Simple And Easy Steps In Filing
Your boss is in a meeting. He suddenly calls you asking for a report that they need for the on-going meeting. You search on your table and can’t find the said report. He calls you again. You can now detect a hint of anger in his voice …
What does this suggest?
Initially, the need for proper filing procedures may seem trivial. Wait until you become overwhelmed by the tsunami of documents!
Try to experience the convenience of proper filing and you will need no convincing to make it a part of your daily habit. A whopping amount of time can be saved, not to mention the anguish or stress scrambling for a misplaced document. When pressed for time, this could make you panic-stricken. If you work for a boss, heaven knows what is bound to happen next!
All these filing need not be boring and uninteresting. Consider these options that are available to you once you adapt the habit:
1. Some basic filing supplies are needed. These include file folders, labels, fasteners like staplers and paper clips, and the old reliable filing cabinet or shelf (still reliable even in the age of computers). Depending on the variety of your need, these supplies come in various fashions with regards to size, color, material, and functionality.
2. Part of the art of filing is to reduce the bulk of paper. Leave only the papers you think which are important, and get rid of or recycle the rest.
Filing a whole heap of papers, which are not important or related to your work, is working close to nonsense. This is purely a waste of filing space, not to mention the time it will consume when you want to retrieve something needed. Discard unneeded files so that these do not get in your way.
3. Some manufacturers dispose surplus production through bargains. Oftentimes, you see “Buy One, Take One” or “50% Off” or “50% Off on 2nd pair” (these are seen at shoe stores!).
These bargains have one thing in common. Entrepreneurs find it smarter to dispose these items as bargains rather than keep them in storage, which is more expensive. If stock inventory is reduced to a low figure, it is easier to store and control them. This is very much similar to filing records. If you keep only the important papers on hand, you can file them more systematically.
4. Find out what works for you. Adapt an efficient system of filing. It can either be alphabetical, numerical, categorical, or whatever system. What makes your system efficient is it allows you or your colleague to easily retrieve files when needed.
In Japanese organizations, they have the ‘5-S Program.’ This refers to good housekeeping habits that they apply in the workplace. 5-S refers to sort, sweep, systematize, standardize, and self-discipline. It is claimed that this program allows them to retrieve files within 30 seconds!
Proper filing system is a way to get things organized, minimize losses, save space, and relieve unnecessary tension. But the most important benefit of filing is it allows you to manage your time. Indeed, time is one thing you will never get plenty of, unless you don’t want to succeed in life.
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