Filing Systems 101
How to Find the Right System for You
Back in the good old days, executives and professionals didn’t give filing much thought. Secretaries managed paper and kept their boss’s desk clean. Yet with the advent of the desktop workstation, someone decided that most of us should handle our own filing.
Despite the promise of a paperless office, most of us now find ourselves drowning in paper with little knowledge or support to handle it. If you’re reading this surrounded by piles of files and cabinets filled with outdated paper, you’re not alone. Studies show that we waste about an hour a day looking for paper, costing our businesses billions of dollars.
With this in mind, I thought I’d offer a quick Filing Systems 101 to explain your options and help you decide which one is right for you. More importantly, I’d like to give you hope that there are some great filing solutions out there that do work. Here are some choices:
Alphabetical: The most classic method of filing is to put papers in a folder, label it as best you can, and put it in alphabetical order along with all of the other files you happen to have. While it seems straightforward, disadvantages include frequent shuffling to make space and difficulty remembering what you called something. Did you file your auto insurance policy under A for ‘auto,’ V for ‘vehicle,’ C for ‘car,’ or I ‘insurance?’ You get the picture. Recommendation: Use this system for straightforward files like clients filed by last name.
Categorical: This system works on the premise that it’s easier to find paper when you group like with like. At work, this system is a challenge, especially because ‘like with like’ isn’t always clear. Do the handouts you got at that healthcare conference go with other conference handouts, with with reference files on the session topics, or do you put it in the folder with with the article you’re currently writing on healthcare? It’s also virtually impossible for someone else to file for you, since two people seldom group things the same way. Recommendation: Use this system with only small amounts of paper. Create a File Index, or a list of the contents of each drawer along with explanations of what you keep there.
Warehouse: Out in cyberspace, web pages are not filed in alphabetical or categorical order. Using keyword searches, we are able to find the information we need without knowing where it is. Warehouse filing uses the same methodology-storing paper in random numerical order but using a database to search using keywords you have entered. Sounds complicated and time consuming? I thought so too, until I started using a system called The Paper Tiger and found it so effective that I now offer it to my clients. They quickly become comfortable when they see how fast it is to set up and maintain and how they can now find things that had been saved but lost or forgotten for years. Recommendation: If you have more than a drawer or two of paper or you put off filing things because you don’t know where to file them, check this powerful system out.
Filing doesn’t have to be a chore. Finding information quickly and consistently is a valuable competitive advantage.
Want to use this article in your e-newsletter or website? You can use this material in whole or in part, as long as you include this complete attribution and live link: Productivity consultant and trainer Cristin Lind of Clearwater Productivity helps busy professionals enhance their work and enrich their lives. If you’re ready to get more done with less effort, visit www.clearwaterproductivity.com.