Folder hierarchies like r/datacurator’s file tree won’t work. That’s why my primary categories below are based on lifestyle. This gives us a more general organizational layer to work with, as well as an opportunity to use them in the physical world as well.
It starts with a consistent way to name files. A file name is organized like this:
[Primary Category][Secondary Category]-Qualifiers
These brackets are not arbitrary; they are an important part of the system that help you precisely search for a file. Let’s say that a secondary category is “food.” I enter “food” into the Finder search bar, but that brings up every file name that includes the word “food” even if it’s a file with “food” only as a qualifier. But if I search for [food] then that specifically brings up files with [food] as a secondary category.
The primary categories that I chose are based on lifestyle: Home, Learn, Play, Self, and Work. It’s not a strict system; you can change the names or add new categories, like one called School for students. The important part is to use categories that work no matter which app you use. Here’s how I define them.
Primary Categories
Home can contain data like recipes, cleaning tips, and financial information.
Learn can contain a variety of data. I use this category as an “other” or “miscellaneous” one.
Play is about entertainment. Movies, books, games, etc.
Self is kind of a subjective category. I use it for my journal and other personal things like self-improvement data.
Work is obviously work-related data.
Exceptions: Dates & Backups
If you use dates in a file name then I highly recommend using the ISO 8601 format, which looks like this: YYYY-MM-DD. This format is naturally self-sorting as days and months repeat but years do not. Date should become the primary category, like so:
[20200126][Work]-Article
If you manually back up files (manually like dragging and dropping folders onto a hard drive, as opposed to automatic like iCloud Backup) then you can have [Backup] or [BU] as a primary category with the date you created the backup. A backed up file name would look like this:
Secondary Categories
Primary categories are strictly defined but secondary categories are not. These are fluid and it depends on the file and its contents. For books, the author name could be a secondary, as shown in the next section. Or you could switch it around and have the genre become a secondary. I even have some files that don’t have a secondary category. My general rule is that once I have a minimum of three files that share the same secondary category, I create a folder for them.
Organizing Files
In iCloud Drive I have a folder called Root and inside are the five primary folders, and within each of those are folders based on type: Audio, Photo, Text, Video, Ware (software). Again, this isn’t strict, and you can add or remove folders as you see fit. You could add file type as a secondary category, and I do this for certain files.
There are certain situations in which organizing by file type doesn’t make sense. Let’s say you’re working on a project for work or school. You’ll probably be working with multiple file types. In that case, it‘s better to keep those files in one folder, instead of spread out by file type.
Automation
You’ll definitely want to use Automator to rename your files in bulk in accordance with the system. Use Get Specified Finder Items and drag a folder with files into the action. Then use Get Folder Contents, and finally add the action called Rename Finder Items. In the drop down menu within that action, you’ll probably be using the Add Text selection the most.
Conclusion
As I’ve pondered this, I think what I’m trying to create with my system is a fractal. I’ve been fascinated by fractals for a long time. It’s the idea that every file knows its place in the system, because each one contains a subset of the system in its name. This can translate into long file names like [Learn][Folder1][SubFolder3]-filename, but if something goes wrong and suddenly your files are scattered, the collective can be remade simply by looking at the individuals (to be a bit poetic).
It’s been a work in progress since I created it in 2018. I’ve made small tweaks here and there but overall it has remained the same. I’ll keep this guide updated as I make changes. And if you’ve created your own personal information management system, mention it in the comments. I’d love to read about it.