psd (PhotoShop)

There are plenty more file types, these are just the types I’m familiar with and the programs they are created in.

• I do not know why MSWord files sometimes have .doc, .docx, or nothing as their extension.
• I also do not know why sometimes you see the program logo as an icon (PDF, MSWord, InDD, Excel) and other times it is a mini picture of the file (Numbers, Pages, Keynote, PowerPoint, Illustrator).
• I believe .jpg, .JPG, and .png files are always mini pictures, and can universally be opened/placed with most programs.

Another thing to notice, when looking at Finder, you’ll notice the date the file was last modified on the right. See the little “up” carrot before the line dividing between Name & Date Modified? It tells you it is in alpha order from A-Z in the Name section. You can also order by Z-A or use the Date Modified by earliest or latest.

When you have a folder open you can order the files however is easiest for you to find your files. This can be changed anytime and often as you’d like.

Organization Type?
I wish I was brave like a Thrower.

Are you someone who easily throws paper? You look at it, read it, and either file it or throw it. I wish. My mom is like this – she’s able to decide after a quick glance if she’ll want it again.

I think it’s brave to throw papers away. You might need the information again. I’m getting better, some information I wouldn’t be able to find very quickly so I may as well re-download it if I need it.

I’m a slow processor. I might read something thoroughly, then I’ll probably need to read it again. Then a day or two later I’ll still be thinking on it and need to read it again. I’m visual. I need to see something in writing to remember it. I don’t throw papers easily. I probably have 98% of all receipts for the last 5-7 years – all put away, organized in baggies by year.

That said, virtual files (except your photos!) – I pitch easily. After all, if I found it once online, and I really care – I’ll be able to find it again.

On digital photos and throwing them away…the reason I have over 40K, is because I’m afraid of losing them all. So, I’ve copied them a time or two and have them on a few different hard drives. Obviously, I need to spend an hour (or sixty) to delete the bad photos ruthlessly. I’m not there yet. :-)

I consider a Thrower a type of organization because if you throw it away, you’re still doing something with it. It isn’t one of a million pieces of paper you are looking at in piles.

Side note: There is a REALLY cool device you can use to quickly scan all your papers into documents on the computer. I really want one. It’s over $200…. I was skeptical on the ease of scanning paper into the computer until seeing it in use.

I’ll freely admit I’m a paper addict BUT the idea of “going paperless” is very enticing to me.

Organization Type?
… and I can be a Pro-Piler.

A Pro-Piler is short for Procrastinating Piler

You know, when you start to look at something, get distracted and set it down. Thinking, “I’ll come right back to …” … and then all of a sudden it’s the next day, or next week…or next month. Yes, procrastination at it’s finest.

As I said yesterday:

I’m a vertical filer/piler on horizontal surfaces. 

Here ia another pile and one of two wooden crates of paperwork in the sort, file, not-urgent-at-all piles. (except for the book report draft & phone bill on the top layer)

These piles have become my “Procrastinating Piler” piles. Regardless of how this looks, I can usually find any piece of real paper I need rather quickly. Even the ones in my procrastinating filing piles… Despite the look of the mess it is actually sorted. The vertical piling in the forefront is the more urgent. The folders in the wooden crate are pre-filed. They are papers needing to get filed into the file cabinet. I gave myself a two-inch space for “to-be-filed”…supposedly when it was full it was time to file. Obviously, this tactic has not worked for me.

When it comes to virtual files, I can’t do “piled”. There is an elusiveness of virtual files – because they aren’t tangible, I need them in their place – not dumped – or I can’t find them.

There are two places where Procrastinating Piled Virtual Files “dumping” happens in my virtual files:

• my “Download” folder. I have a ridiculous mess in my download folder. The procrastinating comes in when I don’t get the files moved into their correct folders very quickly. And this is the result of how I store my files (coming up later).
• and sometimes the “Newest Nikon download” – but these are still in date order. It’s more of a holding space

There is a built-in dump in your computer – you know how everything goes into the “Documents” folder? Why?!

Organization Type?
With real paper, I’m a Piler…

As you can see, in real life – with real paper – I am a Piler.

I vertically pile (file) on pretty much any & every horizontal surface. The above photos are just two of my many work piles.

The photo on the left is on my desk, it is the urgent to-do pile. Yes, my laptop is part of the pile – it comes and goes multiple times per day. Several other urgent to-do notebooks are in my laptop backpack, which leaves with me three days a week (and hadn’t made it back out of my backpack onto the desk when I took this photo).

The photo on the right is the lesser urgent to-do pile on the floor next to my desk. Yes, there is an extra external hard drive on the top of my pile. It has one of many copies of my photo files.

Despite the look of the mess. When it comes to virtual files, I can’t do “piled”. There is an elusiveness of virtual files – because they aren’t tangible, I need them in their place – not dumped – or I can’t find them again.

Piled virtual files is what can easily happen when you just let your computer save what you’re working on into the “Documents” folder. I do sometimes Pile – like when I put all photos from my camera card into “Newest Nikon photo download”, but they don’t stay there for long.

… just wanted to make sure you know where I’m coming from :-).

How you can review your memories before printing.

Today we’re continuing with how to “file” your memories (photos). I’m going to tell you how I use Finder (File Explorer) as a quick reference photo journal.

A few notes to remember:

• This is about organizing virtual files…not having less of them;
• I have just a few photo files (over 40K+).
• I have not printed photos since 2006.
• My back-up plan stinks…
• I have Lightroom. But I do what I describe below BEFORE I import my photos into Lightroom.
• I remember life events in my head like they’re folders, so this works for me.
• When I can’t remember or place an event an in my head, I can find it using Lightroom.

Step #5: When a particular month has a main event, I make the folder description have the date.

• 5.12 Graduation = May 12 was Vince’s Graduation day;
• 5.15 Graduation Party = May 15th was his Graduation Party.

All photos from Graduation day are in the 5.12 folder and all photos from the Graduation Party are in the 5.15 folder.

In 2013 when we went to the Philippines we did lots of different big events, sometimes we had several in one day. So, I made multiple folders with the same date and each different event.

• 5.24 Making Stick Brooms = this was a single event on this day, all photos of making the stick brooms are in this folder.
• 5.24 Trimming… = this was another single event on the same day. You’ll notice “| Bird Nest” is there too. This is because while trimming the mango tree in our back yard, we found a bird nest. All photos from the two-hour block of time are in the same folder.

What I really like: at a glance I can mentally “travel” through our Philippine trip. Days I miss being there, I can take a trip through my memories and anything I want to see a pic to go with the memory – open the folder & look at those pictures.

At the end you can see folders labeled: Cousin Life; House we stayed in; Just pretty sights; Sunsets | Walks | Life; and T-City Life. These folders have duplicates of photos of the topic labeled. Cousin Life = random photos of the cousins just hanging, daily life. not necessarily a “big” event.

**Please note: I DO NOT believe this is completely sufficient for journaling memories! My ever-growing to-do list is to sort/identify/print the good photos and for-real life scrapbook them. :-D

Year – Month – Event – Topic?
All of the Above.

Today we’re continuing with how to “file” your memories (photos).
I’m going to tell you how I organize my digital photos.

First, full disclaimer – so you know where I’m coming from. Remember, this is about organizing virtual files…not having less of them :-); and I have a few files. None of this means my way is best, but it works for me.

• I have 40K+ photos. (yes, I have over 40,000 photos)
• I have not printed photos since 2006.
• My back-up plan stinks… it’s more like, I have so many copies in various places I’m bound to have it somewhere…or I don’t really care enough if it’s gone. not a great plan. :-)
• I have Lightroom. But I do what I describe below BEFORE I import my photos into Lightroom. I like to see my photos as files so I can open them and use them whenever/wherever I want. and Lightroom ROYALLY confuses me.

You need to know – I remember life events in my head like they’re folders, so this works for me. When I can’t remember when an event happened, my fall back is to find it using Lightroom. Because my photos are organized before I import them, they’re in the same order in Lightroom😊! I have spent hours & hours & hours tagging through Lightroom….then, the catalog was corrupted. and I didn’t have time to deal with it. Then I upgraded to LR5…then I upgraded to LR CC. Now, I’m basically at the beginning again. argh! BUT, even though my Lightroom is a mess – I can find my photos.

Step #1: I’m lazy. When I plug my camera card into the computer – they go into the file labeled “Newest Nikon photo download”. Sometimes they sit there for a bit before I get them sorted. :-)

Step #2: I also have 12 folders labeled 1-12 to correspond to each month. I like things in alpha-numeric order.
Step #3: I open two Finder (File Explorer) windows and drag all files with a specific date into the corresponding month.
Step #4: If we aren’t in Alaska, then I label the trip destination. Ex: In 2013, on April 10th we flew to the Philippines and returned June 8th.

Regardless of your Organization Type – you need to decide how you want to group your thoughts, your virtual files. Are you a filer?

Ask yourself, how do you “file” your memories (photos)/thoughts (documents).

• What main categories in life do you collect paper from?
• Do you go by year?
• Do you go by month?
• Do you go by whole date (month/year)?
• Do you go by event?
• Do you work from home?
• Do you have school-age children?
• Do you homeschool or do they go to school outside of your home?

Year – Month – Event – Topic?

As a Virtual Filer, my answer is All of the Above.

• I am a full-time mom;
• we homeschool;
• I enjoy photography; and
• I work solely from home as an
  • independent contractor admin;
  • a part-time employee admin;
  • doing graphic & web design as a business;
  • I also do editing | proofing | writing; and
  • consulting work for a couple of people.

Here is an example of what SCHOOL holds in my computer; these are only the high school files for each. Vince’s high school years were 2012-2016 and Christine’s are 2014-2018. The files prior to either of them being in high school are in a different place, they won’t ever be looked at again – high school might be needed:

You can see I have labeled the folder SCHOOL, inside there I have a folder with the school year and grades; then inside one school year I divide it out as needed. As you can see on the right. You can see the two grades from last year, and then this year and next are for just Christine.

This makes it so I can find which year and which child quickly, at a glance. Also, as I get information from online I can save it directly into the folder it would be most like to be used.

Notice: a blue file folder is like a file folder in real life. You can put one, more, or no documents inside the folder.

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Filer | Piler | Pro-Piler | Thrower
What kind of organizer are you?

• Filer: Do you open your mail, folders, whatever your paperwork comes from – read it – take care of it – and file it immediately before it leaves your hands? (if this is you, can I just say I’m super jealous and I want to be like you!)
• Piler: Do you open your mail/paper – look at it quickly – …. and pile it to “read later”? … but days, weeks, maybe even months go by before you “deal” with it again. It’s sitting there, so you’re constantly looking at it – but you do your best to ignore the existence of the pile…. but when you need something, you know right where it is and can put your hands on it in a matter of a couple of minutes. (if this is you, I feel your pain…times a pile or two!)
• Procrastinated Piler (Pro-Piler): Do you get the mail/paper – set it down to look at later – …. and then when you absolutely must answer because the deadline is looming, or past, then you read it – and deal with it … after a stressful time of trying to find it. (not gonna lie – this can be me too, but only when life gets really crazy)
• Thrower: Do you just throw the mail/paper away? When someone needs it, they’ll come looking again? (I wish I could be this brave.)

But then… you also need to think about what kind of organization do you like? 

I really, Really, REALLY like everything to have a place and everything to be in its place…. this is my happy place. Clean, organized and put away. This is not my real life.

So I have to figure out what will work on a daily basis, quickly, and efficiently (as in not spending more than a few moments looking for something specific).

Full disclosure: I am totally 100% a vertical piler on any flat horizontal surface. Everywhere. I don’t allow our apartment to have flat surfaces without a specific purpose. My desk area RARELY doesn’t have a minimum of four piles – urgent; to-do; to-read; and to-file. I have two file cabinets. I have matching/coordinating folders to help me get filing done. I really do want to file…it just doesn’t seem to happen. Honestly, I really enjoy filing, I find it relaxing…when I get around to doing it.

I actually find virtual organizing easier than for-real-paper organizing. Probably because I can’t necessarily see my mess – to be distracted by my mess – in the process of cleaning up my mess…..did you follow? 😊

Regardless of what you like, it is important to figure out how your brain really works (not just how you want it to or how someone else thinks it should) for virtual organization to work. How do you group your thoughts? You need to figure out how you “file” your memories (photos)/thoughts (documents).

• What main categories in life do you collect paper from?
• Do you go by year?
• Do you go by month?
• Do you go by whole date (month/year)?
• Do you go by event?
• Do you work from home?
• Do you have school-age children?
• Do you homeschool or do they go to school outside of your home?

Example: (my answer to the first question)

Main categories: I am a full-time mom; we homeschool; and I work solely from home as an independent contractor admin, a part-time employee admin, and doing graphic & web design as a business. As my business, I also do editing, proofing, and consulting work for a couple of people.

So, the main categories of filing in my computer are:

• BLOG
• DESKTOP
• DOT&INK
• DOT&INK PROJECTS
• doTERRA | Essential Oil Info
• DOWNLOADS
• eBOOKS
• GIFTS
• HEALTH | Hashimotos – GF DF EF Info
• LIFE
• Newest Nikon photo download
• PICTURES
• PRINTABLES
• SCHOOL
• SELLING
• WEBSITES | Web Design
• YOUNG LIFE

You’ll notice all aspects of my life are mixed – but they’re in alphabetical order! :-)

1. All caps are my “top” level folders; inside each folder may have any number deep of more filling – I’ll explain what I mean later.
2. Where I used first letter capital and rest regular (Hashimotos – GF DF EF Info), it is a description to myself. (both my daughter and I have Hashimotos, our kitchen is GlutenFree DairyFree EggFree)
3. “Newest Nikon photo download” is just my way of importing photos from my camera into my computer – they go into this folder, then get separated. Again, more on this later.

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