Switched my whole file naming system to dates first, and it backfired in a weird way

I got tired of hunting for the latest version, so I started naming everything '2024-04-15_projectname_v3' thinking it would sort perfectly. Turns out, my brain still looks for the project name first, and now I spend more time scanning than I ever did before. Has anyone else tried a naming convention that just didn't stick with how you actually work?

3 comments

3 Comments

mitchell.wade22d ago

Try putting the project name first but keep the date in there for sorting. I use "ProjectName_20240415_v3" and let my computer sort by date modified when I need the latest version. It keeps the visual cue your brain wants while still having the date for reference. The trick is finding what your eyes naturally look for and building the system around that habit.

pat5402d ago

People get so deep into file naming systems it's like they're planning a moon mission. My system is just the project name and maybe a date if I remember. The computer already knows when I changed it last.

rowan_anderson22d ago

My naming system is so bad I once had a file called "final_final_reallyfinal_v2_new". Your method sounds way more sane. What do you do when you have multiple drafts in the same day?