|
Blog: Can We Have Some Order Here?
 Reference Files
How's your filing system? Frustrating? Do you find yourself avoiding that stack on your desk because it's just too hard to remember where things go? Or because you know that you won't be able to find a specific document again once you've stashed it away? You may even have three or four files that contain the same information but are labeled differently -- what a mess!
Creating File Categories
What causes the downfall of a filing system? Chances are, it wasn't much of a "system" to begin with. More likely, it was just a random assortment of individual files that really had no connection to each other (aside from the fact that they lived in the same drawer.) To create a truly effective filing system, you need to start with a plan. Simply slapping a label on a folder won't cut it!
Look at your current filing system (or that pile of paper that you've been meaning to file for months) and start sorting your documents into broad categories. "Finances" might be one, "Utilities" could be another -- at work, you might be looking at "Marketing" or "Client Files." At this point, we're not focusing on detail -- quite frankly, I don't care if it's a credit card bill or a bank statement right now. We'll worry about those distinctions later on.
Once you've complete that step, pick one of your "major category" piles (any pile) and let's sort through it again. This time, I want you to think about breaking your paper smaller subcategories. For example, your "Finances" stack could be divided into "Savings Account," "Checking Account," "Student Loan," "Visa," etc. This time, you want to be as specific as possible. Don't tell me that they are "bank statements" -- tell me which account they belong to and break each out into a separate pile. We don't want any files "bunking" with other files -- everyone gets his or her own separate folder.
The trick to developing a workable reference file is choosing categories that make it easy to a) know where to put a piece of paper and b) know where to find it again. The problem is that most people focus entirely on the "where to put it" side of things -- they don't envision the day when they will need to retrieve that file. Then, when they go hunting for a specific document, their mind is thinking differently than on the day they filed it -- so they can't remember what they labeled the folder. As you are deciding on a category for a piece of paper, ask yourself where you would look for that piece of paper when you need it again -- this will help you create a logical file label that makes sense to you both now and down the road
Labeling
After you've completed the sorting, each major category of paperwork should be assigned a different color (your choice) -- and then we're going to put each of its subcategories into an individual hanging file folder. So in the home filing example above, "Finances" might be green, and each of your accounts gets a separate green hanging file folder. Then perhaps "Utilities" are in red, and each different service ("Gas," "Electric," "Water," "Trash," "Phone," etc.) is assigned a separate red hanging file. It might seem like a small thing, but color-coding your system will save you a huge amount of time in filing and retrieving papers. Being able to look in your file drawer and see distinct bodies of information broken out by color just makes sense to your brain. And when you know that your financial statements are in green and your utility bills are in red and your car papers are in blue you don't even have to think -- your hand just naturally goes to the appropriate section your file drawer.
Now that everyone has their own colored folder, we need to label each file. When creating your labels, move from general to specific. Don't tell me you are filing paperwork for your "Visa Credit Card" -- call it "Credit Card: Visa". When you arrange your folders alphabetically, all of the "Credit Card" files (no matter how many you have) will be together alphabetically in your "Finances" section, rather than scattered hither and yon. Our goal is to keep related files in close proximity to each other. Do this again and again for every grouping of files until you have labeled every file in each major category.
Setting It All Up
All you have to do now is put the files within each major category in alphabetical order, and then put the major categories themselves into the drawer in alphabetical order. Whenever you need to find a document or put something in a folder, just look first for the correct major category (identified by both the labels and the color) -- then it's easy to put your hands on the correct file without a lot of searching.
Remember that we're setting up "reference" folders -- these files contain documents that don't require immediate action, but that you do need to access regularly. They could be client files, financial records, phone lists, health records, marketing resources, personal hobbies, you name it. But the one thing each piece of paper has in common is that you have to be able to find it quickly on demand. In order to make that happen, here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you set up your system:
- pick a category that is broad enough to encompass more than just a couple of pieces of paper -- it's quicker and easier to search through a few thicker folders whose contents are all related, than a dozen different "onesie and twosie" files which have nothing in common with each other
- choose one type of filing system and stick with it -- it doesn't matter if you file chronologically, alphabetically, or another way -- just be consistent and do it the same way, all the time, throughout your entire system
- when your files get overstuffed, it's time to divide that category out into a couple of smaller subcategories -- if your "Client File: Marjory Jones" folder has gotten way too big, you can break it out chronologically ("Client File: Marjory Jones 2009", "Client File: Marjory Jones 2010") or topically ("Client File: Marjory Jones Communication", "Client File: Marjory Jones Contracts", "Client File: Marjory Jones Expenses", etc.) so that the documents are still all together, but you have fewer pages per folder
Follow these simple yet effective steps for creating reference files, and you'll discover that your system takes most of the work out of filing (and retrieving) your important documents.
read the original post of this blog
posted on: 6/10/2010 11:30:00 AM by Ramona Creel
category: General Organizing Tips
Can We Have Some Order Here?: < Previous Post - Next Post >
Blog Central: < Previous Post - Next Post >
 Discuss This Post
There are no comments.
|
|
Can We Have Some Order Here?
by Ramona Creel
View This Blog
 Subscribe To This Blog
About Ramona:
I have been a Professional Organizer for more than 10 years, I am a NAPO Golden Circle member, and I was the original founder of OnlineOrganizing. I have worked one-on-one with scores of clients and have trained dozens of newbie organizers as they got started in the industry. I provide both hands-on and virtual coaching to help clients improve their organizing skills and simplify their lives. I invite you to visit my website at http://www.RamonaCreel.com, and I challenge you to find one new idea that you can put into practice in your life, to help you become better organized, starting TODAY! I am passionate about coaching folks toward a more balanced, productive, and enjoyable life -- and I firmly believe that if I can do it, so can you!
You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter, check out my Facebook profile, and subscribe to my feeds.
Ramona's Website:
www.RamonaCreel.com
Ramona's Other Blogs:
Ramona's Favorites:
|
www.OnlineOrganizing.com is a service mark of Bradford, LLC.
