In Which Folder?

Behind the scenes, a well-organised project does not depend on remembering where everything belongs. Whether you are producing a video, designing a brand identity, writing an article, developing a website, preparing a marketing campaign or managing a client project, the work usually involves the same broad categories:

• Administration
• Research
• Content
• Assets
• Working Files
• Final Deliverables

The names may change, but the underlying structure is remarkably consistent. However, defining categories as folders, is only a scratch on the surface where it comes to managing digital files and working with a team.

Now, if you’ve ever managed a project with a team, or freelancers, you may already know the feeling.

You open a shared folder and see something like this:

• final_URBAN_TRENDSlogo_v2.png
• final_logo_v2_REAL.psd
• This one-final_URBAN_TRENDSlogo_v3
• brief(1).docx
• brief_final_edited_JM.docx
• export.zip
• export_new.zip
• New Folder
• New Folder 2

Here’s the irritation; You need an approved brand asset for an urgent case. It’s not in the Brand Folder. It’s not in the Assets Folder. It’s somewhere on an untitled desktop folder, mixed with invoices, random screenshots, and three versions of the same messaging copy.

Now, I know what it can be like when you’re pressed against time, or in the creative zone where that spark has you churning one new idea after another.

So you message the designer. The designer messages the project manager. The project manager messages the client. Twenty minutes later, someone finds it.

Why “We’ll Organise Later” Rarely Works

Later never comes: Let’s face it, when you start a new project, you’re focused on the work: the brief, the creative, the deadline. Folder structure feels like admin. So you create a few folders, drop in some files, and promise yourself you’ll clean it up later.

Then a freelancer joins. They create their own folders. Then another collaborator adds final_final_v3. Then the client sends assets that end up in three different places.

By the time you realise the mess, the project is half over. Reorganising now means moving files while people are actively working. It’s risky, slow, and frustrating.

The only reliable solution is to start organised — every single time.

Here is some inspiration:

Using Shortcuts to Organise Project Folders

Before You Build: Design the System

Shortcuts is a built-in automation tool for Mac, that helps you create custom workflows across multiple apps and system functions. In this case we will use it to consistently organise folders and digital files for client projects.

Now, don’t simply open Shortcuts and start adding actions immediately. First decide what your projects actually need.

The six-category structure above works for most creative, marketing, web, video, and client projects. But you can adapt it. The important thing is that you decide once, then reuse it everywhere. At its core, the Shortcut is not a complex program. It allows you to create a sequence of folder actions that follow a predictable logic.

Working with Freelancers: Ground Rules

Creating an organised structure of project folders is only half the solution. The other half is agreement.

When you bring on a freelancer or new team member:

1. Send them the Shortcut. They run it once, and every project they start for you has the same structure.
2. Put a README in the project root. Explain what each top-level folder is for.
3. Use 06 Final as the single source of truth. If it’s not in 06 Final, it’s not approved.
4. Don’t let anyone create new top-level folders without agreement. That’s how chaos starts.
5. Share only what they need. Clients don’t need access to 01 Admin. Designers don’t need Legal Docs. Use permissions.
6. Standardise file naming. The folder structure handles location. Naming handles versioning.

A consistent structure makes onboarding faster, reduces questions, and eliminates the “where should I put this?” Slack messages.

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Read the full guide by clicking the “Shortcuts App” button below: to understand how the Shortcut works, how to design a folder system, and how to adapt it for your own projects.