Notes / Studio habits / 4 min read
File names that survive the team
WhizSuite · 2026-07-26
Future you, and the freelancer you have not hired yet, will need to find this file without you.
Four parts
Client, date, format, version. Add a short topic if you have many posts on the same day. Skip jokes. Jokes in file names are funny once and unsearchable after.
Use the same date meaning every time. Publish date is a good default. Say it in the studio note so nobody uses the export date instead.
Versions only move forward
v3 can look like v1. It is still v3. Reusing old numbers destroys the trail you need when a client asks what changed.
The post record should store the version too. File names get renamed by helpful people.
One current file
Keep old versions in an archive folder, not beside the current one with confusing names. The scheduler should point at a single obvious file.
If two files both say final, you do not have a final. Rename before review.
Enforce it lightly and always
Rename on intake or send it back. A standard you enforce only when you are not busy is not a standard.
Show one correct example in the freelancer brief. Examples travel further than a policy page.