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Turn Your Filing System into a "Finding System"

• Are you spending too much time shuffling paper?
• Are you confident that you can find what you need in case of an IRS audit?
• Are you missing opportunities because you don’t have the information you need?
• Can you find the information in your office if you’re partner is not there?
• Does your office reflect the quality of goods and services you offer your customers?

Information is power – if you can find it when you need it. Unfortunately, in many offices it’s easier to find information in cyberspace than in the office. Ironically, the only thing in the office that technology has not changed is how we manage paper. Today’s filing systems look very similar to what Thomas Jefferson used – only there are more of them, and most of them don’t work!

If you suffer from severe paper frustration, my prescription is an effective filing system. It will enable you to invest more time with your customers and be better prepared each time, and you’ll have more time to spend with your family and friends. You can approach each day with less anxiety, knowing where to put each new piece of information as it arrives, confident that you can find what you need exactly when you need it!

If you have a filing system that is not working, your best bet is to clean out your most accessible file drawer and start over by filing new papers as you get them. As you need a paper from your old system, incorporate it into the new system. After one year, put the remaining papers from the old system into less accessible space (off-site storage, garage, attic) -- or into the trashcan or recycling bin.

There are three components to an effective filing system:

(1) Mechanics,

(2) Management and

(3) Maintenance.

If any of the components is weak, your filing system will be am on-going frustration instead of a valuable resource.

Filing Mechanics One of the major reasons we procrastinate about filing is that it is simply too time-consuming. Here are some tips for quick and easy filing:

• As soon as your file cabinet is too full to easily add new papers, remove old papers or buy new filing cabinets.
• File papers directly into hanging files. If you take individual papers directly from the file, you do not need a manila file inside. (I know that takes of lots of file folders! Do you want a system that works?)
• If you need to take the entire file out of the file cabinet, create a hanging file and a manila file with the same label. Returning the manila file to the proper location will be a snap.
• Put the plastic file tabs on the front of the file folder. When you grab the plastic tab and pull forward, you have created the space in the front of the file to drop the new piece of paper – and removing old papers from the back of the file folder will be easy.
• Use color to tell a story you want to tell (not just the color of the file that was available the day you made the file!). Files with tax information, for example, can be easily identified with red dots on the label. Don’t make the color system too complicated to maintain.
• Use staples instead of paper clips. Paper clips catch on papers and cause misfiling and sloppy files.

File Management

One of the major frustration sources of frustration about filing is deciding what to call a file. For example, the same information can be filed under “car,” “automobile,” “Chrysler,” or “vehicle.” And what happens when you want to file the insurance policy for the car? Does it go in “Insurance – Car” or “Car Insurance?” It doesn’t matter – as long as you are consistent, but human beings are rarely consistent. And the chances that two human beings who share a file will think of the same word when looking for information is highly unlikely!

The solution to this frustration is a File Index – a list of the names of your files. Then, before you make a new file, you can check the File Index to see if an appropriate file already exists. You can use a word processing program to create this index. Print out a copy and keep it at the desk where you work. When you add a new file, handwrite the changes on the File Index, and periodically update the list in the your computer and print out a new copy.

A revolution new option for managing your files is also now available: Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger (www.thepapertiger.com). This software program allows you to keep your information in paper form in your filing cabinet, automatically cross-reference the information, and use the incredible search power of the computer to find anything in your files in five seconds or less – regardless of who filed it! The software will also print file labels and a File Index automatically.

File Maintenance

Regardless of the management or mechanics techniques you use, all filing systems have to be maintained. But there is good news! There are only two steps required to maintain any filing system indefinitely:

(1) Make sure that the File Index is a living document – a perfect reflection of the names of the files in your cabinet. If you add a new file, add it to the File Index, and when you remove a file, delete it.

(2) Clean out your file when the cabinet gets too full for easy filing.

If you’re having difficulty managing your paper, you’re not alone! Research shows the average person spends 150 hours per year – almost one month – looking for misplaced information. Yet, 80% of what we keep we never use – frequently because we can’t find it. An effective filing system will save you time and money and missed opportunities. Start your system today and stop the frustration!

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

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