How to Arrange a Paper Filing System
Gather all your materials., Go through all the documents., Set up piles., Reduce as you see fit., Use manila folders., Transfer your piles.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Gather all your materials.
You need to compile all your paperwork before attempting to setup a proper system.
Go through all locations you may have paperwork and place them all in one pile.
Spend time to make sure you can properly account for all active and inactive work you have.
Plan ahead of time by clearing a table space to work on your papers.
If you are adapting someone else’s paperwork into a new filing system, remove all documents from the current system.
It will be better for you to handle all documents and prepare for a new system. -
Step 2: Go through all the documents.
This is the hard part of the process, but it is also a crucial step to becoming organized.
It may seem tedious, but go through each document in your pile to determine what you’re working with.
You don’t need to read each paper, but a brief skim will help you out.
Post-it notes are good for marking important papers you know you’ll need to spend time on., As you start to sort through your paperwork, it would be helpful to keep related papers together.
You could place all papers relating to the “Nickelback” client in one pile.
Another example is to pile your work based on months.
Having a sense of chronological order could be useful for your filing needs.
Set priorities while sorting through paperwork.
When you see papers that are exceptionally important, place them on the top of their respective pile. , Another pile you can create is the trash pile.
You aren’t required to throw away a pile of your paperwork, but you should separate the unimportant papers from the other piles.
You could even set up a miscellaneous pile where random papers could go.
If you are 100% sure that you don’t need some paperwork and you cannot draw a viable link to other document, discard them.
Check with your superiors if you’re allowed to throw away anything before following through with something., Keep things simple for yourself by using cheap manila folders.
This won’t hurt your funds and will allow you to carry out any filing system you’d like.
You can get a pack of manila folders from any office supply store. , Use the piles you established earlier to act as a guide for your folders.
Ensure that the contents of each folder are organized as well.
You can either organize a file’s contents based on each paper’s importance or by chronology.
Avoid arranging a file’s contents based off the alphabet.
Alphabetical organization works more efficiently for organizing groups of files.
Place the manila folders into a filing cabinet as you fill the folders. -
Step 3: Set up piles.
-
Step 4: Reduce as you see fit.
-
Step 5: Use manila folders.
-
Step 6: Transfer your piles.
Detailed Guide
You need to compile all your paperwork before attempting to setup a proper system.
Go through all locations you may have paperwork and place them all in one pile.
Spend time to make sure you can properly account for all active and inactive work you have.
Plan ahead of time by clearing a table space to work on your papers.
If you are adapting someone else’s paperwork into a new filing system, remove all documents from the current system.
It will be better for you to handle all documents and prepare for a new system.
This is the hard part of the process, but it is also a crucial step to becoming organized.
It may seem tedious, but go through each document in your pile to determine what you’re working with.
You don’t need to read each paper, but a brief skim will help you out.
Post-it notes are good for marking important papers you know you’ll need to spend time on., As you start to sort through your paperwork, it would be helpful to keep related papers together.
You could place all papers relating to the “Nickelback” client in one pile.
Another example is to pile your work based on months.
Having a sense of chronological order could be useful for your filing needs.
Set priorities while sorting through paperwork.
When you see papers that are exceptionally important, place them on the top of their respective pile. , Another pile you can create is the trash pile.
You aren’t required to throw away a pile of your paperwork, but you should separate the unimportant papers from the other piles.
You could even set up a miscellaneous pile where random papers could go.
If you are 100% sure that you don’t need some paperwork and you cannot draw a viable link to other document, discard them.
Check with your superiors if you’re allowed to throw away anything before following through with something., Keep things simple for yourself by using cheap manila folders.
This won’t hurt your funds and will allow you to carry out any filing system you’d like.
You can get a pack of manila folders from any office supply store. , Use the piles you established earlier to act as a guide for your folders.
Ensure that the contents of each folder are organized as well.
You can either organize a file’s contents based on each paper’s importance or by chronology.
Avoid arranging a file’s contents based off the alphabet.
Alphabetical organization works more efficiently for organizing groups of files.
Place the manila folders into a filing cabinet as you fill the folders.
About the Author
Dennis Henderson
Enthusiastic about teaching home improvement techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: