Creating an office filing system can be daunting if you try to make it too complicated. Fortunately, that’s not necessary. The main feature of an effective filing system is that it should be easy to use. If it’s too complicated, you won’t use it and your stuff will pile up and create clutter. So let’s just get it done.
There are two basic types of office filing systems: alphabetical and numerical.
An alphabetical filing system, as its name suggests, is based on filing your folders according to the first letter of their titles. So for example, sales would go under ‘s’, client Acme Company would go under ‘a’, etc.
But as your business grows, these files will get more complex and this simple division won’t keep it in order. You might sell at home and abroad, for example, requiring at least two sales folders. You might have large number of regular clients, and a file for each one is needed.
What your office filing system need now is a section for Sales, with all the sales folders together there. If your filing drawers have movable dividers, use them to define the sections.
A drawback of an alphabetical system is that some letters seem to have lots more files than others, so those drawers fill up more quickly and you can lose a finger nail trying to find a spot for a new file!
A numerical filing system doesn’t have that problem, as you simply add new files with a new number. So your sales files won’t necessarily be housed together, as the files are created at different times.
So although a file index is always a good idea, it’s crucial if you are using a numerical file. Each time you create a new file, you must give it a number and add it to the index with a title or description of what’s in it.
Some files you’ll use all the time, while others are just for reference and you don’t need to access them as often. If your desk has a deep file drawer, this is the ideal place to keep what I call “action files”. Just remember to move them out into the reference section when the need for immediate action is over. If you don’t have a file drawer in your desk, invest in a small two-drawer cabinet and keep it beside your desk where you can easily reach it.
Like most office systems, a filing system is only effective if you actually use it. So create an office filling system that suits your needs, and then file every week to keep it under control.