 File management is a system that organizes various artifacts based on a hierarchical structure. The process of curating your writing portfolio will be much easier if you organize your artifacts effectively. These principles of organization apply whether you are storing files in your computer or in a cloud-based drive. In this video, we'll introduce strategies for file management at the level of artifacts, folders, and drives. The first level of file management is artifacts. Be descriptive when creating file names for individual documents, pictures, videos, audio recordings, and other artifacts. For example, paper1.docx isn't a great file name for an essay draft because you may have multiple paper ones across your college career, and it's unclear which draft or version the document is. Moreover, if you needed to submit this file to a professor, they wouldn't know whose paper it was unless they opened the document. A better strategy is to use a file name that is specific and unique to its context and content. For example, if the assignment sheet says to write a memory map, include that in your file name. Becker p1 memory map. In this case, the file name indicates the author's name, Becker, the context, p or project1, and the name of the assignment, memory map. Note that no spaces are used because spaces and document titles can be problematic for long-term storage and can create compatibility issues across different apps and systems. When you're curating a writing portfolio, drafts can be an important record of your writing process over time, so you'll need to navigate multiple versions of documents to capture this process. Include the stage at the end of the file name, like v1, for version 1. To indicate the submitted draft, add submitted, followed by the date, rather than final. If you're creating a file structure to share it with someone else and they have specifications for how they want files named, be sure to follow their guidance. The most important practice is to be consistent. By following the same naming system or convention every time, you won't get confused when navigating multiple versions or similar documents. Searching in your folders or drive will also be easier. The second level of file management is folders. Devise a system for naming and organizing folders in your computer or in your cloud storage based on a hierarchy in order of importance for organizing artifacts. For example, when organizing artifacts from a class, you can use a hierarchy based on semester, course, and date or type of assignment. As with individual files, you should be specific when naming folders. Using this practice, your folders will automatically sort themselves into a meaningful order when browsing them all together. Apart from schoolwork, creating hierarchies for your files based on meaningful dates, topics, or projects will help you to find your files more easily. As you develop your system, consider who will need to navigate your file structure. This audience could be yourself, your professor, or even someone unknown to you at the moment, depending on how your content is shared. You could start by creating folders for years or semesters first before creating folders for your classes and individual projects. The third level of file management is drives, where you store your artifacts. Make active choices about how you save your files for easy access. Always store documents both locally and remotely. Saving something locally means saving on your computer, such as a document's folder on your computer. Saving something remotely means saving externally, such as a cloud-based system, like Google Drive or Dropbox, or an external hard drive. Many cloud-based systems can be set up to automatically sync files from your computer to the cloud, so you don't even need to manually save the files in both places. This practice keeps your files safe and sound in a second location in case something happens to your local drive. Using standard habits of file management at the levels of artifacts, folders, and drives will keep your work clearly named, organized, easy to find, and safe from hardware failures. Your system of file management will likely change over time and for different contexts, but developing the habit of mine to be organizationally consistent will help you keep track of what's important, not only in your writing portfolio, but also for school, work, and personal contexts.