THE QUIET ARCHIVE / FIELD NOTES

A small guide to a lasting archive

You do not need to organise everything at once. Choose one collection you use often and make it easier to find and maintain.

1. Collect before you sort

Put new files in an inbox. Set aside a short time each week to move them into a few topic or project folders. Keep the hierarchy shallow.

My-files/
├── 00_Inbox/
├── 10_Projects/
├── 20_Photos/
└── 90_Archive/

2. Leave clues in the name

Use a date, topic and version, such as 2026-05-18_trip-notes_v02.txt. This is an illustrative filename, not a file stored by this website. Use consistent dates and avoid ambiguous names like “final-final”.

3. Review before removing

Back up before bulk edits or deduplication. Move uncertain items to a review folder before deleting. Open a few old files to check that your software still reads them.