ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Digital folder: agree which files belong together
A digital folder is a named grouping for files. Our practical example starts with deciding what belongs in a group and how the people using it will recognize that purpose. It is an optional arrangement, not a prescribed folder structure or an explanation of a particular storage service.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
The grouping answers “Where are we putting these items together?” A filename answers “Which individual item is this?” Neither label settles permission, ownership, or privacy. Those questions need their own actual arrangements; naming a group “Family” or “Private” does not establish them for this exercise.
Worked example: files for a homemade quiz
A fictional family is making a quiz for a gathering. They have question text, answer sheets, and handmade picture clues for several rounds. One person proposes grouping everything by file type: text in one place and pictures in another. Another proposes a group for each round, with that round's questions and answers together.
They test both proposals using filenames written on paper. Each relative is preparing one round, so they choose the round-based arrangement for this project. They have not established that it is the best structure for all uses. The person checking every answer sheet will want items from several groups rather than just one.
Their common score sheet does not belong to a single round. They give it a separate stated place instead of forcing it into an arbitrary round. A child's personal sketchbook is outside the arrangement; only the particular picture clues the child chooses to contribute enter this grouping discussion.
Sketch the grouping before changing files
Group name:
Its purpose in one sentence:
Items that belong here:
Items that do not belong here:
One real example of each:
Who will maintain this arrangement, if they agree:
What to do with an item whose place is unclear:
Where the current project choice is recorded:
Actual access arrangements to check separately:
You can fill out this card with filenames on paper first. The card is not a command to move, duplicate, delete, or share anything. Discuss changes with the people responsible for the files and check the actual tool before carrying them out.
Give uncertain items a question
In the quiz example, nobody knows which round a file called “extra questions” is intended for. They ask its maker and leave that classification open. Putting it in a plausible-looking group would hide the question rather than answer it. A name that describes a round also says nothing about whether that file's questions have been checked.
A partner can maintain one round's group without becoming the permanent organizer. A grandparent preparing paper copies can ask for the exact selected items across the groups. Keep each person's accepted role separate from where an item happens to sit, and do not treat the grouping as an automatic instruction to print everything inside.
Review the grouping when the work changes
After the quiz, ask which material is still active and what the group wants to retain for reference. That is a new choice, not an automatic consequence of a folder name. This page makes no claim about backups, recovery, access controls, or how long a service keeps material. Our goal is an explainable grouping for this project, with unresolved questions left visible.
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