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Organizing digital materials

Every minute spent hunting for a file is a minute lost. A simple, boring, consistent system beats a clever one you won't keep up — here's a structure that survives a whole year.

One rule above all Be consistent, not perfect. A predictable folder and naming pattern you actually follow is worth more than the "ideal" system you abandon in October.

A folder structure that scales

ClassName/
  01 Admin/            (rosters, seating, parent contacts)
  02 Unit 1 - Topic/
       Lessons/
       Handouts/
       Assessments/
  03 Unit 2 - Topic/
  99 Archive/          (last year's stuff, out of the way)

Numbering the folders forces the order you want instead of alphabetical chaos.

A naming convention

Name files so they sort correctly and you know what they are at a glance:

U1_L03_water-cycle_handout_v2.pdf
│   │    │            │        └ version
│   │    │            └ type (handout / slides / quiz)
│   │    └ topic
│   └ lesson number
└ unit number

Habits that keep it clean

Use dates as YYYY-MM-DD so files sort chronologically (2026-09-06, not 9/6/26).
Keep one "current" version; move old ones to Archive rather than piling up "final_final_v3".
Make a template folder you copy at the start of each unit.
Star or bookmark the 3–4 files you open daily so they're one click away.

Sharing & privacy Double-check sharing settings before posting a link — "anyone with the link can edit" is rarely what you want. Never store student personal data in a folder shared more widely than it should be.

Next Once it's organized, stop doing the repetitive parts by hand — see Automating routine tasks.