Collecting and syncing files all over my computer... can I do it... Please help!!! Thank you

Hello

I often work on a photshop composite or an AI project, and what happens is that I get a little scattered brained  being in the creative mode, and I end up pulling images from all different files on my computer. Then I can't remember where they are. Is there a way for me to package both Photoshop and AI files so that the program goes and finds all of my images and places them with the correct final files? 

Second... I want to clean up my folders and often I end up with copied folders... It's so embarassing to share my scatter brain... I just never learned the proper way to work with files and then I get scared so I end up saving and then don't know which one is the correct one, even with the info time...

What I want to be able to do is just clean up folders and get rid of excess, repeat photos and just have a copy of it with my photoshop and or AI file... can this be done? Thank you Also if anyone has tips for how I am to work with files from this point on, I'd so appreicate it...