Do you find that filing is always the last thing you have to do and never get around to it?

We were recently asked by a client to help out with a bit of office reorganisation.  They were looking for tips for efficient filing.  Along with a lot of shredding, recycling and generally throwing things away.  We put together a simple list of tips for our client.  So they could make their filing manageable and not let it get on top of them again.

So rather than keep this list to ourselves and our client.  We thought we would share it with anyone searching for a new way to get their offices running more efficiently.

9 tips for efficient filing:

1. Have all the files you think you are going to need to hand.  There is nothing worse than starting a job and getting distracted by a missing file!
2. Have marker pens, punch pockets, labels, extension files, and dividers, handy.  So not to waste time searching for them later.
3. If you have a rather large pile of documents etc, make space on the floor to make individual piles of where they need to go.
4. If you think it’s going to take some time, make a pot of tea/coffee and a plate of snacks, so there are no excuses to stop filing.
5. Play some if you’re favourite feel-good music, to keep you motivated. (It will help cut the time in half!)
6. If you don’t want it to take all day, set yourself a time limit and the set an alarm, so you stick to it.
7. If this is one of your pet hates of working from home, reward yourself when you have finished. Even if it’s just that you finish 30 minutes earlier that day, this gives you something to look forward to at the end.
8. To make this job easier each month, invest in some desk tidy trays, give them each a label and then the job is half done.
9. If all else fails! Go paperless! It’s easier then you think, and would not take much time to set up.

Visit our services page to find out more about our general admin services and how we can support your business administration.  Not sure on how go paperless?  Let us help you set up a digital filing system to help you find and store those important documents.

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash