Documents are a part of daily life at work. From creating and editing to referencing and submitting for signatures, most of us spend a lot of time working with documents. Some of us spend more time than we should.
There is a lot about documents that can bog you down, which means you spend more time trying to figure out how to work with a document than you actually do working on it.
It doesn’t have to be that way! Here are some common ways working with files can cause trouble, along with some tips that will help you save time editing your documents.
Documents Contain Too Much Information
A lot of data isn’t always better. The opposite can actually be true.
Being exposed to too much data, especially if we have to comb through that data in order to find what we’re looking for, can lead to a lot of stress. All that stress can lead to burnout, which can greatly affect productivity.
If you’ve got a file that has too much information, consider splitting it into smaller documents.
Splitting documents up is especially helpful if you’re going through the editing process with multiple people.
You separate it into important parts so each person only has access to the information they need. The document can always be recombined when the process is finished.
Relevant Files Are In Separate Documents
You can also have the opposite problem. If you’re working on a project that requires access to multiple files, bouncing back and forth between those files can be maddening.
Not to mention, it might be difficult to locate all of the files you need. That’s especially true if you’re working on a handheld device, like a cell phone or a tablet.
It’s also possible to take separate files and combine them into one document. It’s a great way to make sure all of the reference materials you need are in one place.
It can also be helpful if there are multiple documents to sign. Instead of sending them separately, you can send them in one comprehensive file.
You Can’t Find the File You’re Looking For
Files can pile up quickly, and before you know it, you have thousands of files saved in many different folders.
Finding one can be a huge challenge. It can take a lot of time to hunt down the file you’re looking for.
It’s even worse if you aren’t quite sure what each file is, so you have to open it up to determine if it’s the one you’re looking for.
Do yourself a favor and come up with a file naming convention that works for you. For example, your files could include:
- Dates
- Names of people involved
- Name of the project
- Version number
No matter what you choose, make sure you’re consistent. When all your files are named in a similar way, it’s a lot easier to figure out.
Your Notes Are Saved In Multiple Locations
If you’re saving notes in Word documents, you’re likely making things harder than they need to be.
It doesn’t take long before you have things saved in multiple locations, making them hard to find. It can also be difficult to figure out where you saved a piece of information.
So yourself a favor and try a note app like:
- Microsoft OneNote is a great free option
- Apple Notes is perfect for Apple users
- Google Keep connects to all Google apps
- Notion is great for collaborative teams
- Obsidian is best for those who take a lot of notes
- Joplin is a good Evernote alternative
You Have To Recreate A File Because It Was Lost
There are few things more upsetting at work than having to recreate a file that was lost.
Whether you can’t locate the file, it was corrupted, or it was accidentally deleted, recreating files is a waste of time that you shouldn’t have to deal with.
The best way to avoid having to recreate a file ever again is to backup all of your important documents and systems.
That could mean saving archival documents on an external hard drive just in case you need them in the future or using the cloud so your documents are synced in two different places.
Don’t let a good chunk of your day be taken up by file management! Whether you’re dealing with files that are too big, too many files, or you can’t seem to find the file you’re looking for, there are things you can do to make managing important documents a lot easier.
