When you\u2019re creating a new filing system, the first thing you need to think about is how you want to organise the paperwork. Do you want it to be alphabetical, in date order or sorted by category? Do you want to store it in document boxes<\/a> or in a filing cabinet? This is the most important part of creating a filing system – you need the system to be logical and easy to use so that your employees can apply it, too. Don\u2019t forget that you could organise the paperwork by category, such as invoices, contracts, customer details, etc. and then organise each of these by date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve decided how your paperwork is going to be\nsorted, it\u2019s time to start organising. If you can, you should get all your\npaperwork together and, using a large table, begin to create your categories.\nSort through each piece of paper one at a time, placing them in the correct\ncategory. You can throw out unneeded paperwork or junk mail as you go. Don\u2019t\nworry about alphabetising your papers yet – we\u2019ll come to that later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a lot of paperwork that cannot be collected\ntogether as above, then take a small chunk at a time. It can be a daunting\ntask, particularly if you\u2019ve been putting it off, so doing a smaller amount can\nmake it easier. When you\u2019ve done the first pile, grab another one, and keep\ngoing until every piece of paper is in a category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that all of your paperwork is sorted, have a look at\nthe piles you\u2019ve created. Are some bigger than others? If this is the case, you\nmay need to create some subcategories. For example, you might have a large pile\nof client contracts. This pile could be separated so each client has a folder,\ninstead of having the contracts of all your clients together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever you do, ensure that your categories make sense\nto the employees in your business as well as to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your category piles are sorted, you may want to\norganise the files within each category, either alphabetically or\nchronologically. You could do a mix of both. For example, it makes sense to\norganise invoices in date order, but customer information may be better\norganised alphabetically, such as by surname. Again, take each pile at a time\nand organise the paperwork. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019ve done a pile, you can put it in a storage box to go on your file storage rack<\/a>, or in a suspension file to go in your filing cabinet. Be sure to apply a label<\/a> to the folders as you go. It can also help to organise your files by colour. For example, red could be for invoices that need to be paid. Once they\u2019ve been paid, they could be moved to a green folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep going until every category is in a labelled folder\nor box and has been stored in the correct place. To stay on top of your newly\norganised filing system, you should tell your employees where everything is and\nask that they follow the system. This will help you to keep on top of your\noffice paperwork. You could come up with a system that ensures that paperwork\nis filed as soon as it comes in. You could use a tray system, so that files\nthat need to be put away are stored in a tray. Whenever a staff member has\ntime, they can organise the paperwork into the correct place. Or you could\nencourage your employees to store the paperwork once it\u2019s finished with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What is a lateral filing system?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Standard filing cabinets are usually vertical and stand quite tall, anywhere between three and 10 drawers high. Lateral filing cabinets, otherwise known in the UK as side filers, are horizontal units, instead of vertical. They aren\u2019t usually as tall as standard filing cabinets and they allow you to stack your folders front to back or side to side. Although they take up more space than a filing cabinet, it\u2019s thought that lateral filing allows you to fit more documents in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Archive-Storage-Boxes.jpg\")
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