Have you experienced keeping someone waiting as you search for an essential piece of document amidst a pile of paperwork on your desk? Perhaps you’ve struggled meeting a deadline because you couldn’t find a necessary file? While most people work with electronic data in this day and age, physical documentation remains a standard fixture in business, regardless of field or trade. Therefore, it’s a good idea to ensure that they’re always accessible and organised. To that end, here are some tips that should help you organise your physical documents in the office.
1. Invest in storage furniture and units
You’ll need the right storage furniture and units to organise your physical documents properly. So investing in storage furniture, containers, and units makes sense, such as filing cabinets, drawers, and boxes. They’re relatively inexpensive items and can help keep your paperwork organised adequately and prevent unnecessary clutter. Best of all, they can be procured easily. If you need to order really useful storage boxes online, click here.
2. Avoid keeping unnecessary documents
It’s a bad practice to save everything that comes your way. Therefore, you must go through the document’s contents, determine its importance, and keep the file only if the business or your work activity requires it. If you keep everything, it’ll only add more paperwork to the clutter. As a result, you’ll struggle to find what you need. On the other hand, the less documentation you have, the easier it’ll be to get what you need quickly.
3. Store related paperwork together
To make documents easier to find, it’s good standard practice to store paperwork related to specific projects together like spreadsheets, graphics, store reports, presentation notes, and letters instead of separating all of them by type. Doing so will make the task of finding the right file much quicker and a lot less tedious than it otherwise would be. It may sound simple, but you’ll be surprised at how effective this strategy can be.
4. Colour-code the filing system
There’s a reason why many use visual markers like the coloured tabs for their filing systems — it works. This practice won’t just save you precious time browsing for the desired documentation; it’s relatively easy to do, too, even for the most complex systems. You can sort your paperwork into more sensible categories through colour-coding, add a little enjoyment to the process, and make it simpler to look for files.
5. Create copies of paper documents in digital format
The digitisation of documentation can be a useful strategy, especially for those who wish to create an archive for their documents without disposing of them entirely. This is also a good option if you have to share some of the paperwork or need to make the storage of information more secure. However, keep in mind that this may not always be appropriate for every document type, so use what’s best for the situation.
Conclusion
Many people take the organisation of their documentation for granted, but it’s more important than it’s given credit for. So be sure to follow the tips listed above, as it will make it much easier for you to find the paperwork you require. It’ll also help keep clutter down to a minimum.