You need a PDF. You sort of remember it's from last spring, from a client whose name starts with M. Old workflow: 15 minutes of clicking through folders. New workflow: 10 seconds of typing.
Here's the three-step routine.
Step 1: Search by date prefix
If you've been using `YYYY-MM-DD` filenames, type the year-month in your file search. `2025-04` brings up every PDF from April 2025. Visual scan finds the right one.
This is the fastest search when you know roughly when. The naming convention pays off in seconds saved.
Step 2: Add the counterparty or context
If the date doesn't narrow it enough, add the next field. `2025-04 M` finds April 2025 PDFs containing 'M' in the filename — usually 5–10 matches across all clients with names starting M.
For most searches, this combination gets you to the right file in 5–10 seconds.
Step 3: Search inside content if needed
If filename search doesn't find it, search inside file content. OS-level search (with PDF indexing enabled) finds quotes from inside files. Slower but covers cases where you only remember a phrase.
For scanned PDFs to be content-searchable, they need OCR — run it on archived scans you might need to find later.
FAQ
What if I can't remember when I received the PDF?
Search by counterparty across all years. `Acme` finds every PDF with Acme in the filename. Visual scan picks the right year-month.
What about PDFs I named badly years ago?
Rename as you touch them. The new naming convention applies going forward; old files improve gradually as you reuse them.
Can I search across multiple folders simultaneously?
Yes — most OS search tools default to whole-disk or whole-folder-tree search. No need to be in the right folder before searching.
What's the fastest search across cloud storage?
Each cloud provider has their own search. Drive's search is excellent; Dropbox's is good; OneDrive's is improving. All find PDF content if indexing is enabled.
Ten seconds to find any PDF you've named properly. Use Flint and the convention does the work for you.