April 29, 2010
Spring Cleaning Your Filing System
At home or at work, a good filing system is the best way to keep track of all the paper you accumulate. A good filing system is one that is developed with retrieval - not storage - in mind. If your filing system is set up properly, you’ll never have to hunt for a record, bill or receipt.
Identifying and managing inactive records or no longer needed paper is an important step in the maintenance of a successful filing system. Many filing systems break down and fail because they’re clogged too full of paper to make their contents easily accessible. If you don’t want to buy more filing cabinets or have the paper overflow piled up in bags or boxes or cluttering every horizontal surface in sight, periodically purging outdated or irrelevant material from your filing system is essential. One simple trick to help you is putting a “purge from files” date at the top of a piece of paper before it gets filed. When the time comes to clean out your files, it will be a simple task to remove any papers that are beyond their “expiration” date.
You can purge your files in one of two ways: less frequently (once or twice a year) or more frequently (whenever you use a file). If you opt for the less frequent route, spring is the traditional time of year to clean up your home so why not extend that tradition to cleaning out your filing system, too! Since it’s spring, let’s get started!
Divide and conquer your files by setting up three categories: active, archive and fingertip. Only active files - the files you consult frequently or need access to quickly - should be kept in your file cabinet/box. These files should be located near your desk or work area.
Unless you have a lot of extra room in it, don’t take up vital space in your file cabinet/box with archive files. Archive files are files that have historical, sentimental or legal value. For example, your tax returns and related back-up receipts and documents are archive files. These can be stored on the top shelf of a closet or, if you have them, in your attic, basement or garage. Keep them in waterproof containers if the selected storage location has any potential for exposure to moisture. Making an inventory sheet of all the folders in archive storage and keeping it in your active files can help you avoid having to physically go through those boxes.
Fingertip files are those you refer to all the time - phone lists, school directories, catalogs - and should be kept at your desk. If you haven’t touched a file folder that’s on your desk in a month or more, move it to your file cabinet/box and carve out more working space for yourself.
Begin cleaning out your files by removing each folder, one at a time, from your file cabinet/box and asking yourself if that particular category is still meaningful and relevant to your life. Remove any categories that no longer fit the bill. Next, sort through the folders that made the cut and clean out any unnecessary or outdated paper. Remember, only current and relevant documents should have a place in your active files. If you don’t use it or need it and there is no legal, historical or sentimental reason for you to keep it, then toss, shred and/or recycle. If you have questions about whether or not to toss a document, consult with your accountant, tax preparer or lawyer.
While you have them out, examine your folders and their labels to see what kind of shape they’re in. If they look like they’ve seen better days, replace them with new ones. If your filing cabinet/box has hard-to-open drawers or access is difficult for whatever reason, it's time to consider replacing that, too. Nothing lasts forever and the value of new supplies and equipment should not be underestimated. If it makes your life and work easier and more pleasant and you can afford it, it’s well worth it.
Review the names of your files and make sure that they still make sense to you. (More about that in my next column, “The Mechanics of a Good Filing System”.) Keep in mind RETRIEVAL - where you would LOOK for a piece of paper when you need it later on. If any of your categories are outdated, replace with a new label that better suits your current needs. Gather up all piles of paper that are sitting out - also, check for loose papers stuffed into closets, drawers, bags or boxes - and file or toss them.
Maintaining a filing system can be a time-consuming process, but the time and energy it requires are far outweighed by the benefit and relief of being able to find the paper you need when you need it.
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MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009