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Name Your Files Like You'll Need to Find Them in Five Years

H howtolive.guide ·

"Document_final_v2_FINAL.docx" tells your future self nothing. Neither does "IMG_20240315_143022.jpg." When you need that file in three years, you will not remember what it was called — you will search by what it contains or what it was for.

Use descriptive names with dates: "2024-03-contract-apartment-lease.pdf" or "2024-tax-return-federal.pdf." Put the date first in YYYY-MM format so files sort chronologically. Include keywords you would naturally search for. The thirty seconds you spend naming a file well saves hours of frustrated searching later.

The point
Name files with dates and keywords you would search for — thirty seconds of naming saves hours of frustrated searching later.

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