Data growth, structure and the management of it has been the topic of numerous studies, seminars and training. One of the things that gets missed is the simple naming of files and folders. Why does it matter?  Imagine looking for certain data or files created by employees months or years ago. It is always difficult to find.

You may have employees look through their own files and some will check back in their email. Other times someone will simply go through the long and painful process of searching for the information in folders on some shared storage device, Sharepoint, or in backups.

If your company had a standardized method of naming files and folders this process could be so much easier. Take into account that Microsoft Word automatically names files and many employees will just accept these names. Often this is just the first sentence or cell of the file.

Excel by default names it “book1”. Google docs calls it “untitled”. Rarely is this helpful months or years later when someone is looking for a file. Imagine if there was a policy in place to properly name files when they are first saved. What would that look like?

Setting up a method for the naming of files and folders is not difficult.  There are a few things that should be considered first.

1. No spaces. While Microsoft and Apple operating systems can deal with spaces and special characters in file names it is best to avoid them. Often a file is shared online, or in a way that ends up being viewed in a browser. Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Sharepoint, and others all allow you to view file names this way. Spaces might look like an underline, they may look like a space, or an underline might look like a space. If you are looking for a file in backups spaces are not helpful.  It is best just to avoid spaces.
2. No special characters. Avoid special characters for that same reason, and more. Stick to letters and numbers. Anyone that has written code of just about any kind has had to deal with escape characters for data that may include special characters. Months from now, long after whatever document has been created, someone is going to go searching for it. Whatever tool they are using will treat special characters differently than normal characters and numbers. If the file names ever get input into a database special characters may just be removed. If the file needs to be pulled from backups, special characters just complicate the search. Just avoid using special characters in file and folder names.
3. Everyone must use it. Try not to have one naming method for accounting and one for production and one for marketing. The naming method should be specific enough to have meaning but broad enough to be used throughout an organization. Having a standard for file naming really only works if everyone uses it. This includes getting management of all levels to agree it is a good idea. While this is more of a political question than a technical one, getting outside help is an option. Having IT professionals involved will make it easier to explain the time and effort that can be saved in the future.

No one method will work for every business. Bringing in an outside consulting company to help with the process is a good idea. Remembering that this process is really being done for the future, months and years from now you will be glad you took it seriously and spent the time, money and effort to do it right.

Some companies use a system that includes the first four characters of a client’s name. Some companies will use a month and year in the file names and the initials of the original creator. For instance, an accounting company may have a balance sheet for a client named Acme that is created in November of 2015 named acme11082015bal. The key to the whole thing is that the name for both the file and the folder it is put in will be understandable months or years later, to someone that has never seen the file before.

In this technological age, all types of work are having to be typed as opposed to hand written. While this contribute to taking up less desk space, more information needs to be put into the computer. You may already know how to type, but these quick typing tricks will ensure that you are efficient in completing you work.

The concept of touch typing follows the idea that every finger has its own area on the keyboard. People with the highest typing speeds don’t even have to look at the keyboard because with practice, they are able to memorize the keyboard through muscle memory.

You too can learn the location of the keys through muscle memory with a little practice.

Posture

It’s very easy to sit at a desk for a couple of hours and gradually acquire a slump. Posture contributes to effective touch typing as much as your fingers do. Keeping your face too close to the screen and crouching around the keyboard can put strain on your body that is contributing to less-than-perfect posture. Keep your back straight and head slightly forward (at least 45-75 cm away from the screen). Making sure that your elbows, arm, and wrists aren’t strained by resting them on the tabletop from time to time will improve your posture as well.

Position: HOME ROW

Curve your fingers and put your right hand on the ASDF keys, while the left will fall on the JKL; keys in the middle row of the keyboard. This position is known as “Home row” because you will start from these keys and end there as well. Notice how the F and J keys have a raised line on them for you to feel for, instead of actually having to look for them; they are on the same line as “Home row”.

Keyboard Scheme

Remember that you will always begin on the keys of “Home row” and you should always return there. Envisioning the keyboard of letters, numbers, and symbols will help to guide your fingers to where they are. After a little practice, you will see that you won’t have to look for every key that you type. Establishing and maintaining a rhythm while typing will keep the flow going, allowing you type at long intervals without stopping. This is much more effecting than typing a couple words – looking at your reference – typing some more, and repeating this process. The SHIFT key is always pressed by the pinky finger opposite to the one hitting the other key. While this may be hard to configure at first, catching yourself in the act and actively practicing this will have it becoming a habit in no time. The space bar is the key that will most likely hit the most. Using your thumb of the hand this is most convenient to you is optimal, since the slant of your hands will have the thumb nearest anyway.

Finger Motion

This may sound odd at first, but don’t look at the keys when you type. Sliding your fingers around until they find the “home row” markings will help you to find your position. Keep from moving your arms everywhere. Limit movement to what you need to press and keep your fingers close. This not only improves typing speeds but takes stress off the hands and wrists.

Typing Speed

This is probably the number one thing people look to improve in terms of computer work. So much so, that certain jobs require that you take a test or include your wpm (words per minute) on your resume. When you are just starting out, don’t rush because you want to type faster. With practice, your fingers will begin to learn the keys and you will speed up out of habit. If you continue to forcefully speed up your typing, mistakes will be made causing you to go back and fix them; this will only make you slower in the long run. Reading ahead allows you to continue typing without having to stop for every word or two.

Learning how to touch type will improve all aspects of your typing, from accurately hitting the keyboard to increasing your typing speed. While it will take practice and determination, in turn you will become more efficient in any and all typing work that you do.

For more information on typing speed and other related topics, contact us today.