Organizing Files – Tip 2*

A place for everything and everything in its place.  – Benjamin Franklin

Owning a file cabinet  is a must.  This may seem obvious to some of you but many people don’t have one, so don’t feel bad if you’re one of them….

There are some very important factors when purchasing a file cabinet such as…

• Steel ball bearing suspension for smooth, quiet performance
• Thumb latch to keep drawers safely closed
• Spring-loaded follower block in each drawer to keep files upright and neat

File cabinets come in numerous depths; measure up your space to figure out what will work best.  Some retailers such as Staples and OfficeMax offer free shipping** with orders over $50 and merchandise generally arrives the next day.

For those of you that have a file cabinet, purging should become a regular (annual) task.   If you work on it for 5 minutes each day and just start at the bottom drawer and work your way forward and up, it won’t take nearly as long as you think.  Chances are you’ve got piles around your desk if your file cabinet is too full and you don’t do your filing because it’s a jammed up struggle; it becomes too daunting of a task.  If your things have no place to go, you’ve got no way to grow.  

I recommended the following office supplies which will surely help you de-clutter:

• Manila folders with 3 tab
• Label maker such
• Black Sharpies fine point 
• Hanging folders – Generic green
• Colored asst. tabs  3½” for hanging folders
• Step File
• Polyview Tabbed Folders

See you for Tip 3 soon.

*If you’re just joining the series, click here to catch up.

** as of 3/1/14