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Put Your Files to Work in 2008

If you're like most people, your file drawer contains files. That's it. That's the only way to describe the contents of the drawer. People who are truly organized can claim that their files are workable or serviceable. There's a big difference between the two.

Let's face it, most of us open a file drawer to view a line of overstuffed, dog-eared files, some of which are labeled as to their contents; most are not. Those that are labeled may have a typed label; others are handwritten. The tabs are randomly aligned. Colors of the actual files may also be random, or they're all simply plain manila folders.

If this describes your files, you're not alone, but are among a large group of the population that has files that merely fill their desk drawers. In short, they aren't put to work.

A good filing system will put you back in control, enhance your professional image and increase productivity. The point of filing is easy placement of and access to information.

Sort Regularly Used Files from Long-Term There are two basic types of files: temporary (working) and permanent (archival). Determining when and how often a file will be used should tell you which type it is. Temporary files include the following:

Action items - frequently used items requiring regular decisions and action
Project items - plans, notes and documents related to current projects
Reading items - must-read materials from any source

Sort material by category.
Assign a color to each category and purchase corresponding color-coded file folders that may have some meaningful association. For instance, place action items in red file folders because they are hot. Consider choosing green file folders for budgets or any financial materials.

Label Working Files
Label action, project and reading files by purpose or function, e.g., "Prospects," "Marketing," "Education." Use broad, generic headings that are meaningful to you. If the files are shared, the categories and headings must make sense to everyone involved.

Tips:

Choose box files for topics that contain a lot of paper. This will allow the paper to sit neatly in the file without overflowing the file, which ends up obscuring labels on the files behind it.
Design your system, complete with headings and sub-headings, before actually creating the files. For instance, if your main heading is Projects, and there are five individual files of projects within that category, choose a box-type hanging folder to hold the category and place the individual file folders within it.
Use nouns and verbs for headings, e.g. Action Items, To Do or Call List.
Avoid labeling folders by hand. Try to avoid this by printing out labels using your computer and choosing a bold-faced typeface. This will keep all the files easily identifiable to find when thumbing through the drawer.

Choose File Locations and Fixtures
Decide which files should be in your desk drawer and which ones can be stored elsewhere in the office or put into archival storage. Which files do you use daily? Which ones are only used occasionally? Are any of the files confidential? If so, they should be stored in a fixture that can be locked. Should any of the files be mobile? In other words, will you need to move them to another office?

Choose appropriate fixtures for holding files.
Many medical offices will have a wall-mounted file rack to include files for patients with appointments that day as well as files for patients who need to be called to confirm an appointment. These hold about 100 sheets of paper and can be mounted within arm's reach. Stationery file cabinets can be vertical, lateral or open shelf. Choose wall storage units or rolling file racks.

Keep action files on your desk in a desktop filing system.
Many modular units are designed to stack and are made of cardboard, wire, plastic or leather. Many of these items can sit on a desktop or be wall-mounted or mounted on a cubicle wall.

Arrange the Files
Once you have appropriate fixtures in place, decide how you want to arrange your files. Choices include:

Alphabetically - 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.

Tip: Make use of the die-cut tabs on file folders. Choose files with tabs cut in the middle, left or right. Or, if you prefer, have the tabs follow in order from left to right for easy viewing in the drawer. Don't choose the files randomly. The tabs are there to help you find the folder. Use them.
NOTE: Did you know that you can also order tab folders with the tab on the end of the folder instead of the top?

Often you'll have something that is odd-sized that won't fit into a standard letter or legal file folder or drawer. In these instances, file these pieces in an ancillary storage units including:

Banker boxes can hold oversized items as well as hanging file folders
Cardboard, metal or plastic magazine storage files that sit on a shelf
Mailing tubes store large, rolled-up prints or maps
Map file drawers are thin drawers to hold maps, blueprints or artwork
Portable file totes

Permanent Files After a project is finished, temporary files become permanent files and should be archived for reference. Moving from temporary to permanent files requires analysis and purging. Decide if items contain quality information that is worth keeping and storing. Are they timely? Can they be obtained elsewhere? Are they accurate and reliable (and will they continue to be so)? How will you use them in the future?

Once stored, decide how long you'll keep that file? Indefinitely or does the file contain tax information that can be purged after seven years or so? Remind yourself to toss old files from the archive on an annual basis. The end of the year, which is typically slow for most businesses, is a good time.