Running a home office can be very trying no matter whether you are using it to keep track of the family’s finances or running a small business there. If you don’t keep track of your papers and other items in a manner that makes sense, you will never be able to find things as you need them. Bills may not get paid on time, incurring late charges and other penalties simply because they were buried under other items. There are a number of systems that you can use to make your home office that much more efficient but there are a number of drawbacks to consider with them.
Systems that Require Scanners or Labelers
Some document management systems require that all your paper files be scanned and then formatted to a disk drive for “filing.” There are often many things that cannot be scanned and there are issues with the scanner itself. If you don’t have a scanner, this type filing system would suggest that you buy one. And this document management system may not be ideal because once you have scanned everything and put it on the computer, what if that system crashes or you are not near your computer for that moment?
With a scanning document management system, labeling everything does not always work either, especially since it does nothing to get everything organized. Sure, you know that those are all the home bills sitting there in the nicely labeled file folder, but they get moved from place to place because they have no real designated spot and they end up buried once again.
A Hybrid, Better Solution
The Paper Tiger Filing System Software and Document Management is a hybrid of traditional filing and computer search ingenuity with the ability to help you streamline your filing system and find your items without having to run out and buy expensive equipment. You don’t scan your items so you can use the same filing system software to organize books and other items that would not be able to be scanned. (See our Not Just for Filing Paper webpage) Your files are set up in index numbered, hanging files with labels that you print from the Paper Tiger Software. These file numbers never change, but the information that is stored in them can: It is all taken care of by the filing system itself. After everything is where it needs to be, and item names and keywords relating to the items being indexed entered into the software’s database, the information is converted to searchable files. All you need to do is access a computer and conduct a google-like search to find exactly what you are looking for.
Your home office is now organized like a miniature databank, like your own personal version of the World Wide Web. All of your files are right there to be accessed by a quick search. The computer will generate a search result, showing you exactly which hanging file folder the requested information is in and where to access it. There is no searching through several different files to find an item because of differing thought processes of filing from day to day.
Tame your paper files (and other items) with Paper Tiger and get organized today!
While setting up and running a small electrical contracting firm, based in a home office, I tried three, separate and distinctly different filing systems. The third system was “Paper Tiger – Professional version”. That was over 2 years ago and it has only gotten better.
When combined with Barbara Hemphill’s teaching on “FAT” (File, Act, Toss), and the six questions of “Wastebasketry”, which I now have framed on the wall for easy reference, I haven’t looked back. (See Paper Tiger Filing System Tutorials)
I am now able to sort, search and track over 1000 individual locations with confidence. Not to mention how it has helped clear my desk space and helped me focus.
After some experimentation, my locations have developed to suit three requirements:
Requirement One the physical thickness of items I need to file.
Anything from that proverbial single sheet of paper through to some quite thick and bulky brochures and technical specifications.
Requirement Two control over the sensitivity of a file’s contents.
Be that due to tax, financial or customer information. These files are simply more “mission critical” than the latest plumbing magazine or scribbled notes of meetings.
Requirement Three retaining conveniently short memorable names.
Short also means larger, clearer text printed on the physical hanging file “tab” or label.
It also uses up less space on screen for the location column, which means more space for keywords.
Thus the names and types of storage have become:
ACT & REF for my “Action” and “Reference” files.
CSO is my “Customer, Supplier, Organisation” cabinet. The sensitive files and mission critical files that are conveniently located close by and under lock and key.
All three sections use standard hanging files in metal filing cabinets.
MAG = Side open plastic magazine holders on book shelves. Great for bulky catalogues.
TAB = Leaver arch folders with 20 way dividers. TAB is short for “Tabs”. These are good to collect together product data sheets from different manufacturers, while retaining a traditional “book” format. 20 also means the folders number up easily; 20,40,60 etc.
STA = Think “Stack”. Also Leaver Arch folders, but each holding around 100 individual papers, as I like many others, like to cut out and save news articles and magazine pages for reference. These are placed in thin pre-punched plastic files with the corner clearly numbered.
ARC = Archives. Traditional box files stored in the loft for those historic records.
Finally, again thanks to Barbara’s idea,
INF = Information. Not a physical storage location, but a place that exists only inside the Paper Tiger database. A great place to “retrieve” those little notes, ideas and other miscellaneous items.
A word on filing cabinets. At the outset, I chose to invest in full size office grade cabinets, albeit second hand, and foolscap hanging files rather than the slightly smaller “A4” size that are available for home use. It was a case that these work well for the rigours of a business and are readily available and are unlikely to be a passing fad.
One key tip I have is that I found 50 hanging files per filing cabinet drawer is a great number for both drawer labeling and practical daily use. It is easy to count in “50′s per drawer.”
Finally, when explaining the system to others, I have my own slant on Barbara’s example of the car insurance certificate.
I ask people to imagine the image of a “common four wheel motorised transport device, sat on the driveway outside.” I then ask what they would file the “legal” paperwork under? Usually they reply with something basic like “car insurance” or “insurance certificate”. However I then say, “No… its not a car its a go-cart” and then explain, isn’t the Paper Tiger keyword approach better because we can add search words like:
The vehicle type:
“go-cart, quad-bike, car, van (important to our trade).
The vehicle make model
Ford, Courier
The document Type
insurance, certificate, policy, schedule
Or the common terms people use.
“Dad’s Taxi”
This last one comes more into its own when people are using the special “lingo” and abbreviations of their own industry, e.g. Medical, Education, Engineering etc.
With a cluster of strongly related words, it doesn’t matter how people search, they soon find it even when their thought processes of filing can be quite different. Which is significant in this household.
I now “file” with confidence because I can “retrieve” with confidence.
Paper Tiger – I’d be lost without it.
By Nigel Lovell
Lovell Electrical Services Ltd.
England
The following is an interview we conducted with Anne McGurty, a Paper Tiger Expert of Strategize and Organize, as she talks about how she along with Paper Tiger Filing System Software has helped her clients get organized. Anne implements Paper Tiger in her “Miracle in a Day” to transform her client’s offices.
In this interview, Anne tells us the ways Paper Tiger helps people to delegate, and it helps them to have more time and energy to work on their business or get out of the office earlier and do other things that they enjoy other than paper work.
Hi I’m Janet Baker, office manager of The Monticello Corporation, makers of Paper Tiger Filing System Software. We have with us today, Anne McGurty speaker, productivity expert, and author. Anne is the president and CEO of Strategize and Organize, a Denver-based training and consulting firm specializing in helping people perfect their environments and make better use of their resources – time, paper, and all forms of information management. As a productivity expert, Anne provides extensive customized services including business consulting, productivity training, process implementation, and time management seminars. She works with small business owners, large corporations, staff, and individual executives on their personal productivity. Anne is a member of the Colorado Chapter of National Speakers Association and is a past president of the Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. In recognition of her expertise, Anne was nominated for small businessperson of the year 2004 by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Strategize and Organize is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise Company through WBENC.
We also have with us today, assisting with this interview, Captain Terry Clark of SailwithTerry.com. Capt. Terry sails the Mañana Maybe and provides custom sailing vacations in the British Virgin Islands. He partnered with The Monticello Corporation in one of our contests for a free sailing vacation. We welcome both of you on behalf of the Paper Tiger team.
Terry: Thank you Janet, How are you today Anne?
Anne: Hey, I am great Captain, How are you?
Terry: I am doing great. Well, we are going to got through a few questions here and if you are ready to start, I’ll start asking the questions.
Anne: Thanks for the lovely introduction, Janet
Terry: Yeah that’s a hard act to follow, Anne. Well, we are going to talk about Paper Tiger now and some of its capabilities. Anne, what is your favorite thing in your use of Paper Tiger and what it fixes?
Anne: Wow, that’s a really tough question to answer because it fixes so much. I’ve got to say my favorite thing about Paper Tiger was initially when I discovered it. I have been using the Paper Tiger since 2002. I will just give some quick background; I had been in corporate America for 20 years and being a busy executive, I always relied on administrative staff to help me. But as times changed over the 80’s and 90’s, we had less and less staff and today it’s getting to be where everyone is handling two or three jobs and they have to find all their information for themselves. So when I discovered the Paper Tiger I was finally able to be an individual who can find everything on their own and the opportunity to delegate my paper work to others.
The fact is, when you have Paper Tiger, you can create a file with the name you are thinking of today. Let’s use the example, I have a medical bill that I have just received, I have paid it; I want to keep the physical piece of paper. So I file it; I don’t know where I file it. Do I file it under medical? Do I file it under taxes 2010, or, do I file it under insurance?
Well…with the Paper Tiger, it doesn’t matter because I can set up a file name and add medical, insurance, personal and health, all as keywords. So six months from now when I go to look for it, all I have to do is hit one of those keywords and it will direct me to which file it is in. So I would say the favorite thing of the Paper Tiger, is the freedom of changing my mind when I am looking for a file and being able to find it no matter where my head is at and what words I am thinking.
Terry: OK wonderful, what are the problems that a majority of clients have to solve when they use Paper Tiger.
Anne: You know the problems that I hear from clients are: I am out of control, my office is a mess, I am really embarrassed when people show up, nobody can find anything.
So what I do is I work with them by looking at all those papers that are on their desk and figure out a system for them so that they can find them. The best way to do that is to prompt them to figure out the keywords of each piece of paper.
I have to sit with them side by side to ask them these questions, because I don’t necessarily know what is going through their mind when looking at a piece of paper.
A lot of times people have piles on their desk because they are thinking that some day maybe I will need this and I have to have it quickly at hand. So it really is a fear that they are not going to be able to find it if they put it in a file, but with the Paper Tiger, they do not have to have that fear anymore because we will have lots of keywords tagged to that file for them to find it.
Terry: OK, Do you find that Paper Tiger is used mainly by administrators or managers. Or do you find that it is a mix of the two?
Anne: You know, that’s a good question because people are saying: “Well I’ve got staff, I’ll just hire somebody to come and organize me. But the reality is, it is a little bit of everybody. I find that entrepreneurs often will need it because they are so busy with their work that they never thought about a filing system, and the Paper Tiger answers that problem for them.
I find that administrative assistants who file for their boss and their boss is constantly referring to the file by a different name, they really benefit from it.
For example, I have a secretary, administrative assistant, she still goes by the name of a secretary, and she has been working for the same man for 30 years and he doesn’t like computers. So he always has piles and piles of papers on his desk, and once a month, she gets completely overwhelmed and has to go into his office when he is out of town for the day and we go in there and pull all the paper off his desk and input them into the Paper Tiger system.
At the end of our day, we print out a list in alphabetical order for him, so he can refer to his files. That way she can control all his piles; he doesn’t feel like he can’t find his files anymore and everyone is happy. That’s where a team could work.
Individual professionals who do not have an administrative support like myself finally have the opportunity to manage their paper by using the Paper Tiger.
Many people who are creative, project managers or in the client services position. They might use the Paper Tiger because they are so busy working on their jobs that they do not understand that they do not have the time or energy to file and the Paper Tiger allows them to have a simple system to manage all their paper.
Terry: OK. Thank you. How do you go about implementing Paper Tiger in your client’s offices most effectively? And when you are doing that how long does it usually take to implement Paper Tiger.
Anne: That’s a good question. The time factor is really always a big surprise to people. I will give you an example. Let’s start with looking at what the client has; they may have piles and piles of paper and say I do not know where to start, and they ask, ‘how long is this going to take?’ And usually for a really disorganized office with piles and piles of paper, I can go in with them, and in a day its accomplished.
Now I am saying myself a lot, but people can do this individually, as well. It just might take them a little bit more time, because people, when they are working by themselves, get a little bit distracted and working with a productivity expert allows them to be focused and encouraged to make decisions on the spot.
So when I have that commitment to work with somebody, I will work with them side-by-side and having them focused on each piece of paper and making a decision of what they are thinking of; those keywords to put it into the system. Also we are looking for other issues that may be affecting their productivity, because sometimes there may be other issues other than filling that may be affecting their productivity. I like to listen for that.
Back to the time, I often tell people, let’s just go in for a day and I have what we call a “Miracle in a Day”, and I will help them get organized in that eight hours.
What that means is that, we will spend the day getting all the paper off their desk and attack what is on the floor and enter it into the Paper Tiger system. At the end of the day, they will have a basic system in the Paper Tiger setup so they can continue with all the back log and enter it into the system on their own. Sometimes people are really too busy because they are very successful people and are just going, going, going, and they are not able to maintain the system. That is a critical part where they need to invest the time to maintain their filing system.
I use the example you wouldn’t go out to Saks Fifth Avenue and buy a beautiful suit and never maintain it. You do not come home from work and crumble it on the floor. You take a couple of minutes at the end of the day and hang it up. And every month or so, depending on how much you wear that suit, you are going to have to take it to the dry cleaners and get it cleaned. Same kind of thought pattern with your filling, you maintain a little bit each day, and depending on how much usage you have, you’re going to need a good clean out and get everything taken care of so that is the investment.
Terry: All right Anne. So what do your clients have to say when you have helped them get their office organized versus what they would have been able to do without your help?
Anne: You know, gosh, I am almost embarrassed to say and I get humbled every time I work with a client, because 95% of the time people will come back and say, “Anne, you absolutely changed my life.” And I know it’s the software, it’s the system that just really changes the way people work in a way they never thought about.
This software helps significantly with helping people make decisions that they never knew how to make decisions before. With the Paper Tiger, they are prompted to go forward with their filing, make decisions and have a system to follow up. I also know with clients, I feel that they can teach other people how to work with them so they do not feel like they are the only ones who have to do all the filing.
It helps them to delegate, and it helps them to have more time and energy to work on their business or get out of the office earlier and do other things that they enjoy other than paper work.
Janet: Anne and Terry, we appreciate your time today and believe this will be very helpful to our Paper Tiger users. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you being with us today.
Anne: You’re welcome Janet. Thank you so much, it’s been great to be part of the Paper Tiger Team.
About Anne McGurty
Anne McGurty is CEO of Strategize & Organize, a company devoted to training individual’s to be more effective with the tools and resources to be productive in their work environment.
If you like this issue, you’ll love Anne’s transforming productivity training and organizing products to help you organize your business — and yourself — ranging from productivity consulting for individuals and executives to small business coaching programs to keynote speaking and corporate training programs to improve efficiencies in the workplace and improve productivity.
While Anne is best known for her expertise in productivity and expert office organizing, her clients share that her biggest impact comes from her philosophy of “personalizing her programs to fit the needs of her clients so they can streamline more efficiently with existing processes” – ensuring to create a sustainable work environment. This, Anne says, is the most important key to bringing an individual to personal freedom with time and organization.
You can learn more about Anne at www.StrategizeAndOrganize.com.
You can contact Anne at amcgurty@strategizeandorganize.com or by phone at 303 881-0174.
You can also follow Anne on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/strategizeandorganize
Technology has come a long way in such a short time, revolutionizing how modern day businesses are run. Local businesses have become global players through the Internet, communication has become instantaneous thanks to email, and companies have become more efficient and competitive with the help of various Information systems.
One of the few things that technology had not been able to unanimously streamline and do away with has been document management. The word “Document” is merely an alternative way of referring to predisposed and definite paper, which contains vital information and records on a specific subject. A tax form or document is paper with information regarding……..? You guessed it “taxes”. A contract is that important legal document buried somewhere between all your other documents with information that the CEO needed yesterday.
Anyone who has a home, a family, or works in an office can attest, that paper is ubiquitous. While buried under piles of memos, reports, to-do lists, books, receipts, shopping lists, mail, order forms, school reports or staff manuals, paper’s services seem indispensable yet the paper or documents themselves seem to be a greater burden. Quite frankly, both impressions seem to be universally true.
Whether you call it document management, paper management, or filing, it all boils down to the same thing; keeping track of your documents and being able to efficiently find what you need when you need it. The solution might be a “do it all” document management system that is efficient, easy, and all muscle with none of the fluff and pretty trinkets, which not only helps you keep track of your documents but also trains your mind to be more organized and conscious of your filing and paper guardianship.
A system that incorporates great technology with simple and proven techniques that will help turn your company into a lean, mean efficiency machine, for a fraction of the price that some companies invest in document management. A tool that will transform you into the office fairy or wizard with a magic wand, for with a few strikes of the keyboard you have the exact location of all documents at your finger tips with important descriptions, categories, reminders on important dates, and multi-user capabilities that allows the information to be shared and easily accessed across your organization. A document management system that Bob can use, Susan loves and Granddaddy Earl says is simple.
Be the first to introduce the idea of efficient document management to your company, and win all the accolades from the bosses and the accountant. It will save the company lots of money by saving many lost man-hours, not to mention all the paper that gets used when printing and re-printing documents across the company. So the next time you hear that colleague ask, “Where’s the monthly report?” or your spouse ask, “Honey, where is last year’s tax return?”, tell them to ask the Paper Tiger Filing System Software.
Paper Tiger Filing System and Document Management software is a very powerful but simple indexing system that will totally revolutionize the relationship you have with your filing cabinet, your office, home, or storage location. It is a great, easy to use software that helps you find what you need, FAST! Paper Tiger is like a Google search engine for your physical items, whether it be for your paper files, your books, CD & DVD collections, storage, etc. You would simply input the information into the database relating to your physical items, i.e., Item Name, Keywords, Notes.
It does not involve scanning, which can be very time-consuming! Paper Tiger is great for documents that you have to keep in their original paper form, and eliminates the time you waste looking for important information! Experts estimate that over 150 hours per year per person are wasted just looking for lost information.
For paper filing, you would first set up all hanging file folders in your file cabinets at one time using the numbered tabs that you print out from the software and they never change.
Because the hanging file folders are already set up and waiting for your information, you eliminate the time-consuming hassle of having to find and create a file folder each time you want to file something.
When you’ve converted your files to Paper Tiger, and you need to find a file, you simply conduct a google-like search in the database to find where your file is located. You don’t have to try and remember what name you filed something under because you’ve done the work up-front by inputting the keywords relating to the file in the database.
Welcome to a new level of organization and efficiency!
In my daily life I am often consumed by enormous amounts of paper. Bills and letters and household documents at home. Invoices and employment documents and so much more at work. It sometimes feels like a blizzard of paper raining down upon my head. I grow weary of trying to manage it. There’s only so much room and so many trees I can kill without feeling the guilt. There has to be a way to improve this.
Guess what? There is. It’s called Paper Tiger. The Paper Tiger is a document management tool. I know what you are thinking…a what? Why do I need that? How does it work? Well, it’s really pretty simple. The Paper Tiger is an indexing system that helps you keep track of your physical items. It is a very simple, yet powerful concept. You establish your locations physically, but manage and keep track of them digitally. Paper Tiger allows you to file information physically one way, but easily organize files virtually in a totally different way using Categories. Categories offer a virtual view of your paper files at the click of a button. You can relate files without them being physically related!
No more duplicate files, no more fruitless searches. See your information printed in almost anyway you like. Reports are designed to make life easier for you and can be taken with you. The labeling/tab features makes setting up the software a snap! I use this great tool for all my home warranties, bills and statements. I use it at work to file documents relating to our employees and to keep track of documents. It’s a miracle how organized I am now!
Keep your paper in its original form (you do not have to scan it) and use the power of the computer to quickly and easily find/share the information when you need it. This is the best of both worlds. You get all of the best things from the computer but do not have the problems of using a scanner.
Most customers that convert their paper files to Paper Tiger would not use anything else – it is simple to learn, has great training resources (very important if you have staff turnover and need to train new employees) and it works.
Advantages:
I’ve become a faithful devotee and I really don’t know how I managed before the Paper Tiger. Oh wait…I didn’t, did I? At least, not very well. So go on and check out Paper Tiger today and find your way out of your paper storm!
Karen Mead
Verging On
Wingdale, NY
By Jane Plass, Info Grooming
http://www.infogrooming.com
As an information organizer, editor, and indexer, I’m always looking for new tools to help manage information. The recent release of Paper Tiger Online document management software and filing system helped me reorganize my business files.
I’ve long used a paper-based numeric filing system for some files, so I already knew the advantages: multiple entry points to access files and the ability to set up folders in advance. Paper Tiger Online offers these advantages, and others as well:
My business files contain financial information, projects for clients, information products and other writing projects, other information specific to my Info Grooming business, and general business information. Here’s how I reorganized them with Paper Tiger Online:
I have many more ideas for using Paper Tiger Online:
These ideas are just the start. I look forward to exploring further uses for Paper Tiger Online.
Jane Plass
@jplass
In this article, Christie Love gives us 10 Tips to Organizing with ADD/ADHD, but this is sound advice whether you have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or not. We can all function better when we follow clear steps to get organized … whether it be in your home or office!
September is National ADD/ADHD Awareness Month, I have two children at my home who have been diagnosed with this issue so it is one that is near and dear to my heart. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with many professionals who also dealt with this issue that were in need of organizational help.
“I prefer to distinguish ADD as attention abundance disorder.
Everything is just so interesting . . . remarkably at the same time.”
Frank Coppola, MA, ODC, ACG
Here are ten tips that I have found to be successful for organizing for ADD and ADHD individuals.
1. Pick up as you go along so they do not have a large pile to deal with later. This is true for a room, your desk, paperwork, craft projects, and anything else that you tackle.
2. Look for creative ways to reuse or recycle items that they want to discard. For example put outfits together to donate and let them see and know where things are going and who they are going to help.
3. When you are doing one task … look for a way to organize. For example, if you are looking for a pencil in a drawer, take a moment to Declutter the drawer or if you are looking for a paper in a file, take a moment and throw out old items that don’t need to be kept anymore.
4. Use a centralized calendar to help them become responsible for keeping up with activities and events instead of always being reminded. In the house keep important dates and appointments on it, at the office use a group calendar program to update everyone at once about deadlines and meetings.
5. Use alarms and other audible prompts as reminders for items that need to be started or completed at certain times. Many people with ADD/ADHD thrive on reminders, prompts, and time restrictions so setting an alarm to go off before a meeting is scheduled to start will give them time to transistion, prepare, and still be on time. If you are engaging in an activity that you tend to loose track of time in- like social media updates, research, etc… then set a timer for 30 minutes and limit the amount of time you spend there.
6. Use colorful notes to remind kids of routines and items so that nothing gets forgotten. Color has a powerful way of cutting through the clutter and chaos of the ADD mind. Using color coded folders for different types of projects, themes, and research can help them find what they need faster. Use colored ink in planners to easily see the type of activity they are scheduling. Write the days schedule or task list on colored paper and have them mark each item off as they complete it.
7. ADD sufferers do well with a routine, figure out one that works well and then work hard to keep it consistent. Find a daily routine for work and stick to it. You may set it up so you alternate between activities that allow you to use more energy with ones that require more focus to keep you from getting bored or lost in a task.
8. Label dividers and folders with papers so that they can find things easier without having to dig and get frustrated. Make sure that your filing system is up to date and easy to use. ADD/ADHD sufferers do not want to have to spend extra time trying to find something, because the unneeded items can easily distract them and frustrate them. <Use Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System to simply input the information relating to your paper files or other physical items into the database that has an easy-to-use search engine built in, so that lost items are virtually eliminated. Action dates can also be used to trigger action items.>
9. Keep a daily check off list of things to do so that they hold themselves accountable. A morning routine checklist, a before I leave the office checklist, and a weekly task list are all great additions to the organizational system of an ADD/ADHD person.
10. Do not work against your natural tendencies. The very traits about your ADD/ADHD that sets you apart from others are also your biggest strengths! Be aware of those strengths and talents and give them room to THRIVE! Find activities and tasks that allow you to work with your creative tendencies, give you the chance to talk to people, and the chance to think outside the box. If you find that there are certain times of the day that work better for you than others, then work to get your schedule to mesh with those peak performance times for yourself. Know your body and mind and work with it… not against it.
Do you have others to add? I invite you to leave other tips for ADD/ADHD organization in the comments section below or at Christie’s original blog.
Christie Love is the Director of Marketing for Jennifer Rothschild Ministries. She is passionate about many things including family, her faith, and helping women grow their businesses, ministries, and impact through improved marketing and leadership practices. In October of 2010, Christie will be relaunching the reformatted version of Simple Organized Sanity Online, a site that will offer downloadable planners, checklists, and lists to help you plan and stay organized. Follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/christielove936
Many years ago, filing was just a haphazard task with no discernible pattern and no regulations governing how and why it should be conducted. However, today’s business world is far different due to major advances in so many different areas of technology and media. Why do you need best practices for proper document management?
It’s vital that you have a fully functional and compliant document management system in place today for a multitude of reasons. Some best practice standards relate to the company itself. Others relate to legal obligations that must be fulfilled in relation to dealing with other companies and various regulatory bodies. Regulations can be broken down into these five key areas.
Any document management software must meet all requirements in areas such as: Retention, Access and Indexing, Compliance and Accountability, Policies and Procedures, and Disposal. People trust a company that has a sound document management system in place that is user-friendly and enables staff to file and retrieve documents quickly and efficiently.
If you’re going to implement a document management system, it must:
An efficient document management system must offer solid consistency in terms of labeling titles, filing, retrieval, archiving and destruction methods throughout the company. It’s only when this high level of consistency is met that you can firmly agree that best practices are being met.
Companies that have solid foundations in terms of records management will stand out from the crowd and will achieve greater success in all areas of endeavor. It will inevitably take any organization a great deal of time to convert an archaic filing system to a more sophisticated set up, but the results will be well worth it.
The initial step is to conduct a full inventory. At the same time, decisions must be made for each file. Should it be archived, filed for action or reference, or destroyed? The days of “too hard to file” or “miscellaneous” files will disappear.
Files may have differing legal requirements for retention and this also needs to be ascertained. If it’s all done at once, it will save hours in double and triple handling of documents and files. In the long run, it will also save thousands of dollars as well.
The new document management software will be capable of being used by everyone from the CEO right down to the relief assistant. Future action dates can be entered and will appear as reminders when needed, eliminating the misuse of in and out trays on everyone’s desks. It will also prevent the need to create paper-based documents from DVDs or CDs as they can simply be filed as they are, along with any paper files you have relating to the same subject.
In order to establish best practices, the company has to ensure that all contingencies are catered for. What information do customers generally need and how quickly? Are there differing needs that have to be met, depending on the clients? What are the retention guidelines to meet company and regulatory requirements?
Changing any filing system is always going to be a huge job. Be smart, use the most suitable document management software and plan the change as best as possible. Then you’ll achieve the strongest foundation that will allow your company to take firm forward strides with much less stress.
Why do you need best practices for proper document management? The answer is simple. Unless you want to be left behind by the forward thinking companies that adopt user-friendly document management software as part of their best practices plan, you need to do it yourself. Your office will be better organized and your staff will be able to find documents when needed, saving time and money.
Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System was designed for just this purpose … to give you a tool to manage your physical files to get organized and be able to find what you need – when you need it. You would simply input the information into the database relating to your physical files, and Paper Tiger has a very powerful and easy-to-use search engine built in, so that lost information is virtually eliminated in your office.
In this article ‘Sharing reference files increases morale and efficiency’ by Sherry Borsheim of Simply Productive and a Paper Tiger Expert, Sherry discusses how sharing files in your filing system will make your office more efficient, plus she recommends Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System to make it happen.
Sometimes filing can seem like an overwhelming job. Many people find it complicated and time consuming to find a home for all their files. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Did you know that in actuality there are only three types of files you’ll ever need?
That’s right, in all effective filing systems, there are only three types of files: action, reference and archive.
Action files are projects that you are currently working on – projects that you access frequently. For many people, the information in these files might be something they would pile on their desk out of a fear of misfiling.
Reference Files are files that you access less frequently. It is information that you want to have on hand and are not ready to archive or toss at this time.
Archive Files are exactly what they sound like – archives! These files include all paper based materials that you are required to keep but do not need on a regular basis.
Although all three file types play a crucial role in your business, today I want to focus on the often forgotten reference files.
These files make up the backbone of your company’s resource library. Imagine how much more information would be available if each individual had easily accessible reference files. Files that they could actually share with the entire office! How much more efficient would your office be if everyone shared access to key reference materials?
Sharing reference files not only increases efficiency, but it also unites offices. Suddenly there are no longer individual “camps” within the office, but rather an interconnected office that shares resources in order to benefit every member of the team.
If you are ready to pool your office reference files, there are several ways to get started. Choose a system that works best with your corporate climate and current workspace needs.
For example, since these files are accessed less frequently than action files, one option may be to create a general reference area within the office. This makes it easy for every member of the office to access files, without interrupting the flow of an individual’s workspace. By keeping everything together and indexed with the Paper Tiger filing system software, it is a simple job to find much needed files in only a few seconds.
Better yet, take a team approach to the situation and have a brainstorming session on the best way to access everyone’s reference files within the office. If some people within the group don’t know how to use the Paper Tiger, have a brief training session. Once they see how easy it is to use, they’ll use it constantly and finally make use of important reference files.
To learn more about implementing a filing system that will fast forward your office efficiency, check out my new e-book, “Conquer your Chaos: fast forward to office efficiency” at www.conqueryourchaos.com.
About the Author
Sherry Borsheim, owner of Simply Productive, has been helping people to work smarter, not harder for years. She specializes in resolving paper, time and information management issues. To learn more about eliminating the paper pile-up and in vastly improving your productively, contact Simply Productive at 604-233-7076.
You can visit Sherry, access her free article archive and grab lots of free stuff at http://www.simplyproductive.com. Sherry lives in Vancouver, BC Canada with her husband (her high-school sweetheart).
Also check out Sherry’s Calm Your Choas special that will give you a JUMP-START on ORGANIZING your office, home and life. She will give you her trade secrets and steps to setting up your organizing systems, including recommending Paper Tiger filing system software for document management, to be organized and manage the paper files that you need to keep in hard copy format and other physical stuff in your life.
Published with permission.
With a 40 year marriage, and a 37 year career in residential real estate, to say I have a lot of paper to keep track of is simply an understatement.
Over the many years I attempted many times “to get organized” in my home office and my real estate office, and it simply seemed that would never happen. I was introduced to Paper Tiger by a professional organizer (not the first one I had hired by any means), and it has truly been a lifesaver in every way.
To be able to instantly find birth certificates, kids immunization records, travel schedules, housing records, sales records, keepsakes, etc etc etc – you name it – I have it in Paper Tiger. I cannot imagine living without it, as I continue with my career and accessing 40 years of records throughout my marriage.
Thank you Paper Tiger!
Marsha Sell
marsha@sellteam.com
Our office moved from one location to the other and arrived in disarray from the move. I did a lot of research looking for something user friendly, with flexibility and really prove it’s claims.
Paper Tiger installation was easy enough. Once I put together the building blocks for the entire filing system, the rest was easy. Our office files include everything from maps, to financial records, business records, to personnel files and beyond. We have the system setup on multiple computers throughout the office and found that the system is easy enough for everyone to access the information.
We love Paper Tiger! It has made a daunting task a delight, seriously. I’m glad to have found your system, thank you!
Sally Tomar
Economic Development Corporation of Lea County
Hobbs, NM
Most people never have enough time to do everything that they need to do. Whether you’re a full-time worker, a stay at home mom, a university student or even some combination of these activities, life can be very hectic. Are you too busy to get yourself organized?
If you look back into history, even 100 years ago, just about everything had to be done manually. Computers didn’t exist. Televisions didn’t exist. Airplanes, cars, ships and communications were extremely different to what they are today.
Today we have technology in a vast range of forms. Computers can handle a wide variety of tasks that used to be done manually. The Internet has changed the world forever.
The one constant is time. Whether you’re the richest man in the world or the poorest pauper, you only have 24 hours in a day. You can’t change it. Even Bill Gates can’t buy an extra hour. However, you can decide what to do with those 24 hours.
If you break down an average person’s life, they spend eight hours sleeping, another eight hours at work and the last eight hours covers everything else that has to be done. This includes shopping, holidays, building relationships, spending time with your family, playing sports or enjoying hobbies, going to the movies or dinner, socializing and special events including weddings, parties and funerals.
Today’s Technology = More Efficiency
Today’s technology enables people to become a lot more efficient. You can get a lot more things done in the same amount of time. This means your time is free for extra tasks that appear on your “to do” list.
If you worked in a large office 20 years ago, the chances are that one of the most tedious tasks you would ever have would be filing. It was always a job that nobody wanted to do, but it still needed doing and consumed an enormous amount of time.
Technology has improved this aspect of people’s working lives. If you’re fortunate enough to be using a smart document management system, like Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, then filing and retrieval processes will only take a fraction of the time it used to take when using an archaic system.
If this time and money savings was multiplied by every person in every office in every company in the whole world, that would represent an enormous saving in terms of hours and dollars.
Are You Too Busy To Get Yourself Organized?
Despite the fact that people are extremely busy, everyone should realize that it’s vital to be organized. These various forms of technology have been created to make life easier. It’s impossible to get more time, but technology can help you get things done more efficiently. This is the whole key to being organized.
It may be time consuming to set up a smart filing system in the beginning, but imagine how much money and time you can save once it’s done when you’ll be able to find anything in 5 seconds or less.
With Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, you would input the information relating to your physical files, (item name and relating keywords), into the filing system software. Then you would conduct a ‘google-like’ search in the database and be able to locate your file quickly without having to look in several different drawers to figure out what name you had previously filed it under.
The software is a very powerful, yet simple indexing system for paper office files. It works like a search engine for paper files to help you stay organized. People using the software can save over 150 hours per year by eliminating the time-consuming task of looking for lost information.
Paper Tiger does not involve scanning your documents. Rather, the software uses the power of the computer to index the hanging file folders in office file cabinets. This method works much better than old-fashioned alphabetic methods and is a great alternative to costly and time consuming scanning and imaging solutions.
By Meggin McIntosh, “The Ph.D. of Productivity”™ and Paper Tiger Expert. Meggin recommends Paper Tiger Filing System Software for document management to get everything in your life organized — not just for filing paper.
Some dandy acronyms exist that can increase your productivity (and that of your colleagues) when using email. Four of the best and easiest to implement are shared in this article.
EOM: End of Message – The time to use this acronym is when the entire message can be encapsulated in your email’s subject line.
NRN: No Response Necessary – Let’s say somebody has asked you for some information and you send them an email with that information, and then at the end of your email, you put NRN. It’s helpful to follow that with “No Response Necessary” in brackets or parentheses. This helps your receiver to know that “You don’t need to write me back about this.” This can be useful when you send out an informational email to people to give them a location for a meeting or some general announcement.
NNTR: Not Necessary to Respond – This one is essentially the same thing as NRN. It is not that one is better than the other, it’s just an alternative to NRN and another common one that people are beginning to use. Remember, be sure to put the explanation of what NNTR means when you are first starting out using this acronym.
NTN: No Thanks Necessary – The reason folks need to use this acronym is because we are friendly people, so, when people do things for us, we thank them. In email, this can get out of hand because then they thank us for thanking them, and then we say “No problem, happy to do it,” and they will write back with, “You’re always so nice” and so forth. This is called email ping-pong and it does not enhance anyone’s productivity. Before long, one email can turn into about 17 – many of which are meaningless. No one has time for this. When you send something to somebody that they requested, then you could put either NRN or NTN (No Thanks Necessary). They may not be able to help themselves, so they may write back and say, “I know you said not to thank you, but thank you anyway.” You have to resist the impulse to write them back because somebody has to stop this insanity.
When you take a look at your emails, you could easily see that 20 to 40 percent of the emails that are sent are the unnecessary back and forth of ‘thanks,’ ‘got it,’ ‘see you there,’ and the like. No real information is exchanged, but rather the little “You’re the gal”, “I try to be”, “Everybody counts on you.” If you want to have a love-fest then call up the person on the phone or go down to that person’s office and give him/her a hug or whatever you need to do.
I think we have to be careful about using acronyms that people aren’t sure what is meant by them. When I first begin using EOM, NRN, NNTR, or NTN with any person or group of people, I always spell it out, too, but then also using the acronym so that, eventually they can begin to think about what it is. You might want to consider sharing these ideas with a group. For example, let’s say you’re on a committee, and as a committee you may want to decide here are a few acronyms you will use so everybody is clear on EOM, No Response Necessary and the like.
Bonus tip: You can also use the ideas included in this article with voicemail. Although you are not using an acronym, at the end of the voicemail to someone you can say, “I’ll assume you got this. No need to call me back,” because otherwise, some people will call you back, “Thanks for sending me the information.” Then you’ve got a voicemail that you now need to respond to.
As David Shipley and Will Schwalbe say in their book Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home, “duplitasking,” i.e., when someone calls you to make sure you got the email they just sent, is unnecessary in essentially all instances. Trust the systems that are in place (email and voicemail) to be sending what needs to be sent. Then move on to other areas of your work and life.
There are a multitude of great tips available to help all of us be more effective and efficient in our email – and other types of – communication. To access some of these and to keep moving forward on your goals for more peaceful productivity, join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin’s weekly emails (and see what is available for download at no cost at the following websites):
**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)
**Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (http://www.KeepingChaosatBay.com)
(c) 2010 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh supports smart people who want to be more productive so that they can consistently keep their emphasis on excellence. Sound interesting? It is!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meggin_McIntosh
In the past my offices have always been a mess – papers everywhere. My home was the same and I was sick of wasting time shuffling paper looking for that lost piece of information. A few years ago, I decided that was not going to happen in my new job. I didn’t have any money, having been out of work for quite some time, but I decided to call a professional organizer who recommended I try Paper Tiger.
To cut a long story short, people started commenting on how tidy and organized my office was – something I had never heard before. When someone asked for something, even something obscure, it would be in their hands in seconds: they were just blown away. And it took me only the equivalent of a day or so, spread over a week to set up, checking and re-filing all the paper I inherited, plus the papers I was creating and receiving every day.
I use Paper Tiger to organize me at home too. For once in my life I know where my tax return is, where my vehicle documentation is. I’m now a part-time university instructor (I’m the part-time bit – not the university), a communications coach and a career coach. I need to keep these roles separate, yet I have only one place to keep all these papers and materials, plus personal stuff. Paper Tiger means I can do this perfectly – everything is organized, separated yet integrated, and takes so little time to keep it that way.
I’m a Mac fan and a continuing frustration over the years has been the lack of a Mac version – I had to keep an old clunky desktop pc just to run PT. I also hated having to work fixed at one spot to use the program. I tried using LogMeIn for remote access on my Mac laptop – better, but it just wasn’t ideal. The pc finally gave up and took everything with it. I was lost – I was even tempted to try a bit of reverse engineering to try to create a Mac version for myself.
The Paper Tiger support staff helped me get going again on a laptop a friend donated – they were very patient and helpful. Then during the recovery process, I just happened to enquire about a Mac version. The wonderful support lady, Janet Baker, mentioned there is now a web-based version. I knew how much I missed PT and how much I wanted to run it on my Mac, so I jumped at the chance. Once I knew I had the database back, I signed up. Didn’t need to check it out – I knew already what PT had done for me and I knew I was lost without it. Plus I’m now liberated from my crappy pc. I’m a very happy man – I have my Mac and my PT.
I’ll always be grateful to my organizer friend, to PT in general and Janet in particular – thanks. I recommend it to everyone.
David Woodward
Time Management at work and play!
by Denise Russos, Progressive Organizing Solutions and Paper Tiger Expert
This article gives us a great plan to better manage our time so that we can get things done! Please note in #5 where Denise coaches us to keep your work place, desk and filing needs simple and streamlined. The Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System (Paper Tiger Online or Paper Tiger desktop version) will help you accomplish this very efficiently and be able to later find what you’ve filed!
Too many times we work in places that we never feel like we get our work accomplished. There are days that we constantly seem to be interrupted over and over again, so much so that by the time we leave work, we realize that nothing that was supposed to get done, actually got done!
Here are some statistics about how typical office workers feel about their days at work.
“Research shows that this is how office workers spend their typical work day:
- 28%: Unnecessary interruptions (with recovery time)
- 25%: Creating content (productive work)
- 20%: Meetings (may or may not be conclusive with action plan)
- 15%: Searching for information (half the time, search does not yield results)
- 12%: Thinking and reflecting (productive, creative work)
So what do you do?
1. Have a clear objective of what you want to achieve for the day or the next 2 hours and let nothing distract you. If you need to focus and concentrate, then turn off the chats (digital or not) and the email alerts.
2. Get a draft copy of your work out in the designated time – even if it is not perfect. Start with a framework and fill in the content as you go along. Keep the momentum going, it is progress against perfection.
3. Do not allow yourself to be interrupted unnecessarily – turn off the emails alerts, online chats and let the answering machine do its work if you are doing creative or productive work. Manage your emails with filters and rules.
4. Take breaks in between chunks of concentrated work time – enjoy your brief coffee break. Do a little stretching, take a deep breath, relax your neck and your shoulders and then come back to more focus work.
5. Keep it simple and clean – your work place, desk and filing needs to be simple and streamlined. Make good use of the trash bin. This un-cluttering will clear your mind for more creative and productive work.
6. Set yourself up for efficient work before hand – get your documents, files, and references organized each time before you wrap up work so you do not waste time looking for files and tools the next time you start work.
7. Enjoy your work – that will fuel you to be productive at work. (Retrieved from The Desk Demon Network)
Wow! Can you imagine feeling that if you work every day for four hours a day that you really only get one hour of work done every day? That’s such a tremendous waste of time!
So let’s say you use the formula above to be more efficient at work. Do you think this is feasible?
There are two of the items above that I want you to focus on.
The first is #1. Have a clear objective. Write it down and pretend it’s written in Gold and decide you will achieve that goal!
The second is #3. Stop letting interruptions rule your day.
Recently I’ve had a co-worker interrupt me 11 times in one day. Her interruptions hit the high time today when knowing that I was on the phone, she walked into my office, talking to me very loudly, so loudly I couldn’t hear the person on the phone.
You may be that person who is interrupting your co-workers and not getting your work done because of it.
If you are, then work on understanding why. Are you a person who needs to be around other people more than working alone? Whatever the reason, work on focusing on your work in shorter stretches of time and then taking a break.
There are many ways to increase your productivity at work, and time management is just one of them.
Hope this helps,
http://twitter.com/DeniseRussos
