Self Help

Now that you have many smaller mini-piles of paperwork, receipts, documents, and bills, go through these piles and see if any of them should go into a more targeted section (yet still broad), such as “insurance” or “bills”. In other words, you may want to file separately each type of insurance document or billing document, but for now simply designate anything you can that is similar into it’s own area. Basically, you are taking your general min-piles and created a more targeted set of smaller piles. Taking small steps like this with your piles is absolutely necessary, as it will save you time and energy when you are searching for something in the future.

Date stamping

Date stamping can help aid your filing work so as to remind you of when you have stored the item. I realize that stamping each document that you come across is a lot of work, but remember that your goal is to put 100% of your resources into this one-time huge project so that your time management is rocketed to new heights from this day forward. So it is safe to say that the extra energy put into date stamping will of great benefit. Although all top efficiency experts recommend that you should put a date on every thing you file, date stamping is not mandatory. Only use date stamping if it suits you.

Time to create personal file headings

Now it is time to customize your file headings. This may just be the most tedious part of the task of filing yet, but extremely important. By using customized file headings, you can create different compartments that enable you to give the materials that cross your desk fast and easy access. Begin creating personalized file headings that offer sections labeled as “Miscellaneous” for those files that have no home yet. Create another general file head that is labeled “Hold” for those documents that you are unclear about storing or throwing away. Just be sure not to get into the trap of creating too many general files. The last thing you want is to have to spend time purging the very files you just organized.

Creating daily and monthly tickler files

It would behoove of you to create file folders for each month. This way, if something comes up to your desk in January but you do not need to tend to it until March, then off to the March file folder it can go. Can you see how having such a simple yet effective monthly folder system can aid in your time management levels?

The same process can work for your daily documents as well. This would be called a 31-day tickler file. For example, if you receive something on the 10th but it is not scheduled to be taken care of until the 20th, then you simply slide the file into the 20th area. This is also a great system to pay bills on time and keep important projects ahead of schedule by sliding the documents into the days that you see fit to start the task.