Filing guidelines
SMART guides: Filing

Following some filing guidelines will allow you to find the papers you want quickly.  This is essential if you want to avoid loosing time when working on a task.  You need to put in place an easy to use filing system that enables you to quickly find the papers your looking for.  This system needs to follow filing guidelines that are actually workable.

Let's face it filing is one of those jobs that people don't like much.  But when it comes to finding something essential to our business we're always glad if we actually did the filing.

How to File

There are lots of filing guidelines available for you to choose from.  What I explain here is what works for me.  Hopefully you'll try it and find the benefits that I'm already enjoying.

However you set up your filing system, whatever filing guidelines you follow it's not going to work well for everything.  There will be some things that don't seem to fit.  If you want a system that works you need to accept this and deal with the difficult stuff separately.  Work for a system that is 80% right.

Let's start with the easy stuff, papers.  You should file under a, b, c etc.  Create a list of files headed a-z.  You can create them as hanging folders or concertina files.  Personally I like the concertina files.  They stand up in a drawer, they expand but importantly they don't get caught up in runners or fall down.

Once you have your a-z files you now need to get some folders that'll fit into those files.  These can be cheap brown folders.  You also need a stack of stick-on white labels and a black pen to write on the labels.

Starting from fresh is always the easiest way to file but you can migrate to this method if you have an existing system.  Pick up the first paper you want to file and decide if you'll file it by company or by topic.   Get a brown folder and stick the paper in it.  Label the top, back and edges of the folder. The folder now goes into the a-z index and that's it.

When you add subsequent papers add them in date order.  I like to punch a hole in the top left-hand corner and put a treasury tag through.  You don't have to have this as part of your filing guidelines but I've found it helps a lot when you inevitably drop the papers out of the folder onto the floor!

You've now got a simple filing system.  You know that if you are looking for something it's either under the company name or under the topic.  It should be easy to find things now.

Dealing With The Big Stuff

Once you've got your papers under control you need to think about those magazines and the large paper bundles you get.  If you put them in your filing system, it'll soon become huge and unworkable.  So for large paper I suggest that you have a separate system.  Get some box files and label them a-z and work up a system similar to the paper one.

If you're like me then you might not want to pay for expensive box files.  So a simple alternative is to get a cardboard box and label it instead.  Don't forget that the box is the index - e.g. "a" or "b" or "c".  You need to put the item for filing into another folder to hold it.  You can find folders big enough to hold magazines and large papers but I suggest the easiest way is to put a paper wrapper round them with the file name clearly written on the front.

Day to Day Running

Running your filing system day to day is key to success.  If you get a lot of papers every day then you should file every day.  If you only get a few papers you should store them up and file once per week.

The key to success and saving time with these file guidelines is to pick a regular filing slot and stick to it.  Don't let the paperwork build up!

As you go through the year you'll find that the filing system despite your best efforts gets clogged up with papers.  So once a year you need to set aside a day and go through it and purge.  Get rid or archive out files that aren't needed anymore.

Don't fret about taking it out of the system.  Put it in an archive box (with a-z labels) and leave it for a year.  If you haven't used it after a year throw it out.  However be careful about legal papers, tax papers and alike.  You need to keep that paper work for varying amounts of time.  If in doubt check.

Working Folder

If you use papers a lot then you should consider supplementing your filing guidelines by setting up a working folder.  A working folder is a kind of sub folder to the main file.  In it you keep the stuff you use day to day.  Once you've stopped using it day to day you return it to the main file.

Using a working folder like this is handy if you're like me.  I have my main files in a different room to my office.  I don't want to have to go upstairs to it every time I want a paper so I have working papers.

In companies I've found that it's better to take copies for working files rather than take the original.  Leave the original in the main file so others can access it.  I'd recommend that you clearly mark your copy, COPY.

I've added a free filing guidelines summary for you to print out.  Hopefully this will help you as you set up your system.