I began to use Paper Tiger Filing System Software (the Tiger) about a year after I started my own business. I have been in commercial Real Estate for 25 years and have participated in all facets of the industry from downtown tenant representation, through office leasing and industrial leasing & sales to the current concentration on land sales.
Before the Tiger, I was always looking for loose ends. I might have a main file with the building information and another file with tenant information and site plans in a separate area, as well as large bulky proposals and studies in another cabinet.
What a job to locate everything I needed for a meeting. With the Tiger, I’m just a click from knowing where I’ve hidden everything that relates to one or two key words.
I am always showing and telling people they should be a Tiger user. I have also started cataloging video tapes, DVD’s and other media at home. And…support is super if you ever need it.
Thomas H. Gledhill
Gledhill Properties, Inc.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
www.gledhillproperties.com
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
Self-storage facilities are used by individuals for personal possessions or as temporary storage for people in the process of moving. They can also be used for special collections such as model airplanes, cars or trains or other collectibles. Major collectors often run out of room in their own home and need this extra space.
Businesses can use self-storage facilities for a variety of reasons. Some businesses may wish to use the storage space for a short period of time. Others plan on using it long term.
Storage of files is a necessity in any company. The larger the company, the more files there will be that need storing. Self-storage facilities can be used or document retention storage facility companies are also available.
It’s more economical to use a storage facility for archived items that doesn’t need to be accessed often because you’re only paying for the space that you actually need. If you’re in an office, you’re paying a premium amount for floor space for the filing cabinets or shelving.
To ensure that you can find your items quickly when needed, it is imperative that you implement an efficient document management system like Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System.
Many companies have certain private files that would cause a major problem if they were ever destroyed. Copies of such files can be kept in a self-storage facility and the information relating to the files can be entered into the document management software system. A simple ‘google-like’ search in the database will allow easy and fast retrieval. Boxes would be numbered in relation to the index number assigned by the software’s database, instead of searching through each box for the needed document.
However, in order to know which files must be archived, companies first need a document retention policy with the guidelines of how long each type of document needs to be kept in-house for quick retrieval, when they should be sent to archives, and then how long to be kept in archives before destruction or to be kept indefinitely. (See our Retention Guidelines category for more information)
If you use document management software, you have more options to choose from when labeling various files. Just because you do have a great deal of flexibility in labeling your files with this type filing system, it doesn’t mean that you can’t simply use an alphabetical system. However, you can complement your filing system by cross-referencing with keywords input into the database, to enable you to find what you need when you need it without wasted time in searching for which file name you last placed it.
The important fact to remember is that using your document management software, you’ll instantly know where every single file is being kept. Naturally, the items that are being stored in a self-storage facility will most likely be archived files. They won’t often need to be accessed, but for legal reasons would need to be stored for a specific period of time.
There are also aesthetic reasons for planning your storage needs. If you have clients constantly visiting your office and all they see are filing cabinets and shelves and piles of paper files everywhere, it doesn’t really give your company a very good image. Utilizing an economical self-storage facility will help to present your company in a much better light to potential customers.
It’s only natural that there are various sizes of units because some people only need a small amount of space, while others need much larger units. Some units even have shelves fitted, which make it easy to store boxes of files.
Implement Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System in your home, office and storage today to assist you with decluttering not only your paper filing system, but any item that you can put a number onto so you can get organized and be more productive.
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
Regardless of whether you’re a primary, secondary or college/university educator, being a teacher or professor is one of the most demanding and time-consuming jobs in the world. It’s not a job where you simply clock in and out at a set time and switch off. They have to be so much more than employees.
They have to prepare lesson plans, tests, theoretical and practical exams, teach classes and assess assignments. They can’t do it all during school hours and so they end up taking work home with them to complete in the evenings and over the weekends.
Most teachers have to deal with more than one class and some also teach different subjects. That’s a lot of students to look after. It also means they need to have a superior filing system that can adequately cope with the many variables that can apply to their students. Teachers can be more effective with an efficient filing system, such as Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System.
Instead of using an archaic alphabetical document management system, it would benefit teachers greatly to utilize a more flexible filing software system. Such a program would enable each teacher to tailor their filing system to suit their specific workload. They would input item name and keywords relating to each file into the database of the filing software. Then when a file is needed, simply conduct a ‘google-like’ search in the database and be able to find any file within seconds.
They can use categories including: student names, subjects, exams, tests and any other types of categories that may be relevant. Such a system means they can cross-reference files when needed and keep all related documents within the same file.
This filing system will eradicate the endless piles of files that used to sit on teachers desks or get stuffed into briefcases or suitcases, just so they could keep files intact. They can just take home the important documents and files when needed. Then archived to the filing cabinet at an appropriate time. And how to archive or move files from one location to another is simple with Paper Tiger.
If teachers implement this style of filing, then it will save them hours of time in filing and retrieving of files or documents. It will greatly increase their efficiency and enable them to spend more quality time with their students, which is their primary function.
While teachers are actually running their classes, they have to mark attendance sheets, hand out reference material to students, teach and deal with endless administrative paperwork. Excursions or field trips mean forms to send home for signatures and money. All this information can be recorded, using the advanced document management software, and be immediately actioned if needed.
By implementing this type of filing system, each teacher is also making future work far easier to manage. Teachers can teach the same subjects year after year, but to different students. If they have implemented an extremely efficient method for their document management, they can start each new year with much of their planning and preparatory work already done.
This is particularly important and relevant when it comes to lesson plans and training/reference material. Because they can archive some files until the following year, they have only to go back into those archives to retrieve those files and this means they won’t have to do the same amount of hard work all over again.
If teachers can use methods that will free up their time outside of working hours, then their family life will be of a much higher quality and that will then reflect back onto their work. A healthy work-life balance is vital for the longevity of everyone.
However, teachers are entrusted with the education of the future adults of today’s society and so it’s more relevant for them to be as efficient as possible and be at their peak when dealing with today’s young minds.
Teachers or professors can definitely be more effective with Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System!
In this article, by Denise Landers, of Key Organization Systems, Inc. and Paper Tiger Expert, Denise says the ‘paperless office’ has not quite made it to reality, and even if it had…would you be more productive? That’s where Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System comes in to help you manage your paper files that continue to flow into your life. Actually, Paper Tiger can help you manage just about everything, because anything you can put a number to, you can Paper Tiger!
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We’ve been hearing for years about the paperless office, and great strides have been made in this direction. Yet somehow there are still hard copies of documents on desks and scribbled notes everywhere. Paper calendars continue to sell, and business cards accumulate in stacks and in drawers.
The push in recent years for getting on the electronic bandwagon are the eReaders, and the competition is fierce. Yet have you been to a bookstore lately? They do not seem ready to shut their doors yet.
Newspapers and magazines offer online subscriptions, at great cost savings to them, and for awhile it looked like advertisers were abandoning the print mode. However in recent months, after a two-year lull, there seems to be a reversal in the trend. Multimedia Research data show magazine readership has risen 4.3% during the past five years.
If paperless is the most productive way to go, why are these situations occurring?
There is no doubt that many of the tasks we do are better performed electronically. Yet we like paper! One reason is that we read 30-50% faster with a hard copy as compared with an electronic copy. If you’re not sure about this, consider how you often print out a long email or a document you might want to read in depth later.
Reading faster, jotting notes in the side margins, or comparing documents side-by-side can definitely increase productivity.
One of the newer magazine ads put out through a campaign by five publishers shows a photo of Michael Phelps alongside the message:
We surf the Internet.
We swim in magazines.
It is often easier and quicker to have a paperback or magazine tucked in your briefcase when there is a 10 or 15 minute delay or a need to wait in a line. At home and in hotels, it feels cozier to settle in with a hard copy of a book or magazine than with a piece of electronic equipment.
Everything is evolving, and it is good to combine the best of both worlds, but do not feel that, in order to be the most productive, you must have only the latest and greatest technology.
Denise Landers @timetrainer
Key Organization Systems, Inc.
Original article posted at Denise’s blog
Corporate Training: workshops and consulting to increase daily work flow and reduce stress
Individual Assistance: our onsite and virtual office organizing to bring about changes quickly
On Your Own: books and CDs to work at your own pace
Archaeology is the study of past cultures to determine how people lived, based on the things they have left behind. It’s an extremely complicated field of study that requires meticulous records to be kept. However, archaeologists love digging through ruins – not files.
Archaeological expeditions can go on for months at a time and are often conducted in places with very few “creature comforts.” They usually set up tents to live in while they conduct their research.
That’s second nature to the dedicated people who conduct these studies because they’re determined to learn as much as possible about history from what they find. It’s vital they record their findings so a bigger picture can be created about how ancient civilizations lived.
Archaeology can be an exciting field of study, especially when discovering some new specimen or piece of information that reveals something about history that hasn’t been discovered yet. However, it can also be very tedious.
Many different pieces of equipment are used in such work. Some of the more primitive tools include: shovels, hammers, sieves, compasses, picks, tape measures, trowels, buckets, magnifying glasses and tiny instruments such as dental picks, toothbrushes and scalpels.
More modern equipment is also used. They include: large excavating machinery and dump trucks, tripods, flotation devices, computers and laptops. As scientific advances are made, more precise equipment becomes available to assist in studies that may previously have been impossible to accomplish.
Recording all findings during an expedition is the most critical part of an archaeologist’s job. Every single individual piece of information has to be meticulously recorded as soon as it’s discovered.
They use the knowledge gleaned from each specimen to help guide them in their research. If they left the “filing” or documenting of each find until later, it wouldn’t be as accurate and they probably wouldn’t be following the correct path as dictated by their findings.
However, thanks to computerized technology, it’s now possible to create a vastly improved, user-friendly filing system to record all information gathered during expeditions. Instead of only relying on paper-based record keeping, it’s now easy to create very “flexible files.” These files can contain samples, photographs, test results, written reports, forensic analysis reports and every other possible form of “file/sample” that’s created at any time. Then enter the information for each of these items into Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System. Paper Tiger has a very powerful and easy-to-use search engine built in so you use the power of the computer to simply conduct a google-like search in the database to quickly and easily find/share the information when you need it.
There may be times when archaeologists need to access information from other expeditions or from their own previous ones. If they’ve already implemented efficient document management software, they can access files from anywhere via their laptop, even while out on a dig.
This can save a lot of time and money, because they don’t necessarily have to transport physical files with them when they go on expeditions. They can simply add whatever new material they discover to existing files or create new ones when they return to their home base.
Once they’ve finished an excavation, they can’t go back. Therefore each step must be done properly as they go. Even though archaeologists prefer to study rather than record the information, they know how vital record keeping is to their overall work.
Thanks to current technology and smart document management software, many tasks can be achieved in less time and at a cheaper cost. This enables more research to be carried out without incurring extra costs.
This specialized document management system can be tailor-made for archaeologists. They don’t have to simply use alphabetical or numerical file names. They can choose categories and sub-categories that accurately reflect the file contents. It’s also very easy to cross-reference documents and files so that information stored in different files or even in different places can be easily located when necessary.
Archaeologists love digging through ruins – not files. If they didn’t have to do any record keeping, they would probably be very happy. Because it’s an inevitable part of their work, they should implement the best document management software system available. Then they can reduce costs and decrease the amount of time spent on such tedious tasks, so they have more time to discover what else there is to learn.
Make filing easier and faster when returning to the office with Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System!
Carry a copy of your Paper Tiger File Index in a file folder in your briefcase when you are out of the office. As you collect papers from your meetings, refer to the File Index for the first available open item, then note the appropriate file number for them on the paper to be filed. When you’re back in the office, you or your assistant can input the Item Name and Keywords information into the Paper Tiger database and drop the papers into the file(s).
Voila! You’re done! No stacking or paper piles!
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.
This article by Christie Love is a classic example of another way to use Paper Tiger!
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Okay, raise your hand if you have ever had a great idea or saw on somewhere that you did not want to forget. Now raise your hand if you jotted that idea down or tore it out of a magazine, only to loose it later and wonder what you did with it.
I was afraid of that…
So many of us have great intentions, but because we do not have good systems, we end up with lackluster follow through of intentions and ideas.
A few years ago, I started subscribing to a magazine that was so full of great ideas that I was terrified to throw them away. I would mark pages, dog ear ideas and then stack them; however, when the time came to find one of those great ideas again … I would have to dig through each magazine or try to remember what issue it was in. This dilemma inspired me to create my “Light bulb File”, curious? Let me explain how it works and how you can set up one for yourself so you never again are victim of another lost idea.
How to Create A Light bulb File
Step One: Purchase a three ring binder that is 1″ wide or larger.
Step Two: Purchase a set of tabbed dividers and label them for the different type of ideas, inspiration, clippings, etc… Anything that makes your “light bulb” go off when you see it or think of it. It is that idea that makes you say … “I would love to do this!”
For me some of my categories were: marketing ideas, games with the kids, crafts with the kids, household decor ideas, organizing ideas, quotes, icebreaker ideas, etc…
Everyone’s light bulb has a different trigger so everyone’s labels will be different!
Step Three: Either use clear plastic page protectors or a three-hole punch to slip clippings and papers into the appropriate categories. Also have blank paper in each category so that you can quickly jot down ideas that you think of or mount pictures that you take for inspiration.
The light bulb file is very simplistic by design … but it’s true “wattage” or power lies in the hands of the user. I love the quote that says “Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) So much truth in that statement … it is easy to have or find a great idea … the next step is doing something about it.
I challenge each of you to make an idea file … your “light bulb” file if you will … and use it not as a safe keeping place where thoughts get trapped and not released into great action … but as a springboard to take you to new places in your homes, families, ministries and businesses!
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
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How to Use Your Lightbulb File with Paper Tiger
When you begin inserting your ‘light bulb’ ideas into your binder or file, input the information from the idea or article into Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System such as the idea or title of the article, description of the contents, and what you want to do with it or your desired call to action, and in which category you place it. It would be a great idea to number each page protector or the page that you hole-punch to coincide with the index number that Paper Tiger assigns when you enter the information. Then when you are ready to find the item again, you can conduct a ‘google-like’ search in Paper Tiger and be able to instantly find it!
What are the advantages of having unlimited databases in Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System?
Having different databases is only advantageous if you want to keep different filing systems separate and do not want to search for all files in all databases at one time. For example, if you have an Office database and a Home database, you do not want items to pop up from your Office database when conducting a search for an item in your Home database.
See this Databases knowledge base article for more information.
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
