How much time do you or your team waste looking for the right documents to do your job?

This is something that drives me absolutely crazy, both in my own business and when I see it in others.

It's not that you don't have all the info, but it's scattered across long lists on SharePoint, Dropbox, or My Documents. As your business grows, no one knows where the latest, most up-to-date version is.

When you search for something on your computer, it gives you a long list of files that have nothing to do with what you're looking for, all with random names, so you have to open every single one to be sure it's not what you need.

The frustration and stress levels rise, and you end up re-creating work that you've already done because no one knows where that essential document is when you need it.

We've all been there. I'm no stranger to the dumping ground that is my documents folder. When you're busy, the last thing you want to be doing is filing (or at any time, to be fair!).

But the bigger you get, the more people on your team, and the more you're doing in your business, the more essential it is to have one central place where you can find everything.

All those documents are information, data about your business, your customers, tools that you need to do your job.

If you were a builder or a carpenter and your tools were scattered around your house—some in the garden shed, some in the loft, left lying around—you know that doing your job would be harder.

Or imagine in the old days, if you had mountains of paperwork stacked all over your desk and office and had to physically pick through it to find what you were looking for!

It's no different with your digital files. In fact, it's worse because digital information has exploded in size over the past few decades, and every day, we create more and more.

Just take a look at the place you store it all right now. If you're scrolling for a while down a massive list and wondering what most of it is, then it's time to do something about it!

Eventually, not being able to find what you need to do your job quickly and easily is going to hold you back. Just like not being able to find your car keys or your hammer, that frustration and panic are going to cause a load of stress and cost you time you don't have!

So what's the solution?

Well, you're not going to like this because it's tedious as f**k, but you have to file it. Properly. This means grouping things together, thinking about how you use your information, and how to title it so it's easy to find (for everyone, not just you!).

It's about having a clear hierarchy of folders on your computer that makes sense for what you're storing.

Now, I could give you an action list for doing this across everything in a lovely project, but back in the real world, let's start with one thing.

What's one set of information that everyone uses and is always searching for?

1. Decide where you're going to store it, for right now, with the tools you have available.

2. Create a folder for it.

3. Move the files (that you can find!) into it.

4. Name them consistently so they make sense, and all the files follow the same pattern.

5. Show your team and tell them how to use it and add to it.

6. See how much better life can be when you know exactly where to find that one set of resources.

7. Then work on the next thing!

Of course, you can do everything and have a plan to do the lot like the list below, but seriously, who has that much time on their hands?

Action List for Creating a File Storage System

1. Identify all the different file types that need to be stored, such as documents, images, videos, and audio files.

2. Decide on the central place or places you're going to keep everything that everyone can access. Ideally, use something with permissions built-in so you can make sure your team can access only what they need and not sensitive information like your HR files.

3. Create a folder structure that is easy to navigate and reflects the needs of the business.

4. Use descriptive names for folders and files to make it easy to find what you need.

5. Set up a backup system to ensure that files are not lost in case of a disaster or system failure.

6. Train employees on how to use the file storage system and enforce best practices for file management.

7. Regularly review and update the file storage structure to ensure it remains relevant and effective.

Let me know how you get on!