The start of the school term is in full force, which means you are likely on high alert for resources to help you in your teaching. There’s lots of wonderful stuff out there, but the price we pay every time we download that next tempting freebie or piece of digital sheet music is file chaos.
Let me see if I play this scenario right.
You download a freebie. It goes into your downloads folder…you think or…or maybe it went somewhere else, but you’re not totally sure. You don’t have time to worry about it through because you have a student arriving in 3 minutes. The only reason you downloaded it is that you were checking a couple of emails right before lessons, and you came across this fun activity, thought you might do it today’s lessons.
30 minutes later, the lesson ends, and you realize you never got to it. A month later, you remember that fun activity you were going to do a few lessons ago. After spending 10 minutes combing through all the files you downloaded over the last 30 days to try and find it, you decide to just go download it again. Once you download it, you realize it was no wonder you couldn’t find it – the file was named in a weird way with all these numbers that made sense to the creator, but not to you.
Darn, my next student is here. I’ll organize that download later.
And so goes the cycle.
If this sounds like you and you’re tired of the chaos, or if you just like to nerd out on organizational tips, then stick around for a few tips on how to name files the right way – or at in least a better way.
I’m Amy Chaplin, and this is episode 166 of The Piano Pantry Podcast – a place where you are the hero in this life you’re living as a studio music teacher – even when it comes to keeping your digital files organized.
A few years into my teaching, I distinctly remember a period where I started to realize I needed to get my act together or I was going to go crazy combing through digital files every time I needed something for my teaching or business.
For example, I had absolutely no idea how many different types of worksheets I had for interval recognition, or arrangements of “Silent Night,” or sets of note name flashcards. As I started paying more attention, it occurred to me that I was thinking about naming my files in the wrong way. In fact, most of the time, I wasn’t even naming them – I was just downloading them and leaving the name as it was.
So, the first thing that changed the way I organize digital files and the one thing I want you to start with today, was to rename every file that you download to a format that makes sense to YOU. You’re downloading materials from a variety of people which means all the files will be named in a variety of ways. You can’t just leave it exactly the way someone else named it – you have to come up with some kind of file-naming formula that works for you and that will pull all of YOUR files together in an organized way.
You have to use keywords in the file name that YOU would actually search for. If you download a file from SusanParadis.com about quarter notes and half notes with a rainbow theme, the download might be called rainbow-worksheet-2016. Well, when YOU think about that worksheet, do you really care that it was from 2016? No. Would you search for the word rainbow? Maybe? Would you remember that it’s a sheet from Susan Paradis. Maybe. If so, then you need to put her name in the file name. If not, then leave it out. If you would be more likely to search for the file by quarter note or half note, then put that in the file name. Creators name files based on their own system of tracking their downloads. You have to make it your own.
If you do any of these things I tell you today, do THIS – rename the file immediately to something that will help YOU remember it. That way, even if you end up leaving it in your downloads folder (which I really don’t want you to do but we know that sometimes that’s reality) , at least you could more easily retrieve it using the search bar.
OK, friends, so rename that file right then and there.
The second thing that has changed the way I organize digital files that I think will make a difference for you too is to define a specific pattern for your file naming conventions. Let’s call it a “file formula,” that is, a pattern of naming that you follow as much as possible for naming every file, which can help you organize them better visually.
For example, if you named that file “quarter-note_rainbow_worksheet_paradis,” it will sort by the name quarter in the folder. If, however, you think more in reverse order of bigger categories down to more specific ones, then you can organize files a little more visually. A better way of naming the file would be “worksheet_paradis_rainbow quarter notes” or something like that.
Think big picture categories down to smaller details about that item. A worksheet is something you could get from lots of people. The creator’s name might be the next category, allowing you to see how many worksheets you have from that person. Then, the name of the worksheet would be the most specific.
If you put the name of the worksheet first, the folder it is in will feel very chaotic because everything will be named by the title of the item. When you start using broad categories to name what the file is related to first, you will begin to see a better organizational structure in your files, and in turn, it will make it easier to see the bigger picture of what resources you actually have.
The third and final item that will change the way you organize digital files is to enlist the underscore symbol between each of these category names in the file name. More so than anything else, the underscore gives a really clean visual break between various categories within the file name.
If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, the underscore looks like a dash, but it’s a little wider, and it aligns along the bottom of your text rather than in the middle. On your computer keyboard, it’s the key between the number 0 and the plus symbol. You have to hold down the shift key before striking the underscore key in order to get the underscore rather than a dash.
When you start following these three file-naming convention rules, you will slowly start to see your file organization take on a whole new look. So much of the trouble with disorganized files is because they’re not named in a way that works for our brains and our eyes. If you don’t have some kind of system, it can be very messy. With a little bit of dedication to consistency, you can turn your file chaos into a more manageable state, but it does take a little bit of intention and effort.
Before we sign off today, let me give you one more example of how I would name certain files using this file-naming formula.
Say you download an intermediate-level arrangement of Silent Night for Christmas. I would personally name the file. Sheet Music_Christmas_Intermediate_Silent Night_Susan Paradis
Now, here’s where you might start balking – but do I need to call it sheet music if I just put it in a sheet music folder? Or what if I want to just put it in a folder with everything from Susan Paradis? Do I need her name in the file?
My answer is that…
The main thing to remember here, friends, is that again, renaming it right isn’t renaming it perfectly; it’s renaming it right for you. It’s more about having some kind of a plan and trying to be as consistent as possible.
If you could use more of this kind of advice, I invite you to register for the first fall session of my online digital organization coaching series. You will get a grip on more than just your files. We talk big picture mindset on all the fronts of your digital life, from your devices to the online content you consume, to that blasted email inbox, and more.
We’ll be meeting on Tuesdays from 1:00-2:30pm ET starting October 21. Visit pianopantry.com/digital to register now. Get $20 off your registration before October 1. Registration will close early, with no late registrations accepted. I have a minimum number needed to run it this year, so if you’re interested, you must register by October 15 to ensure a full head count. Visit pianopantry.com/digital to register now.
If you love this podcast and could use a little accountability, I invite you to join me on Patreon where for just $7 a month, you can support this work and also get 2-3 working power hours per month and more. Visit pianopantry.com/patreon to join today.
Now, go ahead and start renaming those files you just downloaded!
