How To Stay Organized: Digitally — GVSU PRSSA – Grand Valley State University Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America

Do you have a cluttered desktop? Are your file names random numbers and letters? Are you scrambling to find your files to submit right before they’re due? I mean seriously….it happens way too often. Throughout my frustrating experiences I have been able to find a few methods of organizing myself digitally that have helped me, and I believe would help you too.

In PR, we are constantly using different platforms to complete client work, internships, GrandPR, class, or whatever it may be. It is easy to lose track of these documents, and it can be very frustrating trying to find a file you lost, especially in the clutter of your desktop.

File Naming Conventions

File Naming Conventions allow you to stay organized by making it easy to identify the files that contain the information you are looking for. This can be hard to get used to, but you will thank yourself later when you can find the files you are looking for.

Files should look like the following: clientname_tactic involved_date_Version #

Examples

GrandPR_CreativeBrief_07-01-21_v2-01.pdf
GoldCoast_PrimaryResearch_12-01-21_v1-00.pdf
GrandPR_SecondaryResearch_10-01-21_v3-03.docx
PadnosSarosik_Logo_Transparent_04-01-21_Final.png
GrandPR_WebsiteCode_01-11-21_Final.jpg
Wimee_MeetingNotes_02-09-21_v1-00.docx

File Storage Platforms

There are plenty of different ways you can store and share personal files with a variety of platforms (Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Drive, iCloud etc.).

We all use Google Drive. These are examples of how I organize my files. Each folder is for a different main responsibility I currently have (Work, GVSU, Maplewood Church, GrandPR, and Personal) with corresponding color coding.

File Organization

Within each of these main folders are subfolders further segmenting files into categories allowing for easy organization. This process will be different for everyone, as everyone has different needs and files that need to be organized. For me, an example sorting list would be:

GVSU > Senior Year > Fall 2020 > CAP495 > Podcasts > Week #2.docx

Or

CAP 495 Group > Project > Tactics > Objective 1 > InfluencerGoodieBags.xlsx

A few things to keep in mind when organizing your files:

Frequency: How often do you use this file? Does it need to be readily available?
Type: Which type of file is it? Should you organize by .docx, .jpg, or .xlsx? Is it primary research or secondary?
Sharing: Does this file need to be in a shared folder? Who needs access to it?
Category: Which category does this belong to? Is it a work document? Class document?

What happens if you run out of space in Google Drive? Try permanently deleting your files in your “trash bin”. Most people don’t clear their trash. This can free up necessary space.

Your Turn

Have the itch to go organize now? Try it yourself. Find a method that works best for you. Communicate with leadership in your organization to streamline best practices. File organizing doesn’t have to be so hard.

About Carson:

Carson Kunnen is a senior studying advertising and public relations with a minor in digital studies. Currently, Carson is serving as the programming director for GrandPR, working as the Team Lead at the Technology Showcase, and interning as a Media Communications Assistant for his church. Carson enjoys coffee, creating community, and coin collecting. His passions are project management, social media, graphic design, and blogging.