Files and folders are virtual dinosaurs in this age of the paperless office. All businesses can benefit from the proper management and organization of office records. Throwing things away seems almost a sin for some small business owners which is precisely why many find themselves buried under a mountain of disorganized paperwork.
When faced with the dilemma of what to toss out and what to keep, business owners panic and keep it all. Years pass, until one day the storage room has overflowed. Documents are now lost in the massive piles around the office. Management has the dilemma of organizing paperwork to prevent low productivity and direct failure of the business.
Barbara Hemphill, an expert on office efficiency, says that "most small businesses don't deal with their papers until it's too late." If there is one important piece of paper you need to find amongst hundreds if not thousands of other papers it could take you days to locate its whereabouts. Management needs to take steps now to prevent this type of situation from happening.
First Step to Organizing
Start by declaring an office cleanup day. All employees should pitch in and help organize any and all paperwork in the office. If at all possible schedule this on a day that you're normally closed to avoid any distractions. Paying your staff overtime for one day will be well worth it once you see the results.
Organizing your office space and paperwork is more difficult if you work alone, but not impossible. Even entrepreneur diehards can squeeze in a day for cleanup.
The paperwork atop your desk needs to be first priority. Organize by subject and then date. After sorting is out of the way, it is time to put everything in its proper place. If file folders do not exist for some of the paperwork, then create some so there is a place for them.
Next, locate income statements, expense receipts, and sort them accordingly. Your accounting should be a priority. Record transactions into an accounting system or ledger until you're current. If you're like me, you could spend the majority of your day just entering transactions. Instead, end at a time that you can easily pickup from.
Once you've organized paperwork into file folders, you'll need to assemble boxes or purchase crates to keep documents in. Your filing system will depend on the type of business you operate. Some businesses organize their files by the client's name, while others use job numbers. No matter what type of business you operate, you will always file your accounts receivable and accounts payable the same. All that matters is that you have a system to your filing.
Organizing your Computer Documents
Fire and water damage are a major concern for most businesses, especially for a home-based office. Small businesses find scanners to be a business asset. In minutes, a scanner processes a document from paper form to electronic file.
Computer documents are easily accessible and easier to file on a CD or 3.5" floppy. Of course, if you want to be really high-tech, you can use an external hard drive to store your documents. CD's, floppies, and external hard drives should be stored in a fire resistant safe, or off the premises.
You may want to consider an automated backup service for your financial files and records. For a reasonable fee you can have all your important documents stored on an off site server. This will keep your files safe give you peace of mind.
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