3 Ways Organizing Can Make Your Office More Profitable – Tip #1: Systematize your filing processes

Welcome to week #2 and tip #1 of 3 Ways Organizing Can Make Your Office More Profitable.

How you label your office files is so important to your productivity throughout the day. Your physically files and digitally files should mirror each other. The more specific your labels are the easier you will find what you need & be able to file quickly.

1)   The first tip is: Systematize your filing processes

You want to be able to find that prospective client intake form without fail, especially when you’re on the phone with someone. Keeping blank copies in a folder close to the phone will help limit writing on whatever piece of paper you can grab at first sight & try searching for it later.

Having general office files in place will also cut down indecision, which takes time away from productive tasks. I color-code my office files as well: Red-action; Yellow-non-urgent; and Green-finance.

I have these folders in place next to my desk. I find them helpful during a busy day and they limit my distractions and clutter.

• Action Urgent – items requiring action right away
• Action: Non-Urgent – items requiring action, but not today
• General Office Research – place information here that you need to find more information on. It’s best to place a sticky on the top to write notes or give yourself a due date.
• To Read – place articles that you intend to read here
• Bills to Pay – place bills needed to pay in this folder, again use a sticky to write down when the payment is due
• Client folders (by name or easily remembered code for confidentiality) – this way you can easily add papers and information to the file and then access quickly when needed

I sort my mail near these folders so if I’m short on time, I can just put the envelop in the right folder, and go through the folder at a scheduled time. Although it’s best if you can go through the mail as you retrieve it.

• Here’s a tip: Separating general office files & personal files from your CLIENT folders are essential. So you know where to look when you need to find something and they are not mixed together. (The photo above are my finance files.) 

When I worked at a record-label in Los Angeles, I had multiple bosses, so I assigned a “color” to each of them. Red, Orange, Green, Blue and Purple. Whenever an art director was looking for a job-file they only had to look for their color folder. It cut-down on time and looking through many files to find what was needed.

In addition, where these files are located in your office is equally as important. It’s all about timing and efficiency. I created a 4-point system for office file location. If you can minimize the time it takes to search for a folder and that document you need, let’s do it!

• Active files are stored in a cascading file holder on top of your desk for easy access.
• Pending and ongoing files are stored inside a desk drawer within reach.
• Completed projects are stored outside of your office or in a filing cabinet away from your desk.
• Archived. Deep storage – stored off-site.

I used my 4-point location system along with my 5 color-coded folders with a lawyer at a financial firm 8 months ago and he still uses it everyday. We created 5 different categories for the folders according to the types of clients he works with daily. He knows where to look for a file and what color it should be. So when his important client calls, he doesn’t have to get off the phone to find the information needed. His assistant now helps with starting a client file and with location maintenance.  

Maintaining your files throughout the day and week can be a struggle, but as Benjamin Franklin said, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned”. Scheduling a weekly appointment in your calendar to manage your files is ideal. You’ll be glad that you did.

An immediate action tip:
Is don’t look back! Don’t worry about the past (and what you used to do), but focus on the now and future (and the system you want to create). Eventually you’ll incorporate your “old” system to your “new” system.

Next week we will discuss Tip #2: Effective office setup

To find out more about the book I contributed to, The Happy Law Practice: Expert Strategies to Build Business While Maintaining Peace of Mind, please visit Amazon.com here. I’m excited to share my chapter, titled Maximize Productivity: Tips for Organizing Your Office.