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As a small business office manager, I need to be able to operate at my desk and throughout the office easily. Setting up a filing system sounds difficult (unless you are a "neat freak"),however, it is a relatively easy task that can be made easier by a few filing tips and tricks.

1.Sit at your desk for a few minutes and figure out where you will instinctively look for things.

I have a drawer to the right of my workstation. When I first set up my filing system, I didn't have anything in it. When I would look for stamps, paperclips or my stapler, it was the first place I would look, even though I knew it was empty. So naturally I put the stamps, paperclips and stapler in that drawer. For me, it was the natural home for those items.

Everyone will approach this differently, and what works for me may not work for you. The important thing about filing is the need for tidyness.

Take a few minutes to sit down at your primary workspace and reach for equipment, supplies and files. That will help you establish the ideal spot for filing those items for you personally.

2.Now that you know where you will naturally look for information, you must determine whether an alphabetical, numerical or subject filing system will work best for you.

Do you search for things according to the client's name? The category (i.e. expenses, financial, marketing)? By reference number? This is a critical step, as it will determine how you will lay out your filing system. For example, I file things by catergory and name, and - every year of my work is filed in a different color file folder; yellow for 2005, green for 2006 etc. You should do this before you buy anything for your filing system. If you know your system, you won't waste extra time or money searching for things that won't work.

3. Next, roughly determine your storage needs.

Do you have a large number of files that you access on a daily basis? Do you only access your files weekly? The answers will determine if you need a desktop file holder, a two drawer filing cabinet close to your desk or a four drawer lateral filing cabinet across the room or all three. So many options exist today, that you should choose carefully. Allow for growth when looking at filing cabinets - buy something to accommodate twice the files you think you will have now. This will limit the number of times you will have to resort and reorganize your filing system.

4. Invest in a good labelling system for clarity and easy access.

Clarity in labelling will save you more filing time than you can imagine. Most companies who make labels provide templates that integrate with the most popular word processing software. You may want to consider one of the small label making systems that can now also print out individual mailing labels. It not only makes the file finding easy, but looks clean and professional. If you don't have the means to obtain file labels/label makers, a simple sharpie will do the trick.

5. Lastly, determine how to file.

Which is the best way to help you find the file? Alphabetically, numerically, by customer, by job? It depends on the market. Most filing is known alphabetically for easiest access.

Happy filing!

Learn more about this author, Imogen Jane.
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