According to an Organizing Industry listing I read, April 25th thru April 29th has been designated ‘Organize Your Files Week!’ An interesting concept indeed…but why wait until April 25th, when you can start now? Here are some tips and strategies for managing the task that everyone seems to dread, filing
-Set up your files with a system that makes sense to those who use it – yourself, your partner, colleagues, spouse…
-Similarly, naming your files and filing categories should be done by those using the system, so everyone can find what they need when they need it. This goes for paper filing as well as digital filing!
-Your paper files shouldn’t be more than 3/4 full, as you need space to file your papers. If your files are filled to the brim, that’s a sure signal to schedule time to weed out the contents.
-Ideally you should be able to locate any filed paper (or digitally filed document) within one minute.
-For paper, file folders aren’t the only way to go. Think about three ring binders, file boxes, magazine holders…whatever works for you.
-Finally, Don’t wait for ‘Organize Your Files Week’ to come around to empty, refresh and refill those files (again, paper or digital!) – schedule it on a regular basis.