A filing system usually fails at the moment you are in a hurry. If saving one document requires five decisions, the desktop becomes the default. A better arrangement offers a small number of obvious places and accepts that some sorting will happen later.
Choose three working areas
Start with Inbox, Active, and Reference. Inbox holds new material that needs a decision. Active contains a folder for each current project. Reference keeps useful material without an immediate next action. These names are deliberately plain. You should be able to explain where a file belongs without opening a guide.
Name things for retrieval
Use names that describe the subject and purpose, such as kitchen-shelf-measurements or weekend-route-options. Add a date when the sequence matters. Avoid chains of words like final and revised; keep a short, consistent version number when you genuinely need separate drafts. The useful test is whether you can recognize the right file in a list.
Give the inbox a small appointment
Spend a few minutes each week moving the loose items into their homes. Archive completed project folders together, preserving their context instead of scattering individual files. If the inbox grows faster than you can clear it, simplify the categories or save less material. A folder system is a modest aid to remembering, not an obligation to collect everything you encounter.