Five steps to tame the
paperwork monster
This article is sponsored by Smead (www.
smead.com), which has been dedicated to
finding innovative ways to help you get
organized for more than 100 years. Headquartered in Hastings, Minnesota, Smead
is a privately held, woman-owned business
offering more than 3,000 organizational
products. The company employs more than
2,000 people worldwide, with manufacturing plants in North America and Europe.
SPONSORED BY
This article sponsored by Esselte Corporation.
Esselte Corporation is the leading manufacturer of office supplies worldwide. With its
principal brands—Oxford, Pendaflex and
Xyron—Esselte brings innovation, efficiency
and style to the way people work in the
office and at home. For more information,
see www.pendaflex.com.
PILES OF PAPERWORK can be among the worst evils in any office. With today’s
offices being extremely hectic, most people cannot seem to find the time to file
on a regular basis. So the piles build up, just like laundry or dirty dishes—and
the more you allow them to build, the harder it is to work efficiently.
Organizational experts suggest filing your paperwork right away. As difficult as it can be sometimes, make a decision about each paper that crosses
your desk immediately. If it is destined to be filed, do so right away. Here are
five reasons why this strategy is a good one.
1. Prevent lost files and misfiles. The longer a document sits around on a
desk, a shelf or anywhere else, the more chances it has of being misplaced,
covered up, hidden or otherwise lost. If you let papers sit idle until you have
a mountain of documents to put into the file, misfiling is likely to occur. Keep
your papers filed and your mind will be at ease.
2. Keep confidential information secure. Many files contain sensitive information, such as priority data about budgets and personal information about
employees and customers. Filing helps keep these documents secure.
3. Raise productivity. If everything that is supposed to be in a file is there
when you or your co-workers need to access it, less time will be wasted
searching for documents in the file drawer. This will help make your company
more efficient and more productive. Devote 10 minutes at the end of each day
to cleaning up your desk.
4. Avoid confusion. When papers are placed into a file immediately instead
of being allowed to sit idle, the likelihood of grabbing the wrong document
is decreased substantially, eliminating the possibility of confusing your documents. In a file, each paper should be neatly organized in its place with a file
heading that clearly identifies what it contains. It will be a relief to know that
everything is where it’s supposed to be, and that if you need that particular
document you know exactly where it is.
5. Create a cleaner desktop. Putting papers into a 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! A
TIPS&TRICKS
FILING TIPS FOR TO-DO LISTS
Using a simple filing system can help you
manage your projects.
• Decide on priority by dividing your projects
into groupings for “this week,” “this month”
and “future projects.”
• Label three file folders to hold project
papers. Label the first folder “THIS WEEK,”
the second folder “THIS MONTH” and the
third folder “FUTURE PROJECTS.”
• Write a project list of the steps to be completed for each project and place it in the
front of the appropriate folder.
• Review the folder contents each week, moving
project papers to more active status as desired.
• As new projects arise, place the information
and list of tasks in the appropriate folders.
Following these few easy steps will quickly
take the hassle out of home projects.
