Naming Files So You Don’t Have to Sort by Date
Posted by admin | Filed under Alphabetical Filing Tips
I learned this trick in a book for administrative assistants years ago and have used it religiously ever since.
Within my alphabetical filing system on my computer, I have a folder (in the C folder) for “Correspondence.” This folder keeps most of my documents that I created for other people.
This is the way I always name these files and others that may not be correspondence per se (reports, notes, etc.):
Date To – Brief Subject
It looks like this: 09.05.09 T. Ernest – Summary of Test Results
The key is to type the date first using this format. Not 090509 or Sept0509 or any other variation. The reason is this: you want to be able to identify the correct document at a glance. The periods help you do this. Using words for months will throw the alphabetical listing off. By typing the date this way first, your files will always be in alphabetical order.
I always tell people, “You don’t want to have to open the file in order to figure out what it is.” The entire point of an organizational system or filing system is to be able to quickly retrieve what you need. The alphabetical filing system is the foundation for this. This naming structure takes it a step further. Hope this helps!
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