Last Updated on August 20, 2022 by
An organized office makes a more productive person. Yet, it’s not as easy as it may seem.
Creating an efficient office filing system can cut down the amount of time it takes you to find that very important piece of paper, but how can you make one that works for you?
Keep reading to find out.
Table of Contents
Consider Your Office Habits
If you’re creating a filing system that many employees will use, you should consider what files they will need to access, where their desks are, and what makes sense based on how they work.
If you’re making a filing system that mostly only you will use, consider your workflow and how you move around your office space. What do you need daily access to? What would you like to be able to reach while still at your desk?
What works for you may not work for a whole office full of people, so consider everyone’s office habits and ask for input when creating your new filing system.
Choose an Office Filing System
Depending on if you’re a small business owner of a restaurant or an accountant’s office, your filing system will probably be different.
You can choose to file numerically, alphabetically, color-coded, or something else. Choose what will be most productive for your company.
Perhaps you search by customer’s name, or maybe their phone number. Do you file by specific categories, such as financial, marketing, or expenses?
This can help you decide the type of office filing system you’d like to choose. If you’re going to have a physical filing system, it’s wise to select a filing cabinet that will hold twice the amount of files you already have to allow for growth.
Keep it simple, so you can integrate digital files eventually if that is something you desire.
Look Into Your Storage Needs
When organizing paperwork, it’s essential that you decide what files you’ll need daily, weekly, or monthly, and which can be filed away for more long-term use.
You can have various filing cabinets of various sizes, and place them in a way that makes sense for their use. Have a small one near your desk of daily files and a larger one down the hall of files you’ll need monthly or yearly.
Invest in a Labeling System
Perhaps the most crucial part of folder organization is a good labeling system.
Being able to read each file’s label clearly will save you tons of time, so buying a label-making system or investing in tabs such as at Tabshop.com can do the work for you.
Decide how you want to label the files and keep them uniform so that you don’t have to decipher what each file means whenever you are looking through them—bonus points for color-coding them to make your life even easier.
Create Your Office Filing System Today
Establishing an office filing system is one of the smartest things you can do for your business. Keep it simple, uniformed, and organized, and you’ll never waste time looking for that customer’s file again.
Would you like more organization tips? If so, you should browse through our collection of articles today!
