Written by Ursula Hurn, Digital Organizer
Best known for her skill in digital organization, Ursula Hurn is the IG OrganiSZer® creator. Her online courses teach SME owners how to implement her system to maximize the value of the content they create for business promotion, through Instagram. She has over 30 years of digital experience, a wealth of knowledge and offers practical application.
Ever found yourself looking for a file you know you’ve worked on recently, but its location eludes you? Have you ever prepared for a presentation, wanting to use specific data, only for it to vanish like mist before the morning sun? Join the club! These are just two examples, but there are countless individuals and businesses in the same position, with no idea how to fix the problem. You may relate to this!
Why is digital organization important?
Often, people in both small and large businesses don’t realize how crucial it is to be organized with their electronic files. If you’ve come to understand its importance through your own experience, you’ll relate to the following reasons, and most likely, you’ll have some of your own. You’ve probably also realized that it’s easier to fall into a digital mess than you thought and far more challenging to get out of it.
7 reasons to be digitally organized
There are countless reasons to be digitally organized, but these are my top seven:
Productivity improvement: Being able to find important files and folders quickly and easily improves productivity and efficiency in both personal and professional life. It reduces frustration and eliminates time-wasting.
Process streamlining: Most businesses have regular, repeat processes, whether it’s creating social media content, data entry, or dealing with customer queries. All these tasks can be streamlined and completed more effectively when everything is organized.
Customer experience: Nothing frustrates a customer more than dealing with someone unable to quickly resolve an issue because they can’t locate the correct documentation or files. Conversely, delivering a great customer experience turns every satisfied client into a walking advertisement.
Teamwork efficiency: Teams working on the same systems toward a common goal perform better when they can efficiently locate, create, and manage documents. Proper organization fosters team spirit and increases productivity.
Staff handover: Handing over responsibilities to new staff becomes far more difficult and inefficient when relevant documentation and files are disorganized.
Delegation and job sharing: Disorganized electronic filing systems make job sharing and delegation much harder. When files and folders aren’t properly arranged, time is wasted, defeating the purpose of delegating or sharing tasks.
Cost and stress reduction: Time is money, and unnecessary time spent searching for files is like throwing money away. Additionally, increased stress from disorganization negatively affects productivity and team morale.
Signs of digital disorganization creep
Digital disorganization may not be immediately obvious if files are not saved directly to the desktop but instead placed into folders. However, when a closer look is taken at the folder structures and file names being used, the disorder becomes more evident.
Forever searching for files and folders, even when supposedly knowing where they have been saved, is another dead giveaway. Not knowing which file names or folders to search for because naming conventions were not followed also leads to extensive frustration and time-wasting.
Various studies have shown that between 10% and 25% of work time is wasted each week searching for misplaced or incorrectly named documents and files. When translated into lost productivity and potential income losses, the impact on the bottom line can be significant.
Related article: How to Do a Digital Marie Kondo
7 causes and cures for digital disorganization
Too often, the mistake is made of thinking it is not important or necessary to have ground rules in place to prevent digital disorganization from taking hold. There are many reasons this happens, but these are the most common, along with simple cures:
1. Ignoring reality
Cause: Ignoring the importance of being digitally organized, thinking you’ll remember where you saved files and folders, or assuming you’ll fix it later.
Cure: Pay attention to how much time you spend searching for digital files and folders. Acknowledge the importance of keeping everything digital organized, and develop a simple plan to maintain that organization.
2. Desktop saving
Cause: Perhaps the worst and most common habit is saving files and folders directly to the computer desktop. Having a sea of icons on the desktop makes it incredibly difficult to find anything.
Cure: Never save files to the desktop unless it’s temporary, such as when you need quick access to a presentation or document for a meeting. Once done, immediately move the item to the correct location. Avoid leaving it for another day.
3. Folder structures
Cause: Not having a well-thought-out folder structure is another common pitfall. This mistake is easy to make but not so easy to fix.
Cure: Develop a simple, robust folder structure and stick to it consistently.
4. Naming conventions
Cause: Without a system for naming files, the likelihood of misfiling them or being unable to locate them increases tenfold. Using vague or non-descriptive names that don’t indicate the file’s purpose or content is another common trap.
Cure: Establish a naming convention that suits your workflow. Use abbreviations to avoid excessively long file names. Create an easily accessible legend to explain the abbreviations so team members can reference it when needed.
5. File duplication
Cause: When frequently duplicating files, keeping the original name and relying on the automatically added “copy of” to distinguish between versions creates endless confusion. This is a widespread issue.
Cure: When duplicating a file, assign it a new name that follows your established naming convention. Make sure to save the new file in the correct location.
6. Version control
Cause: Failing to use built-in version control or track changes available in most applications wastes time. Creating duplicate copies for version control without properly naming them, or neglecting version control altogether, leads to digital chaos for you and your team.
Cure: Use an appropriate form of version control for your tasks. If creating a new version number is necessary, archive outdated copies and ensure only the latest version remains in the active folder.
7. Inconsistency
Cause: Even with systems in place to organize digital files, inconsistencies in applying those systems often result in lost or misfiled files. Examples include failing to follow naming conventions or using incorrect folder structures.
Cure: Develop clear naming conventions and folder structures. Train your staff to use them correctly and effectively. Consistency will save time and reduce frustration in the long run.
It’s never too late to start
No matter how much of a mess your files are in or whether you only have three files that currently need organizing, just start! In fact, if you only have three files to organize, that’s the best time to start because you can avoid future chaos.
If you already have a mess, these are the most important steps to take to get organized:
Decide to do something about it and set aside some time.
Look at what needs to be organized and decide whether it’s absolutely necessary. If it’s not, don’t waste your time. Archive all unnecessary files and start fresh.
Brainstorm with colleagues (or yourself) to decide on a folder structure and naming conventions that make sense.
Document how to implement the system and keep it in an easily accessible place for everyone.
Implement your system, stick to it, and ensure that colleagues and teammates understand the importance of maintaining it. Everyone is responsible for keeping it organized!
If you’re ready to start getting organized but aren’t exactly sure how to go about it, book a free Discovery Call with me today. Let’s work together to build a strategy and system that will work for you.
Read more from Ursula Hurn
Ursula Hurn, Digital Organizer
Ursula Hurn is an expert in digital organization and systems. Being a lover of people, she understands the frustration and time-wasting that digital disorganization causes, especially when business owners don't believe it's a skill they can learn! With a burning desire to help SMEs succeed, her student- and client-base is international and she believes everyone has the ability to get digitally organized. She is only as far as a Zoom call away.
