My file organization

Organizing my files into folders is vital to the operation computer, especially when it comes to school. I have a funny way organizing things in general, but  on my computer I need everything to be easy to find. In my junior year of high school I took a class called video production in which every student has an assigned computer for the year where we’d load all our audio and video files onto. My teacher was very devoted to us understanding that we must keep our files organized from the start so that we wouldn’t confuse Adobe Premiere if we move the file- because the program would “lose” them and get confused. This is when I first got serious about my file organization. Before, it seemed like a choice I didn’t need to make; but ultimately the organization led to my success in video projects. It’s like how I pile all my clothes together but can never find them, unless I’ve recently sorted them all out.  So on my personal laptop, within my documents, downloads, and desktop sections I make folders. On my desktop these folders consist of different CDs I have burned for my friends. We have “LUCIA MIX” “AUDREY MIX” “NICKI MINAJ SUMMERMIX” and then a file for important documents I needed to submit for an old job. Then I have another folder of old pictures I got from my moms computer. In my computer I also keep a folder of misc screenshots that I just can’t let go of; it’s the same deal with my summer of 2022 photos. So, not everything has to be deleted but it has to go somewhere. 

Article:”File not found”

I hadn’t given my  mental organization model much thought until I read the article File not found by Monica Chin. In which she quotes Princeton senior Joshua Drossman, “The most intuitive thing would be ‘the laundry basket’ where you have everything kind of together, and you’re just kind of pulling out what you need at any given time”. This quote resonated with me as it is certainly my default organization method with it comes to physical items. I always referred to it as my “pile system”. However, on the computer the files have to get sorted to stay accessible. When you have too many files in one or two massive sections, they all get lost as if they were in the bottom of “the laundry basket”. After reading File not found I was inspired to go through my downloads section, the messiest, and organize those files into folders on my Desktop. I found a lot of important photos I’d forgotten from high school as well as my first aid certification. I also found lots of old download files from games that I just don’t use anymore and by deleting those, I free up storage on my computer and declutter my system. I found so many childhood photo gems that had gotten lost in my Downloads folder after doing this assignment, including my old art drawings and paintings from when I was very young- which make me laugh. After reading File not found, I’ve reassessed and changed my file organization. I see the value in keeping my computer files tidy. From now on I’ll be making good use of folders and deleting files that no longer serve me so that the gems don’t get lost.