This post was inspired by the way we handle graphic design files and other files at my printshow. During the prepress phase that precedes the actual printing, there are a number of files generated. There are the customer’s original files, there is a design file, there are proofs and then there is a final print-ready file after everything is approved. It’s easy to take shortcuts and not organized these files because in the moment, you understand them all. However, when you go back a year later, do you still understand them if they aren’t named properly and organized neatly into their corresponding folders? Probably not. Give your future self a gift that only takes your current self about an extra minute. Organize your files, name them properly and then move on to other things. That extra minute may save more than a minute’s time in the future.
This discipline and type of habit can be applied to other things as well. It can be applied to how you file away documents in a file cabinet. It can be applied to how you organize your garage and keep it organized. At first it may feel tedious, but when it becomes second nature to act and think this way, you’ve done yourself a huge favor.