When And Where You Need It:
Filing According To Task
Contributed by Jennifer Goldman
You'd probably agree that keeping your office space tidy lends to clearer thinking and better overall productivity. But it won't do you any good if your office is neat as a pin while your files are inconvenient to track or retrieve. Appearing organized—with all your folders neatly tucked away and filed in alphabetical order—just isn't enough to keep things running smoothly and efficiently. If you're working with certain files on a continuing basis, you need to do more than simply store them out of the way. You must be able to locate a file at a moment's notice, AND identify what stage you're at in the process of performing related duties. That's why it's no less than necessary that you organize your office according to task.
The first step to organizing your office for optimal efficiency is to distinguish between files that temporarily remain active and those that are no longer active but need to be archived. Archived files should be stored alphabetically or chronologically and place out of the way, where they won't clutter your workspace.
Files that currently remain in use can be sorted into three categories:
- Everyday-Active: those that regularly demand the performance of related tasks or projects
- Supplemental: those materials that support the completion of those or other tasks
- Reference: general reference materials that could prove necessary or useful at any given time
Create a color-coding system by assigning a certain color file to each category. For instance all everyday-active files can be red, all supplemental files blue, and all reference files yellow. Once you've separated your files into these three categories, place them in the appropriate colored files and label the files either by their topic or purpose, such as "Advertising," or "Potential Clients." Label your files in a way that is not only logical to you, but is likely to be self-evident to your colleagues. The more general you make these headings, the easier it will be for you to fit multiple documents under them. Besides, if your make your headings too specific, you and your coworkers will have a difficult time finding files under what are likely to be some pretty obscure categories.
All everyday—active files should be kept in the same place, where they will be convenient to access by the people who use them most. Devote an entire drawer or cabinet to everyday-active files only, another to supplemental files, and a third to reference materials.
Additionally, once you've organized all your documents into the appropriately colored files and labeled them by purpose, you'll need to decide on a system for arranging the files within each group-Active, Supplemental, or Reference—in your file cabinets (or other storage receptacles). You can choose to arrange the files in each group alphabetically, or sequentially according to date or the order in which you received them. You also have the option of creating broader umbrella categories and using the "purposes" you assigned to your folders as subcategories that fit into those umbrella categories. Use your discretion and settle on a system that works hand in hand with the operational procedures of your department. Folders that are often used in conjunction should ideally be placed in proximity to each other, eliminating your need to shuffle frantically when it comes time to retrieve multiple related folders.
Whatever method you choose, use divider tabs to identify where a particular filing section begins and ends and to identify each section. For instance, if you are filing things according to date, you can use a new divider tab for each month of the year and label that tab accordingly.
You can keep this system in place perpetually if you just take the time to update annually. This maintenance measure merely requires you to move last year's active files to the archives.
Doing so will enable you to remove distracting clutter and focus primarily on the matter at hand. If it weren't for the organize-by-task system, you might not even know what projects were most pressing. The people waiting on those projects certainly haven't forgotten. Thankfully, they'll be waiting a lot less once your folders are quickly and easily accessed. What's more, you'll be prepared to give them an accurate progress report at any given time.
About the Author:
Jennifer Goldman is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader living in Denver, Colorado.
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