Put Technology to Work

Technology has done a lot for us in terms of providing tools for organization. These tools are not that difficult to implement, either, once you decide what you need.

1. Computer Filling Systems--Most of what you read and write for your business is stored somewhere, in a physical, paper version. It should also be stored on your computer. Try to label both using the same protocol--for example, clients files can be arranged alphabetically in your paper system, Alvarez, Brown, and so on. Try to do the same on the computer:
   Name your main computer folder Clients. In your physical office, Clients would be the label on the file drawer;
   Name the subfolders under Clients in your computer with client names. Let's use Brown, Alice as an example. Under Clients, you could name a folder Brown, Alice. In your filling drawer, Brown, Alice would be a hanging file of its own; Each new document for Brown would be labeled with a date system--for example, Brown, Alice 72800 for a July 28, 2000, document. You could create a new subfolder by month or by topic, depending on the nature of the work. As an example, the file Brown, Alice would look something like this in your computer:
   Drive: C
   Folder: My Documents
   Folder: Clients
   Folder: Brown, Alice
   Folder: July
   Document: Brown, A 72800
   The July 28th document is about five levels down, or five clicks cown, in your computer files from your C drive. Now you can easily put your hand on both the hard copy and the electronic file.
2. Backing Up--The best filing system can be quickly destroyed by a computer virus or a power strike. Protect your files by backing the up. A backup is a copy of your computer files stored on either a disc, a tape, a CD or the network server.
   Backing up your computer files is simple and takes very little time. Your computer sofware will guide you through the steps. You can decide when, where, and how the computer backs up your files. Get your system in place and stick with it. There are two kinds of backups:
   Full Backup -- means just what it sounds like: You back up everything on your computer. Create full backups in accordance with how much and how oftern the data changes in your files. You can set the computer to do a daily, weekly, or even monthly full backup.
   Selective Backup -- useful if you are working on only special sections at a time. You can select entire drives for backing up, or you can choose individual files and folders. Selective backing up should be done on a daily basis.
3. Create a System--Label and number your disks, CDs, or tapes in advance. We'll call them Set A and Set B for the sake of example.
   Pick a day, such as Monday or Friday, to begin your backup cycle. Insert your Set A, and select the drives or files necessary for a full backup in your backup program. Do this again with Set B. Now you have two copies. Take Set A offsite for the week.
   Insert Set B daily to perform a backup of selected files, those used most ofter. These will automatically become a part of the full backup.
   At the week's end, bring back Set A and perform a full backup. Take Set B offsite for the week (it's fully up-to-date already). Reapeat the weekly process.
   You'll never to fear a loss of data greater than one day's worth if you follow this system. Damaged or lost files can be easily restored, using the backup program's restore feature.
4. Cleaning Up Your Hard Drive--Clutter creates stress and wastes time. Computer clutter may be confined to the central processing unit, but it can be just as debilitating as an untidy office. There is porbably junk on your computer that you don't even know about. That's why uninstaller utilities such as Norton's CleanSweep by Symantec or McAfee's Clinic can prove invaluable for getting organized.
   Once installed, these programs go through your computer system and help you delete unwanted junk and duplicate files. They will remove orphans and redundant DLLs, and even tidy up the files that hand on after you've been Web browsing.

Source: 10 minutes getting organized