Filing Right Away

Today's offices are extremely hectic and most people cannot seem to find the time to file on a regular basis. As difficult as it can be, we suggest filing right away. In other words, as soon as a paper crosses your desk and is ready for the file, put it there.
There are several reasons why this strategy is a good one, here are 5 of those reasons:

1) Prevent lost files and misfiles. The longer a document sits around on a desk, a shelf or anywhere else but in the file, the more chances it has of being misplaced, covered up, hidden or otherwise lost. Furthermore, if you let papers sit idle until you have a mountain of documents to put into the file, misfiles may occur.

2) Keep confidential information secure. Many files contain information that is not for everyones consumption, such as priority data about budgets as well as personal information about employees and customers. When such papers are allowed to sit instead of being filed immediately, the opportunity for information falling into the wrong hands is increased.

3) Raise productivity. If everything that is supposed to be in the file is there when co-workers access the file, less time will be wasted searching for documents in the file drawer. This will help make your department, perhaps your entire company, more efficient and more productive...which in turn will most likely make your job easier.

4) Avoid confusion. When papers are placed into the file immediately instead of allowed to sit idle, the chances of confusing documents are decreased substantially. In a file, instead of strewn about the office, each paper is neatly organized in its place, with a file heading that clearly identifies what the file contains.

5) Create a cleaner desktop. Rather than piling up on your desk and leaving you with two square inches of workspace, putting papers into the file right away means that you will have more room on your desktop and that can change your whole outlook every morning when you start your day!

The FS Guru