Keeping a small archive

A useful archive begins with a question: what will I want to find again? The answer is usually smaller than the collection of things it is possible to save.

For a document, a descriptive filename often does more work than an elaborate folder tree. Keep its subject in the name, add a date only when the date matters, and preserve the original alongside any edited copy. A short text index can explain the few connections that filenames cannot.

Keep the next step easy

Choose one place for things that have not been sorted. Review it occasionally, not constantly. If filing a new item requires a series of decisions, simplify the structure before adding another folder.

An archive also needs a second copy. Check that a sample file can actually be restored rather than assuming a successful copy means a useful backup. The point is not a perfect system; it is the ability to retrieve something when it matters.