Any business owner knows the frustration of searching for the one document that seems to be lost forever. It isn’t until unnecessary work or an irreplaceable certificate has been lost that we start to consider the importance of indexing and creating a system of filing.
For some, indexing may be as simple as alphabetizing files by first name, last name, or service. For others, indexing can take on a life of it’s own, growing with each layer. No matter what system of indexing your organization needs, the first step is always the same: determining what you want to accomplish and how your documents can be most efficiently sorted.
Once you’ve answered the first question, which I can guarantee you, you will change the method several times until you finally optimize your resources, you need to determine the method of storage. Accordion file? Bankers Boxes? Offsite storage? A combination of methods? For many organizations a combination will have to be used.
A combination of storage methods delves your organization deeper into indexing and the ease of finding documents in a sea of paper. Accordion files for documents can be used in the present, bankers boxes for the near past and time sensitive certificates and offsite storage for outdated information that cannot be discarded.
From the accordion file to offsite storage, each method should be cohesive and easily understandable and explainable to others. We won’t all have the same jobs forever and passing along an easy and organized system will ease the stress and ensure your organization runs smoothly from one year to the next.
For some, indexing may be as simple as alphabetizing files by first name, last name, or service. For others, indexing can take on a life of it’s own, growing with each layer. No matter what system of indexing your organization needs, the first step is always the same: determining what you want to accomplish and how your documents can be most efficiently sorted.
Once you’ve answered the first question, which I can guarantee you, you will change the method several times until you finally optimize your resources, you need to determine the method of storage. Accordion file? Bankers Boxes? Offsite storage? A combination of methods? For many organizations a combination will have to be used.
A combination of storage methods delves your organization deeper into indexing and the ease of finding documents in a sea of paper. Accordion files for documents can be used in the present, bankers boxes for the near past and time sensitive certificates and offsite storage for outdated information that cannot be discarded.
From the accordion file to offsite storage, each method should be cohesive and easily understandable and explainable to others. We won’t all have the same jobs forever and passing along an easy and organized system will ease the stress and ensure your organization runs smoothly from one year to the next.
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