Office Organizing: Part 3 – File System
by Angela On February 16, 2012
Let’s talk paper filing systems! I know what you’re thinking, boring! Not true! There can be beauty in files. Here are the very basics of what you need to know about staring a bare bones filing system.
When it comes to paper there are three BIG things you need to know: There is “action” paper, reference paper, and trash.
Action paper: Action paper is any type of paper that requires an action of any kind. Something that you need to sign, mail, read, respond to, or anything otherwise known as a “to do”. Bills, permission slips, a birthday invitation you need to RSVP to, a ticket you need to pay, those are some examples of action papers. So where do those go? Typically I recommend those things go on top of a desk within arms reach so you can easily file things and retrieve them. If you don’t have a desk or home office you can also tuck this away where you process your mail, maybe a kitchen counter.
One of my favorite containers to use for an action system is a desktop file box like the one shown directly above from The Container Store. See Jane Work has a great more playful file basket shown at the top of this post.
If you are a visual person and you prefer to see your stuff then I recommend a 3-5 slotted letter sorter similar to the one above from The Container Store or the desktop sorter below from See Jane Work.
Reference Files: Just as the name suggests reference files are anything you may need to refer back to. This could be anything from medical records, birth certificates, tax documents, to an electricity bill. Typically I recommend storing those documents that you will need to file or reference on a monthly basis or near your desk or near where you will be processing your daily mail. If you keep the files close to where you will open the mail the chances that you will file your documents immediately will increase. So keep it easy. In last week’s post Office Organizing Part 2-File Storage I showed lots of example of ways to store your files.
But as you know I am always finding more inspiration, so above is another DIY file system I just found from Erin at Stillwater Story.
Toss: You know what is trash, but not everything should be thrown out. Recycle what you can but be sure to shred anything with your personal information or account information. Invest in a small shredder and or a pair of shredding scissors. I love the shredding scissors!
An all-inclusive system:
If you want to go all out, then my favorite product is the FreedomFiler filing system. This system changed my life! I know this may be hard to believe but I used to HATE paper and filing. I would create a filing system and get frustrated with it after a while. The Freedom Filer has been wonderful. With it you create a filing system that is color coded based on the length of time you need to keep the paper in that folder. So each color represents how long you keep the paper inside. Some things you will keep for 2 years, some you only keep till you get an updated copy of a document, others you will keep permanently. It also gives you guidelines on how long you need to keep certain documents. Can you create your own filing system similar to the FreedomFiler, sure, but to me the ready to use well thought out labels and the time saved is well worth the minimal price. You can order a FreedomFiler from my products page if you are just dying to have one!
Woo! I hope that gave you a little paper inspiration! See you next week for part 4.
