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Sunday 3 January 2016

Improving Digital Organisation









Why reorganise? 
  • I have difficulty finding what I am looking for on the computer and search doesn't always help find the file. 
  • I have too many duplicated files. 
  • I need to be able to go through everything systematically. 
  • I need to improve my citations. 
  • All the systems that I have tried in the past have failed.

Considerations
Why have the previous systems not worked? 
  • Lack of consistency. 
  • Too complicated. 
  • Not set myself clear guide as to what goes where. 
  • Merging before checking the content.

What guidelines do I need for the new system to work?
  • The system needs to be simple. 
  • Use shortcuts if possible for file names. 
  • Ensure that the details are contained within the actual file rather than the name. 
  • Use tags.
  • File by provenance to help with citation. 
  • Move everything not in the new system to a holding area. In this area create a folder called To Do for anything that requires more work. 
  • Set realistic goals. Do the easy things first and get them right. It is not a race.

My new system
  • Family folders
    • Family Id Number as in my software program followed by ... then Last name and First name of the couple starting with husband. I will keep indexes. research logs and analysis documents here and anything which is specific to the family.
  • Official Archives
  • Personal Archives
    • Documents
      • Type of Document
    • Photographs
      • Folders labelled by author or if unknown who held them

I will discuss the system in more detail in another post as I am still finalising the details such as where I will put images that I have downloaded from places such as Ancestry and Find My Past.

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