9 Tips for Organizing a Filing Cabinet

If you are constantly struggling to find important files or documentation, you may need to buy a filing cabinet to help organize your paperwork. This is a relatively straightforward task that can provide perfect storage solutions for your home or office.

Tip 1: Buy a Good Filing Cabinet

If you are likely to be using it on a regular basis, it is better if you purchase the best filing cabinet possible for your budget. Consider a cabinet that is fire resistant with drawers that slides easily so you can take and return files without struggling.

Tip 2: Get Yourself a Label Printer or Marker

Keeping your filing cabinet tidy is more achievable if you have a printer or label marker. Accurate labeling eases the task of locating a file, especially one that you haven't used in a long time. Taking the time to create labels now will save valuable time down the road.

Tip 3: Get Organized

If you have 3 drawers on your filing cabinet, you should put specific types of document in each drawer. The first drawer could be for personal files, your second drawer might be for bills or utilities and the third drawer could be for work or business information. Using a similar method will make things much easier for you to find. If, for example, you are looking for your birth certificate or a copy of your diploma, all you need to do is to browse through your personal files in the first drawer.

Tip 4: Updating your Archives

If you have already finished a job or a business contract has lapsed, you can archive those documents and put them in a separate area of your filing cabinet. If you wish, you can put them in the last drawer or buy a different cabinet just for archiving purposes. Putting files in your archives can help you to organize your files by keeping them up to date. Also, you will no longer have to browse through old documents to find the files you need.

Tip 5: Purging

If a file is not needed anymore, get rid of it instead of storing needless clutter. You do not need to keep every last piece of information you receive so check which files are importance and move the remainder straight into the trash bin.

Tip 6: Subfiling

If a file has too many documents, you can subfile them to make clarification easier. For example, if the file consists of a job that has online and offline components, use two file folders instead of one for greater clarification.

Tip 7: Printing Out Important Documents

If you conduct much of your business through e-mail, be sure to print important documents so you have a hard copy in your files. Important information can get lost pretty easily in your in-box folder, so if you think that a certain file is worth keeping, always make a hard copy and file it.

Tip 8: Put Your Cabinet in a Strategic Location

Be sure that your filing cabinet is easily accessible. Place it near to your desk where you usually carry out most of your work so you can reach the file cabinet easily. If the cabinet is out of sight, you will probably stop using it eventually.