I have only used this (alone) for a few weeks because it is the first kind of organization that really resonated with me. I understand it may not be for everyone, but when it comes to organizing small to medium projects, it's really good IMHO. I use the standard organization because I'm not creative. Every project has his directory with a prefix (like "FMW01 xyz" for "firmware, first project, named xyz"), and subdirectories named "00-09 System," "10-19 Project management," and (my choice) "20-29 Data" with "20 Inputs" and "21 Outputs."

I have a template with empty folders and files (like Notes.md, Todo.md, etc.), and I can copy-paste this template for each new project. As long as I improve my template, every future project will have the new structure.

It's like the GTD system (which I also enjoy), but for organizing your thoughts, notes, and files in different projects. It's weird because I'm not fond of naming folders with numbers but this time it seems to work. Every project has the same structure and I'm not lost. I guess it's good for people who needs a serious structures as it forces you to have a good organization.

Interestingly, I had a boss 10 years ago that was using an equivalent method with a template and numbered directories. He was successful at managing projects and I think I discovered his secret.

Last but not least, once a project is done, I can zip it and reuse its number.

We use a loose version of it in my small company.

It helps with two things: - 1. A little easier to be consistent across projects so not to reinvent the wheel every time - 2. The prefix increments as new folders are added during a project, painting a convenient picture of “progress” as things move along.

We tend to have: 10 to 19 reserved for admin stuff, like Admin, Incoming, Outgoing, Documentation, Meeting notes, etc.

Then anything from 20 onwards is ad-hoc per project

We also timestamp children of Incoming and Outgoing, with an ISO prefix. This is very useful to keep track of what was received and shared and when.

Overall the goal is to have as little protocol as possible to prevent total chaos. Anything more than that is usually too much to ask or doesn’t stick longer than a single project.

  10. Admin
  11. Incoming
    2023-10-12 sender, subject
  12. Outgoing
    2023-09-01 Estimate
  13. Documentation
  20. Design
  30. Production
  40. Blah