In the second part of the series I'll explain why a good software is essential for your organization if you don't want to get lost in a flood of images.

Get an image managing software suited for you
First of all: Since I'm using a MacBook, most of my recommendations will be about Mac software, but I'll try to mention software for Windows, too!

The right image management software will be your most important piece of software in order to get your media organized. I'm using Apples Aperture 2, which is brilliant because of its ease of use, the ability to process RAW-files, fast previews, being able to compare several images side by side and improved tagging. Also the possibility of 'upgrading' the program by installing 3rd party add-ons makes it great.