Everyone needs some type of filing system. Even if you are attempting to go paperless, chances are you will still need some type of filing system--even if it is computer based. The five articles below look at different ways to setup and improve your filing system. They deal paper based systems, but some of the principles will apply to paperless systems as well. Taking a little time to improve your setup can be a very good investment. If you can reduce the amount of time you spend hunting for things each day by even just two minutes, it will save you 12 hours per year. If you have an article that you would recommend on filing, please add it in the comments. Filing Organization … [Read more...]

In a recent interview we asked a number of people how they would advise creating a filing system from scratch.  Then the readers of Productivity501 voted for the best one.  Below are the answers arranged with the highest ranked answers at the top. Don't forget you can cast your vote for the remaining questions. Describe your paper filing system along with your advice for someone starting a filing system from scratch. I like a logical system.  Ask yourself, where would I expect to find this? Keep and file only what's necessary.  Tax records are, notes from a seminar are probably not.  Once read and committed to memory that information will probably not be referred to … [Read more...]