Nobody enjoys filing, at least nobody I've ever met. But like it or not,
keeping track of paper information is crucial to living an organized life or
running a successful business. The biggest problem most people have with
filing isn't how to store it, but how to retrieve it. So how do you create a
filing system that works? Here are three basic steps to get you started.
1. Sort your material into BROAD TOPICS.
(common categories are money,
house, health, auto, hobbies/interests, family history/identification,
insurance, etc.) Try to keep it to about ten broad categories. The plastic
tabs on your hanging files should be at the FAR LEFT side on the FRONT flap
of the folder, not the rear one. This makes the folder easier to open, you
simply grab the tab that you want and pull it toward you to open it. The FAR
LEFT tab position is a visual cue for you that this folder begins a broad
category.
Also, as you are sorting, this is the perfect opportunity to PURGE your
files of old, outdated, and irrelevant information that has been taking up
space.
2. Then, sort each broad category into smaller subcategories. For example,
MONEY might be subdivided into Banking, Retirement, and Investments while
INSURANCE may contain the subcategories Car, Health, Homeowners and Life.
For each hanging folder you have in this section, place your plastic tab in
the CENTER position on the front of the folder. The center position is a
visual cue for you that the folder is a SUBcategory of something larger.
3. Then further break down SUB-categories even smaller if you need to. For
example, Banking might be broken down into Checking, Savings, and Money
Market. Investments might be broken down into Stocks and 401K. See how that
works? This level of information should be either in its own hanging folder
with the plastic tab all the way to the RIGHT side, or you can also use
manila folders inside the hanging folder called Banking, and just write the
names of each account on the manila folder.
The thing to remember about creating a filing system is that it's crucial
that the words you choose are relevant to you and the way you think. If you
never use the word "finances" in your vocabulary, then don't write it on a
file folder, choose something that is more your style, such as "money". If
you aren't inclined to say "automobile" but rather, "car", then choose "car"
for your file name. The reason that the language is so important is because
filing is all about retrieval and not about storage. The question to ask
yourself isn't "where should I keep this?" but rather, "how will I think of
this so I can find it again?"
Using the above tips to set up an intuitive filing system will make
retrieval of information fast and easy.
About the Author: Monica Ricci has been an
organizing specialist since 1999, and her motivational presentations teach
effective organizing and simplifying techniques for home and work. She also
offers free email tips and ideas on how to make life simpler and more
organized. Her topics include clutter control, paper management, time
management, organizing space and procrastination.Contact Monica at
770-569-2642 or Monica@CatalystOrganizing.com.
