Filing – Three Simple Tips To A Clean Desk

One of my office goals this year has been to take care of my filing in a timely and efficient manner. I can gladly say that I am better than I used to be when it comes to a mountain of paperwork. With that in mind, I wanted to share my three best tips for conquering your stack of papers in waiting!

Scan It In – Digital Filing Is Your Friend

Obviously there are certain records you need to keep a hard copy of (this includes tax returns, of course). However, there are certain papers I was filing  just to keep a record of them. I realized that I could easily scan these things to my computer and keep a digital file instead. This included mounds of employee time off requests, donation requests and performance logs from years ago. This cut my filing down considerably. To save time, I have even asked team members to make certain requests via email. This has helped immensely and further cut out an extra step!

NOW Is Where Your Power Is

Don’t let that file pile form in the first place! This is the part I have the hardest time with! When I am in a hurry (and when am I not?) it is easier to adopt a do-it-later attitude. I learned the hard way when it once took me three full days to take care of that pile…yikes! When I am tempted to put my papers in a “holding” pile, I remember that NOW is the time I should check this off my list. After all, it really only takes fifteen seconds!

Filing Back To Front

My very first boss taught me this one, and it has always worked well for me…so I stick to it 15 years later. All of my files are in alphabetical order. Within each file the papers are inserted in chronological order from BACK to FRONT. Chances are if I need to recheck something, it will be something recent. That makes the files and the papers in them more accessible and easier to find. A consistent filing system or style is a life saver!