How to Organize Your Files | Eastern North Carolina Now

    I have tried to shed the necessity of fact checking and keeping records but a 40-year work habit (I repeat that almost as much as EMORY) is hard to let go.

    It is becoming increasingly important as I age to keep those records but now the problem is how to retrieve them from the endless duplicates and revisions and multiple stored locations.

    I recently did a search of my hard drive to back up all my PDF files to one folder in an external hard drive.

    Out of 2920 PDF files in my personal folders, I found 654 duplicates in multiple locations. That did not include the duplicate files, which I have renamed to "title-001 etc". Which brings up the question, why do I need to back up these files when they are scattered all over my multiple USB sticks, CD, and three external hard drives?

    Even more important is the hidden phobia that I will need something and not be able to find it. Like my keys, glasses, and billfold. So far, that phobia has not extended to my pants, shoes, and shirt. If that happens, I am going to an antique flea market and get one of those old time Library Card files. My current card file is getting full.

    It reminds me of a quote from Albert Einstein that loosely paraphrased is "Never memorize anything which can easily be looked up in a book". The modern day equivalent would be even truer with access to the internet.

    Organizing is a very dangerous abyss.