Filing Has Changed!
Let’s be honest—filing has certainly changed over the years!
Remember standing for hours, bent over a filing cabinet, picking through folders while any moisture left on your fingertips was slowly being drawn out? 😂
Thankfully, those days are becoming a thing of the past. Today, your filing cabinet may be your Google Drive!
Instead of paper folders stuffed into metal drawers, we’re organizing digital folders, documents, and shared files. And just like a well-organized filing cabinet, a well-organized Google Drive makes finding what you need so much easier.
So this September, let’s give that digital filing cabinet some attention and set yourself up for a more organized school year.
Start With Folders
Think of your Google Drive like the filing cabinet in your office. You wouldn’t toss every form, report, spreadsheet, and document into one drawer and hope you’d find it later.
Don’t do that to your Google Drive either!
Create folders that make sense for the way you work.
You might start with:
- 📁 2026–2027 School Year
- 📁 Staff
- 📁 Students
- 📁 Attendance
- 📁 Forms
- 📁 Reports
- 📁 Meetings
- 📁 Events
Then create sub-folders when you need them.
The goal isn’t to create 47 folders on the first day. The goal is to create a system that makes finding something easy when you’re in a hurry.
Know What’s in Your Drive
Google Drive’s Home area gives you access to your library. Take a few minutes to look around and see what’s actually there.
And don’t forget about Shared with me.
Those are files and folders that someone else has shared with you—you aren’t the owner. Knowing the difference can save you some confusion later, especially when you’re trying to organize or manage a document.
Create It—and Put It Where It Belongs
Creating a new folder or document is easy.
The trick is what happens after you create it.
Don’t leave everything sitting wherever Google happens to put it.
Take a moment to organize your files by moving them into the appropriate folders. You can organize both individual files and folders within your Drive.
Future You will be very grateful.
Sharing Is Caring—But Know What You’re Sharing
Google Drive makes it easy to share files and folders with coworkers.
Before you hit that Share button, though, think about what you’re sharing and who actually needs access.
A folder can be a great way to share a collection of resources without having to send individual documents over and over again.
Don’t Overlook Shared Drives
If your school or district uses Google Workspace, you may also have access to Shared Drives.
There is an important distinction between a shared folder and a Shared Drive.
With a shared folder, the person who created the folder owns the documents. With a Shared Drive, the drive itself owns the documents.
That difference can become especially important when staff members change positions or leave the district.
Before creating your school’s filing system, make sure you understand what your district’s Google Workspace setup allows and what belongs in a Shared Drive.
Someone Shared a Document With You? Make Your Own Copy.
Here’s a handy Google Drive trick:
Someone shares a document with you, but you need your own version?
You can make a copy—even when you’re not the owner of the original document.
This can be especially useful when someone gives you a template that you need to customize for your school or office.
Just remember: a copy is now your version. Changes you make won’t necessarily change the original.
Think About Ownership
Here’s another one that can cause headaches later: ownership.
If you’re responsible for important school or office documents, know who owns them and what happens to those documents if someone’s role changes.
Google Drive provides options for transferring ownership of folders and documents.
Your district may also have policies about where documents should be stored and who should own them, so check those before making major changes.
Your September Challenge
You don’t have to reorganize your entire digital life today.
Start with one area of your Google Drive.
This week’s challenge:
☐ Open Google Drive
☐ Look through your existing folders and files
☐ Delete or clean up what you no longer need
☐ Create folders for the 2026–2027 school year
☐ Move important files into the appropriate folders
☐ Review your Shared with me files
☐ Identify files that should live in a Shared Drive
☐ Check ownership of important documents
☐ Make copies of templates you need to customize
A few minutes of organizing now can save you hours of searching later.
September is the perfect time to establish good digital habits before the school year gets really busy.
So grab that coffee, open Google Drive, and start filing!
