# File Management > Help users design, audit, and maintain a file management system — folder structures, naming conventions, storage strategies, and cleanup workflows. Use this skill whenever the user mentions organizing files, cleaning up folders, setting up a file structure, naming files, managing photos/albums, digital asset organization, cloud vs local storage, backups, or says things like "my files are a mess", "where should I put this", "help me organize my drive", "set up a folder structure", or asks about file naming. - Skill: `duruii/file-management` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add duruii/file-management` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/duruii/file-management/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: DevOps & Infra - Author: duruii (https://skillmd.com/u/duruii) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/duruii/file-management --- # File Management System A practical framework for organizing digital files — born from studying two distinct approaches: a creator's asset-heavy workflow (Ami) and a knowledge worker's information architecture (Jeffrey). The core insight: organize by **where you'll use it**, not where you found it (David Allen). ## Guiding Principles 1. **Function over form.** A folder structure that looks beautiful but requires discipline you don't have is worse than a slightly messy one you actually maintain. The best system is the one you stick to. 2. **Organize by usage context.** Meeting notes for Project A go inside Project A's folder — not in a global "Meeting Notes" folder. When you open the project, everything is there. When you share it, everything goes with it. 3. **Name for searchability.** The goal is: 6 months from now, you can find this file in under 30 seconds. That means consistent naming conventions, not perfect ones. 4. **Don't over-optimize.** Five levels of nested folders with a rigid numbering taxonomy will be abandoned in two weeks. Start simple, add structure only where friction actually appears. 5. **Dual backup, always.** Cloud + local. Never a single point of failure for anything you can't afford to lose. --- ## Folder Structure ### The Numbered Framework Borrowed from Johnny Decimal, simplified. Use two-digit prefixes to control sort order and signal priority: ``` Root/ 01-Active/ # What you're working on right now 02-Work/ # Work-related (projects, clients, deliverables) 03-Personal/ # Personal documents, finances, health 04-Reference/ # Things you look up regularly (templates, IDs, guides) 05-QuickShare/ # Temporary staging area for files to share with others 06-Assets/ # Reusable resources (fonts, icons, music, graphics) 07-Archive/ # Completed projects, cold storage staging 99-Archive/ # Deep archive — stuff you can't delete but rarely touch ``` Not every folder is required. Use only the categories your life actually needs. The key rules: - **Lower number = used more often.** If you access Personal files daily but Work files weekly, swap 02 and 03. - **99 is always archive.** It's the "I can't delete this but I never look at it" bin. - **Max 5 levels deep.** Beyond that, you'll get lost. The 6th level must be files only. - **Max 99 folders per level.** You'll rarely need more than 10. ### Per-Project Structure For active projects (especially creative/media work), use this template inside the project folder: ``` ProjectName/ 01-Source/ # Raw footage, original files, source data Camera-A/ Camera-B/ Screen-Recordings/ 02-Working/ # Work-in-progress, drafts, iterations 03-Output/ # Final deliverables (video, PDF, slides) 04-Assets/ # Project-specific reusable elements README.md # Brief project description, dates, status ``` This mirrors Ami's creator workflow: separate raw inputs from finished outputs so you can archive source material independently of deliverables. ### Photo Management For personal photo libraries: 1. **Cull with reverse selection.** Instead of marking favorites, delete everything first (move to trash), then recover the keepers from trash. Psychologically faster than heart-ing photos one by one. 2. **Album naming: `YYYY-MM Event`** - `2025-03 Japan Trip` - `2024-12 Mom Birthday` 3. **Archive cycle.** Every 2-3 years, move older photos from phone/cloud to external drive. Keep the last 2 years on-device for quick access. 4. **Dual storage.** Cloud library (iCloud/Google Photos) for sync across devices + periodic backup to external drive. --- ## Naming Conventions ### Date-Based Naming Choose granularity based on how you'll search for it: | Granularity | Format | Example | When to use | |---|---|---|---| | Year only | `YYYY` | `2025-Budget.xlsx` | Annual docs, budgets | | Year + Quarter | `YYYY-QN` | `2025-Q1-Review.pptx` | Quarterly reports | | Year + Month | `YYYY-MM` | `2025-05-Presentation.pptx` | Monthly recurring | | Full date | `YYYY-MM-DD` | `2025-05-05-Training.docx` | One-off events | **Rule of thumb:** the more granular the date, the more you need to know which parent folder it lives in. Use full dates only when the parent folder provides context (e.g., `Jeff's Sharings/2025-05-05-Inbox-Zero-Training.docx`). ### Type Keywords Prefix or suffix files with a consistent type keyword. Pick 5-8 and stick to them: ``` doc- # Documents, reports notes- # Meeting notes, personal notes wk- # Working/draft files brief- # Briefs, briefings slides- # Presentations form- # Forms, templates ref- # Reference material ``` Combined: `2025-Q1 doc-Quarterly-Business-Review` **90% findability rule:** if you combine a project name + one type keyword, you should find the file in search. That's the bar. ### Folder and File Naming Rules - Use hyphens or underscores, never spaces (shell-friendly, URL-friendly) - No special characters except `-` and `_` - Lowercase or Title-Case consistently — pick one - Keep names under 60 characters when possible - Lead with what changes most (date) so sort order is useful --- ## Storage Strategy ### Three-Tier Architecture | Tier | Medium | What lives here | Access frequency | |---|---|---|---| | **Hot** | Local SSD / laptop | Active projects, today's work | Daily | | **Warm** | Cloud sync (iCloud, Google Drive) | Recent projects, shared docs | Weekly | | **Cold** | External drive / NAS | Completed projects, archives | Monthly or less | ### Cloud Sync Tips - **Pin frequently used folders offline.** In iCloud Drive, right-click > "Keep Downloaded" for folders you open daily. Avoids the spinner tax. - **Use color labels / custom icons** on important folders. In macOS: right-click folder > Get Info > drag image onto the icon. Especially useful for external drives. - **Quick Share folder** (05) is a staging area: copy slides/docs here before sharing, so the original stays in its organized location and you don't create duplicates. ### Backup Rule **3-2-1:** 3 copies, 2 different media types, 1 offsite. Practical version for most people: 1. Working copy on laptop 2. Cloud sync (iCloud / Google Drive / Dropbox) 3. Periodic backup to external drive --- ## Shared Files and Collaboration When someone shares a file with you, decide immediately: | Action | When | Why | |---|---|---| | **Do nothing** | One-off request, you'll edit once and forget | No clutter | | **Make a copy** | Template you'll reuse, or you need a frozen snapshot | Independent from source | | **Add a shortcut** | Ongoing document you need to find in YOUR system | Organize without moving | For shortcuts: create a pointer in your own folder structure (e.g., inside `02-Work/ProjectX/`) that links to the original. You organize your way, the owner organizes theirs. **Starred / Flagged files:** maximum 5 at any time. If everything is starred, nothing is. Criteria for starring: 1. Used every single day 2. Need quick access on phone too 3. Can't be easily searched for --- ## Metadata Tricks For files you can't rename (shared docs, system files): - **Google Drive:** Press D > Details > add keywords in the Description field. Now searchable by those keywords. - **macOS Finder:** Cmd+I > add keywords in Comments field. Searchable via Spotlight, Alfred, or Raycast. - **Windows:** Right-click > Properties > Details > add Tags. --- ## Audit Checklist When helping a user clean up their files, run through this: 1. **Inventory.** What's in the root? What's taking up space? 2. **Frequency.** What do they actually open daily vs. never? 3. **Pain points.** Where do they waste time looking for things? 4. **Current habits.** What naming conventions do they already use (even informal ones)? 5. **Constraints.** Cloud storage limits? External drives? Team sharing requirements? Then propose a structure that starts from their current state — don't prescribe a perfect system they'll never adopt. Migration should be gradual: - Week 1: Set up top-level folders, move the obvious stuff - Week 2: Rename the 20 most-accessed files with consistent convention - Month 1: Archive completed projects - Ongoing: Apply the system to new files as they're created --- ## Quick Reference: Search Operators | Platform | Operator | Example | |---|---|---| | Google Drive | `type:presentation` | Find all Google Slides | | Google Drive | `from:colleague@co.com` | Files shared by specific person | | macOS Spotlight | `kind:pdf` | Find PDFs | | macOS Spotlight | `date:this week` | Recent files | | Alfred/Raycast | `open ` | Launch pinned files fast | --- ## Anti-Patterns Things that look organized but create friction: - **Global "Meeting Notes" folder.** Scatters context. Keep notes with their project. - **Color-coding everything.** Reserve colors for 2-3 critical categories max. - **Too many subcategories upfront.** You're planning for a library you don't have yet. Add folders when you have 5+ files that belong together. - **Renaming shared files.** Breaks the owner's ability to find them. Use keywords/metadata instead. - **Keeping everything "just in case."** That's what 99-Archive is for — but set a yearly purge reminder.