Variations on the Alphabetical Filing System
Posted by admin | Filed under Alphabetical Filing Tips
There may be instances when a strict alphabetical system makes it more difficult for you to locate files. In these cases, you may want to adjust the system to meet your needs.
Grouping Like Files Together
In my home filing system, I have a drawer designated for bills, company correspondence, retirement accounts and insurance. Behind each of these major categories are related files ordered alphabetically.
To mix these in the strict alphabetical files would be counterproductive and increase the time it takes for me to retrieve them. A great rule to follow is if it takes you longer than 30 seconds to file a piece of paper or retrieve a piece of paper from your filing system, you should adjust your system.
A Multi-tiered Approach
There may be times when you need to make decisions based on your available filing cabinet space. When assessing my space in relationship to my business files, I knew that I only had three drawers left and not enough files or space to dedicate to my business files. I decided to take a tiered approach and stagger my files.
My business name is Door 41 Solutions.
So, as described in the instructions for setting up the alphabetical filing system, I had
- Label “D” in the far left slot
- Label “Door 41 Solutions” in the next set of slots
I then used the next set of slots to align labels for the sub-files for my business:
- Active Clients
- Prospects
- Business Ideas
This way, I can visually see the relationship of these files to the main category “Door 41 Solutions” within the alphabetical filing system. So far, it’s working wonderfully!
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