Filing is probably one of the most dreaded task for office staff. A huge amount of papers stacked up, sometimes precariously piled being neglected until you find a spare moment. It doesn’t need to be that painful!
1. Create a filing system that works: Your filing system has to work for everyone in the office, not just you. Clearly label files and file by category and than alphabetic if that works. Your system should be logical that if someone needs to dig for a file they should be able to do it easily. Think about the bigger picture – how your system would work for your department and the company overall.
2. Proper supplies: If you have a legal sized filing drawer, use legal sized hanging files. Inside those hanging files you can use regular letter sized file folders or the correct legal size. Recycle: You can reuse old file folders by folding inside out and re-labeling the folder (you can print labels that are made to cover print)
3. Labeling: Another key item in filing is properly labeling your files and file folders. Do not name everything MISC, keep your file titles short and clear. If you have illegible hand writing, print labels on file folder labels.
4. Maintenance: A filing system needs to be evaluated and maintained from time to time. Changes are constantly happening and maybe you are hanging on to files that need to be archived. Schedule yourself time every couple of months to review your process. Do you need to relabel a file folder or move it under a different category? Do you need to keep so many copies of a document? Make a shred pile too!
Need help with organizing your electronic files? Stop back to our blog, there is a post coming soon on this topic!
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