Article Archive
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Article Archive |
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Filing for the Small Business Most small businesses have three filing needs – action, reference, and archive. Action Action files are pieces of paper that require action in the near future. Reference files are your normal files. You don’t need the information in the file right this moment, but may need to refer to it later. Archived files are information you no longer need, but have retain for a certain period of time (tax related files, for example.) Action files, also called tickler files, are key to keeping on top of your paper management. They organize all those little slips of paper that come into your office and prevent having to hunt for those tickets that you know you put somewhere for safekeeping! Suppose you have tickets for a play in two weeks on August 15th. You would note the event on your calendar or planner and then place the actual tickets in your Action File under the 15th. You will always know where to find items and doing this clears clutter off your desk. Another way to use an Action File is to give yourself a deadline to act on a paper that crosses your desk, but you need to think about before you act. Give yourself a few days or a couple of weeks to think about it and place it in your Action File to be dealt with before the deadline for your decision. The key is when it comes up, to then make a decision and follow through. Your Action File is also a holding place for current projects overnight or for getting multiple current files off your desk while you are working on one file at a time. Reference Reference files are your regular filing system. No action is required on these papers at the present moment. Most papers to be filed will be filed in your reference file cabinet. The key to file management is to file as you go and not let filing piles get started. If you already have filing piles, begin filing as you go with current papers and set aside 15 or 30 minutes during the week to chip away at the piles. Archive Archived files are files you hardly ever look at, but are required to keep. Moving your archive files out of your reference file cabinet frees up space. Since you will most likely not be accessing those files until it is time to purge them, they can be boxed and stored in an out of the way location. |
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