Offering principles and techniques to simplify your life.

BEGIN WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
Find a good filing cabinet and check to see how easily the drawers slide when full. Make sure there are rails for supporting hanging files.  You'll have more flexibility if drawers can hold letter and legal files.  Lateral file drawers hold paper more efficiently.  If you prefer open storage, use file crates on book shelves.

CHECK YOUR STASH OF SUPPLIES

• hanging file folders (letter or legal)
• manila interior file folders (letter or legal)
• 1/5 cut clear plastic tabs for hanging files
• 1/5 cut colored plastic tabs for hanging files (at least 4 colors)

Filing System - INVERTED PYRAMID
Start with broad filing categories.  For ex: "financial paperwork" or "car" or "insurance", then divide each large category into smaller subcategories; ex: within "insurance" would be "car", "homeowners", "medical", etc.

LABELING IS KEY
You want your file labels to uniquely express how you view your files, but also need to make sense so no one has to guess what is stored where. Start with a noun rather than an adjective...ex: not "past clients" but "clients: past"
moving from general ("clients") to specific ("past")
files with the same prefix will be together alphabetically in the drawer.  Try to avoid vague and nebulous categories like "miscellaneous" or "other". 99% of the time, you can think of a specific category that encompasses that document.

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEM

• Arrange major categories in drawer alphabetically
• label one hanging file for each major category
• use a clear plastic tab positioned to the far left of the file to label each
• label each subcategory on a separate folder
• can put each in a manila folder inside the right major category
• or put each in a separate hanging file behind the main category folder
• arrange subcategory folders alphabetically within major category

THE VALUE OF COLOR CODING
Use a different color folder or tab for each section of files
ex: all "financial" folders are green or have a green label
makes it easier to find the file you need quickly.. and makes it easier to put folders back in the right place.

WHY THIS METHOD WORKS
You used to open your drawer and sort through a sea of files to find the right one, now you can put your hands on the folder you want almost instantly.  Run down the row of major categories until you find the right one; ex: if hunting your Visa bill, you would look for "credit cards" or "finances"
then slide over to the appropriate color-coded subcategories. 
It would also make things easier with a file index that lists categories in alphabetical order.

YOU CAN NOT STOP HERE

• remember that your filing system is dynamic and ever-changing
• as interests and responsibilities change, so should your filing system
• don’t be afraid to abandon a category if you don’t use it anymore
• don't hesitate to add a new category if you need it
• consolidate folders that seem to go together under one larger heading
• split categories up into smaller pieces if your folders get too stuffed
• set aside time once a year to purge obsolete information from your files

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