Tuesday, January 19, 2016

4 Simple Steps to a More Efficient Google Drive





Here are four simple steps you can do today to organize your Google Drive.  Not only are you modeling good organizational skills for your students but you will save yourself tons of time and aggravation!

1.  Categorize by Folders - Create a folder for each category of document.  You can even create sub-folders within your folders.  An 'uncategorized' folder can hold all the documents that don't fit into any other folders yet.  When you are ready to move a document into a specific folder simply right click on it and select 'Move to'.  Or when the document is open, click on the folder to the right of the document name and select desired folder or create a new one.

To create a new folder, select the red "NEW" button, then select 'folder.'




2.  Add some color - Adding color to your folders will streamline your search.  You may want to categorize by color and have your subfolders within that folder be a different shade of the primary color.

To change the color of a folder right click on the name of the folder then select the 'change color' option.  OR click on the three vertical dots on the right side of the top bar to access the same menu.





3.  Standardize your Naming Convention - The naming convention needs to expedite your search. Therefore, the naming conventions must be chosen by you.  Some names may include content areas, or topics such as PDPs, purchase orders or professional articles.  The name can begin with the date (1.8.16 Google Drawings) if you prefer to search by date.

To rename a document, highlight the documents name in Drive and then click the three vertical dots on the right side of the top bar.  Then select 'rename.'



4.  'Shared with you' Files - When a document is shared with you, it does not automatically get added to your drive.  Make sure to add the file to the appropriate folder in your My Drive.  If it does not adhere to your naming conventions, create a folder that suits you and add the file to that folder.

To add a document that is shared with you to your My Drive, highlight the document under "Shared with Me", then select the three vertical dots menu on the right side of the top bar.  Next, select 'Add to My Drive' from the dropdown menu.