Filing Do's and Don'ts
By Jodi Granok
Filing is an essential part of keeping your paperwork organized, but it is a learned skill that requires some practice. If you have trouble managing your paperwork, here are some Do's and Don'ts to get your filing back on track.
DO:
Keep a large supply of manila folders on hand so you are always ready to make a new file.
DON'T:
Buy lots of differently colored folders; it makes your system overly complicated.
DO:
Use manila folders that have tabs all on one side.
DON'T:
Buy manila folders that stagger the tab location (left, center, right, left, center, right, etc.) because when you add or delete a file, it will throw the whole system off.
DO:
Use topic headings that make sense to you, so retrieval is fast and easy.
DON'T:
Use the topics that you inherited from a former employee or ones suggested by someone else.
DO:
Create general topic headings for your hanging file folders that allow you to group several manila folders inside it. Example: A hanging file folder labeled "Credit Cards" could have manila folders inside titled "American Express", "Macy's", "Shell", "Visa", etc.
DON'T:
Make your hanging file folder topics so specific that you can't place any manila folders inside.
DO:
Staple papers if they need to be kept together.
DON'T:
Use paper clips to hold papers together - they tend to grab other pages that don't belong!
DO:
Unfold papers and remove envelopes before filing.
DON'T:
File bills when they are still folded up inside envelopes. It wastes valuable filing space!
DO:
Place papers neatly into a file, with all the papers facing the same direction.
DON'T:
Stuff papers in haphazardly. It bends or dog-ears pages - making it harder to find them later.
DO:
Spend 5-10 minutes at the end of each day filing papers away.
DON'T:
Wait until you have a huge pile of papers to file, causing anxiety, procrastination, and more stress.
DO:
Review files regularly and toss/shred/recycle papers when they are no longer needed.
DON'T:
Set up your filing system and then stuff papers into it until you can no longer get anything in or out of the file cabinet!
© Organizing Magic, LLC - 2009. All Rights Reserved. (return to the article archive)
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