This is “Not New”

Every saved computer file must have a name; the more consistent and descriptive you name your files, the faster you will find what you are looking for.

If you take minutes for the monthly XYZ board meetings, start every file name with "XYZ Minutes” followed by the month and year: XYZminutes-Feb2022.docx. All XYZ minutes will be grouped together in a folder, and you’ll be able to find them easily in one search.

Or, if you save versions of the same image, identify the separate files in the file name by color, size, or effect: gardenflowers-bw.jpg (for the black and white version), or gardenflowers50.jpg (for the image at 50% of the original size), or garden flowers-watercolor.jpg (for the image with a filter applied or particular style).

What I advise against is naming similar files with words that won’t help you distinguish them later, like “updated” or “revised,” or especially “new.” If you name your memoir file mylife.docx, and you name a revised copy mylife-new.docx, what will you name the next revised copy? Newer? Newest?

New new new.

Instead, try mylife[today’s date].docx. the next revised copy can be mylife[that day’s date].docx. you get the idea. Similar, but differently descriptive.

No matter what you name a file, every document will contain information about when it was created, modified, and last opened, but this data is often hard to find or not convenient. The file name is the most visible and the most searchable. Use it to your advantage.