New Business Organizing Tips: Step 4 – Electronic Files
February 5th, 2009 by Stephanie Shalofsky
Like many new business owner, you are probably working out of your home and space is at a premium. All of the available closet space and room under the bed has already been claimed by clothing and household items so that there is not much space for a small file cabinet let alone an archive box containing active files. Hence, the most practical solution is to create an electronic filing system for your documents. If you are a member of the paper generation, the prospect of minimal or no paper files is rather stressful. However, by following some simple guidelines, even those most committed to the “old school” approach to filing can have a system that works while allowing them to be more environmentally conscious.
As I mentioned in my blog about creating a paper filing system, there will always be some paper. The objective for those utilizing an electronic filing system is to minimize the amount of paper. One of the easiest ways to do this is to avoid printing out unnecessary copies of documents that are readily accessible on your computer. Keep in mind that the less paper you have to discard…especially in cases where shredding is needed…the more time that you’ll have to work on your company’s marketing strategy.
Many of the concepts that apply to establishing a paper filing system are relevant when organizing your computer desktop and files. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, many of us don’t think to apply this same logic to our computers. Consider the following points prior to creating a filing system for your electronic documents.
1. Store Documents in Folders. Don’t get into the habit of saving documents on your desktop. This approach may work when you only have a handful of documents saved. However, if you are generating a steady stream of documents, your screen will be covered with lots of little icons before you know it and it will take significant time to locate a specific one. Get into the habit of setting up folders and placing the documents in an appropriate folder upon its creation.
2. File Folders. Visualize a file drawer when setting up folders on your computer. The names that you assign to each file folder should clearly identify the contents. Try to be logical when creating the names so that you won’t have any problem locating the documents in the future. There is nothing worse than the “Now where did I file it?” syndrome which typically happens at the most inopportune moments. Lastly, don’t spend an inordinate amount of time creating just the right name for a folder. If the originally assigned name no longer works, take the few short seconds required to revise it.
3. Scanning. As there will always be some information that is received in hard copy form, filing procedures for those documents that need to be retained should be established. In some cases, it will be essential to have a paper file. In addition to setting that up, the documents should be scanned and an electronic copy maintained as well. By creating a procedure to set up both the paper and electronic files at the same time, it will not be necessary to schedule a scan marathon at the point in time that a decision is made to eliminate the paper files.
4. Backup Procedures. While going paperless is an excellent solution to the filing dilemma, the decision to do so can cause a certain amount of stress. What happens if the computer crashes? Needless to say, an insurance policy is needed. By simply creating a system that will backup your files on a regular basis, you will gain the piece of mind to go forth.
5. Periodic Review. As with any filing system, a paperless process needs to work for you and should be tweaked once it is put to the test. In addition, even though storage capacity is less of an issue, it is still important to do a quick review of your files every 6 months or so. Delete documents that are no longer needed and re-arrange your files to reflect your current needs. In addition, much like you would do with a paper system, create an archive folder(s) for those documents that are not needed on a regular basis but still need to be kept.
Lastly, many of these suggestions will also work effectively for managing your e-mails and should be applied accordingly.
Tags: business, organize, paper management
