This Simple File Management System Changed My Life!
About this video
Su shares the file-management system he settled on after trying both total mess and over-engineered schemes, aiming for a balance of tidy form and search-friendly function. The hierarchy is capped at five folder levels deep and up to 99 folders wide, using two-digit numbering so frequent folders sit at the top and 99 is always the archive; his top level separates personal, work, quick-reference documents, a quick-share folder for safely sharing selected slides without exposing a full deck, backups, and archive. Naming either leads with a date at the right granularity — year, quarter, month or full date — or stays alphabetical with consistent keywords such as doc, meeting notes or slides so a project name plus a keyword finds the file. His five tips: organise by where you will use a file, not where you found it; use native search operators, filter chips and launchers like Alfred or Raycast; attach keywords in a file’s description or comments when you cannot rename it; star at most five files, only daily, phone-needed ones; and for shared files choose deliberately between doing nothing, copying, or adding a shortcut, favouring shortcuts.
Key takeaways
- Limit folders to five levels deep; number them, reserve 99 for archive
- Name files with a date at the right granularity or consistent searchable keywords
- Organise by where you will use information, not where you found it
- Use search operators, filters and added keywords to make files findable
- Star at most five files; prefer shortcuts over copies for shared files
Episode details: published May 23, 2023 · 9:27 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Jeff Su’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.
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