There are many benefits to maintaining an organized filing system, and in the business world this type of organizational skill can help you increase your productivity and efficiency. Since file management systems take many forms, it’s important to come up with filing techniques that work for you and serve their intended purpose.
It’s time to get organized, so begin by going through the stack of files on your desk and determining what you need to file. Sorting through documents will give you an idea of what types of organization techniques to institute, based on what kind of information you have to file away. Create sub-piles according to categories that you determine, such as “client files,” “finance files” or “marketing files.” While sorting through your documents, be sure to get rid of the files you no longer need, or put them in your company’s archives.
If you need to organize electronic files, perform the same activity using the electronic documents. Create electronic sub-folders and drop your documents into the folder depending on the kinds of files they are. Move old and outdated documents into your computer trashcan.
Once you have all your sub-piles completed and you know what you need to file, you can figure out how to keep the documents organized in a way that will let you access the information easily. According to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, alphabetical filing systems are one of the basic and most preferred file organization techniques. Alphabetical filing has to do with organizing your documents according to the letters of the alphabet, and can be done in hard copy or electronically. If you choose to alphabetize your documents, arrange file folders that are labeled from A to Z and being filing.
You can use a chronological organization technique for filing, which arranges files according to the date, or sequence of dates. The Entrepreneur Network (an online resource for entrepreneurs) recommends using a chronological organization technique because it makes filing and accessing records more convenient. This type of organization system may be especially handy when putting away files from meetings. For hard and electronic files, create folders that are divided into weeks, months, quarters or years – depending on your need.
It’s easy to let those papers pile up and up, but establishing a filing process will be beneficial. When new documents land on your desk, try filing them away as promptly as you can. This will save you time down the road from having a massive filing project. If you aren’t able to file documents away immediately, set them in a filing tray in the same order you have established (alphabetically or chronologically). This will make your filing efforts, later on, be faster.