My sister, who’s office appears to be in a constant state of “jumble”, actually has an impressively organized filing system. It involves color and placement and probably if you are taking over someone else’s filing system it would take a bit of time to initiate. But the time would be well spent as it will save precious time and frustration down the road when it really comes down to the nitty gritty.
As a Grants Administrator for a major University she has many different programs to keep track of at any given time. And the same faculty member may be involved in many different grants. So having all files with the same color is pointless because you would have to open each file to find out if it is the one you want or you would have everything in one file under the name and then sub files inside creating a huge mess.
Her system eliminates the need for that. Each color delineates a type of grant be it Federal, state, private or whatever. Then comes the fun part - placement. To the far left means applied, middle is in progress and far right is complete (or something like that, as I said it is her system, not mine). That way it is easy to just reach in a pull what you need and even easier to glance at it and know what type of grant and what stage it is in without even opening it.
She is lucky enough that she is the only one handling her files. If you are not so lucky and have more than one person involved, print out a legend and tape it to the front of the filing cabinet.
Posts
3 comments:
Great Article--As we at American Folder Company understand the challenges that many office environments face each day. We have been the industry filing experts since 1985, and have found that the key to successful filing is to find the products /solutions that fit your needs. At American Folder.com we have 1000's of filing solutions that are time tested--So if your looking for Pressboard Folders / Classification Folders, File Pockets or Manila File Folders solution we have it. Give us a look at AmericanFolder.com and you will see that our manufactured filing supplies are of the highest quality possible and we ship all orders Freight Free (USA orders only).
AmericanFolder.com
Wow...the AFC was ON this post huh?
I'm impressed. I do the same thing with my highlighter and calendar. Weddings are pink. Bills are Orange. Kids stuff is Yellow. Blue is random.
It looks like some of the issues you are encountering when you file could be solved by using software to keep track of your files. You can try The Paper Tiger Filing system to help you better keep track of your files. Give it a try! We are BBB A-Rated business and are always looking for ways to help people file!
Post a Comment