How To Organize Office FilesArticle Outline 1. Clearing A Huge Pile Of Paper 2. Making Use of Suspension Files 3. How To Organize Office Files- Steps To Take 4. How To Organize Office Files- The Final Step 5. An Effective Filing System In "How To Get Organized In Minutes!" the technique shown to clear clutter is to have three sections for urgent things, important things and things to be thrown away. In this section you will learn how you can organize office files effectively by having a proper system. Clearing That HUGE Pile of Paper!You should read "how to get organized in minutes!" to learn how to clear clutter- just click here to read it (Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes). After that you can return to this section to learn techniques on how to organize office files.After reserving three sections for ‘urgent’, ‘important’ and ‘rubbish’, you will see that the things are slightly more organized. You have already done a great job categorizing your things. But huge piles of paper can be intimidating to deal with! The things in the three sections may contain heaps of stuff that might just give you that overwhelming feeling. The pile of papers may contain unread articles that you kept because they were so interesting, or some documents that you want to deal with, and is in that horrible stack of papers. There is an easy way to deal with this when you apply the steps on how to organize office files, so don’t worry! IMPORTANT TIP: Take Small Baby Steps- But Start Taking Action Now! Get Organized By Using Two Suspension Files!How you should use your suspension file:• A suspension file for temporary files (Documents that need to be dealt with by three months) • A suspension file for permanent documents (Documents that won’t be used for the years to come). Steps to takeJust follow these simple steps which will guide you on how to organize office files effectively. Take that huge pile of paper, and split it into five batches. You are going to deal with the first batch. Just deal with one piece of paper at a time. Here is a system you can use to get rid of that pile forever!Have you split that huge pile of paper into five separate batches? Great! Take the first batch, throw away documents that you do not need and place all important documents into your suspension file for temporary documents. The next thing you need to do is to put anything important that you want to keep for a long time into your suspension file for permanent/ long-term documents. Repeat this step for the other 4 batches. By doing this you will find that splitting your task into five different batches of paper is easier to do than clearing that HUGE intimidating pile of paper! By the end of this all unimportant documents would have been cleared! And your important documents would have been filed into your suspension files containing ‘temporary’ and ‘long-term/ permanent’ documents. Don’t Forget About Your Permanent Documents In Your Suspension File!Now create a to-do list for your suspension file which contains permanent documents documents. Lock in important dates on to your to-do list so your permanent documents in your suspension file is not forgotten. Then put it away.By this time your huge pile of paper would be gone. Your next step is to come up with a system that will keep you organized for life! This is because heaps form by itself, it is inevitable to avoid it. The question is how big did you let that heap of paper get? And how are you going to deal with it? The answer to those questions is simple- To be effective, you need to have a system. If you do so, you will save much of your time instead of relying on your memory. When you need something, you immediately know where to get it. Even the smartest man in the world had a system. Did you know that when Albert Einstein was asked by a reporter for his phone number, he had to refer to a telephone book! Dumbfounded, the reporter says, "You're the smartest man in the world and you can't even remember your own phone number?" Einstein replies, "Why should I memorize something when I know where to find it?" What’s The Bottomline?It is NOT necessary for you to remember everything. We’re talking about the smartest person on earth! The most important thing is to have an effective system where you know where your things always are.So to avoid piles of paper forming in your workplace, have a system! Start by labeling your suspension file for temporary documents. Put some life into your filing system; try not to use the basic dull black markers and arm yourself with coloured pens and papers! So What’s An Effective Filing System?So now you have files in both your suspension files. Before continuing, keep in mind these simple rules on how to organize office files• Never keep things that you don’t need • Be consistent with your filing system • Never let things accumulate- Have a special compartment in your suspension file An Effective Filing System- Having Categories For Your Suspension FilesSplit it into categories like bills or tax invoice. Then have sub-categories like electricity bills and water bills. Reserve the front section in your suspension file for temporary documents. Only place things that will stay in this reserved compartment. You should use this front compartment every time from now on. By practising good organizing habits by having two suspension files, you will have an overview of the things that need to be done, instead of seeing it as a nasty pile of paper! An Effective Filing System- Giving Clear ‘Not So Serious’ LabelsReserve a section for 'urgent' documents. This is important because you will always know that whatever files that are in the compartment for 'urgent' documents must be dealt with.Don't be too serious with your labels. Instead of labeling ‘urgent’, write something like “Deal with me now!” For important bills, put labels like “PAY ME by…January 20x1!” Clear your suspension file regularly to keep it organized. Don't think it's a hard task. Spend 15 minutes (may take less time) every week clearing documents in your ‘urgent’ section, you'll be amazed how easy it is to clear your suspension file every week. Your permanent documents will always be in your suspension file for permanent documents. So whenever you need it, you will NEVER EVER spend time finding it again. You might need it next year, or two years time, it will always be in that suspension file for permanent documents. Heaps are avoided with your suspension file for temporary documents, nothing else goes on your desk or floor, it all goes into your suspension file for temporary documents! Apply these simple techniques on how to organize office files and you will find that clutter will hardly form! This is because every little thing that you needed to deal with goes into your suspension file for temporary documents! So for a quick recap for the techniques on how to organize office files- always remember have two suspension files: And remember, make full use of your suspension files! Related ArticlesOrganizing Tips To Eliminate ClutterReturn from How To Organize Office Files To Getting Organized Main Page
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