Ever since I started marketing online, I’ve been trying to organize my files and folders so that they don’t get strewn around all over the laptop.To my credit, a typical way I place an ebook, such as “Definitive Guide to Google Adwords” goes like this..
1. Go to “IM”.
2. “Adwords”.
3. “Ebooks”.
4. “Good”.
5. “Perry Marshall”.
More than once, I have lost my files precisely due to the precise way I place layer upon layer of detailed classification upon my stuff.
I’ve also tried various softwares (never really had much discipline in consistently using them), but I still end up losing files and having overlapping folders and tons of problems I’m sure you have as well.
The solution lies not in any software or any such external objects.
Ever since I read GTD (Getting Things Done), and more recently, ZTD (Zen To Done), I’ve tried hard to simplify everything I try to do in my day-to-day operations, with amazing success.
For one, you will notice that I will update Marketing Alchemist alot more these days.
And I get more things accomplished as well. I’ll talk more about my productivity system in future posts. But in a nutshell, here’s how I manage the massive number of files and folders I download.
1. Everything is downloaded onto the desktop with Down Them All! (A firefox plugin I highly recommend.)
2. Immediately after download is complete, select the file, and press “F2″.
3. Rename the file as such : “Name of Author - Name of Ebook”. For instance, “Kang - Common Sense Guide”
4. Place them in the appropriate folder on your desktop.
As always, keep it simple.
On my desktop, I have a few main folders: School, IM, Personal, Campaigns, Sites, PLR, and afew other miscellaneous folders. (Strive to remove folders with vague names like “miscellaneous”. I still have a few of those. I’m not perfect, as you can probably tell.)
But this system works well for me, and you’ll almost never lose your stuff again because all you need to do when you need to find something is to do a search for either the product name or the author name.
