Essential Office Support

Creating a good filing system is one of the best things you can do to save time, money and your sanity. Managing paper with a good filing system will put you back in control, and increase productivity.

Some things to think about before purchasing a filing cabinet are:

How often will you use it? This will determine if you can use a lightweight cabinet or if you need to purchase a sturdier one that is made for daily use.

Where will it be located? The standard cabinet comes with a choice of vertical or lateral files. If your cabinet will be sitting next to your desk, a lateral file will be easier to read and access. However, if it will be sitting behind you or somewhere where you have to stand up to access the files, a vertical file would be better.

How much information will it be holding; do you need a four-drawer cabinet or will a two-drawer cabinet be sufficient for your files?

What will it contain? If you will be keeping important information such as birth certificates, social security cards, financial information and insurance policies in your filing cabinet, I recommend you spend the extra money and purchase a locking, fireproof filing cabinet. They aren’t cheap but it will save you a lot of headaches, heartache, and time if you ever have a fire or theft.

One thing to mention is that fireproof filing cabinets are extremely heavy. Plan ahead; you will need a few strong men and a hand truck to get this cabinet into your office and where you want it. Once it’s there, don’t plan on moving it very often.

Once you have your cabinet in place you need to decide how you want to arrange your files. But before we get into the actual organization of things, let’s talk a moment about working and archived files.

Working Files:
These are files you access regularly and may include utilities, financial folders, projects you are working on, birthday & holiday cards, automobile, life and house insurance policies and anything else you may need quick access to.

Archived Files:
Your archived files contain items you need to keep but rarely access. These may include old tax papers, bank and credit card statements, school records and so forth. If you haven’t touched it in the last 12 months, it can be archived.

The bottom drawer of your filing cabinet is a great place for archived files because you won’t have to bend over often to retrieve things. If you find that you don’t have enough room or have outgrown that drawer, then you can purchase cardboard containers from any office supply store like Office Max or Staples for just a few dollars. These are great for using broad headings on the box and more defined labels on the inside. For example, a box may be labeled “Financial” but inside it is separated into sections for taxes, bank statements, credit card statements, etc.

When archiving, I recommend you make a Table of Contents of what is included and how long you need to keep it. If you are unsure of how long a record should be kept, contact your accountant or professional advisor. As you add updated items to your files, you can remove the ones that are no longer needed.

Deciding what type of filing system to use may seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be complicated at all. The most common choices are:

* Alphabetical — great for client or customer name files.
* Subject — a good choice if you’re using subfolders.
* Numerically — excellent for dated material, such as purchase orders and bills.
* Geographical — appropriate if you have satellite operations.
* Chronological — a good solution for back-up files that need to be set up by month.
* Tickler files — great for very detailed tasks, such as tracking bills, correspondence and reading    materials. Set up tickler files by the day, month, and/or year.

You can also make up your own categories & system but be sure that it’s logical so your spouse, business partner or other person can easily find what he or she is looking for in case of an emergency.

What about those things that don’t fit in a regular file folder such as photos, magazines, or catalogs? Some file folders contain inside pockets to keep small items. There are also multitudes of products available for storing odd shaped, oversize items. Look for boxes, envelopes, magazine organizers and tubes at your local office supply store.

Sifting through stacks of papers every day trying to find that one sheet you need is time consuming as well as a stress trigger. By setting up a good filing system you will have less stress and more hours to spend on the important things.

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