A Filing System is a Personal Thing
A Filing System is a Personal Thing
How do you file your necessary paperwork?
In our experience, “A Filing System is a Personal Thing” means that how your brain works is how you should set up your filing system.
Are you the ALPHABETICAL TYPE? Meaning you automatically look for things in alphabetical order. Yes, that’s me. I even start saying my ABCs when looking for a folder in a file drawer. I have my files set up with each account separately, all in alphabetical order. It doesn’t matter (in my head) that I have my bank account folder next to my medical folder, next to my electric company folder, next to my personal folder, and on and on and on.
Haleema (our new team member) also uses the alphabetical system, with the addition of adding a CATEGORY TYPE. Let me explain. She has hanging file folders set up by categories (like financial, medical, and personal in alphabetical order). Then she puts folders inside each category folder (like economic, Bank of America, John Hancock, Morgan Stanley, etc.). I think it depends on how much paperwork you have for each category. If you tend to scan or save electronically, you may not have much paper, and this system can work great.
Are you the HATE TO FILE type? Then, you may like a filing system set up over months. This system requires you to file only once a month and (mostly) into one folder. When I suggest and demonstrate this type of system to clients, they are eager to try it. It’s so simple and works. You don’t even have to use a filing cabinet with this type of system.
The whole idea of a filing system is to help you find what you are looking for when you need it. So, consider what type of system you are using. If it’s not working for you, try something new. A Filing System is a Personal Thing!
Subscribe by email
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Like your new team member, I am a category person, then ABC order. I like that you mentioned the monthly folder method. It’s easy for people to handle when they start to get papers organized, especially when they begin the filing habit.
I also like the monthly calendar method for people who say “I hate filing.” I think it’s the easiest system to use.
My husband set up our system. It isn’t exactly the system I would use, but I don’t want to undermine him.
I agree that systems are personal. The most important thing to me is that anyone who needs to find the information can do so quickly and easily.
The monthly filing habit is interesting. Is the idea that you collect anything that needs to be filed in one place, and then you file them once a month?
Yes. The monthly filing habit is just that. It helps people who are overwhelmed with the idea of filing everything as soon as it comes in. By using a “to file” basket to toss anything that needs filing and then doing it once a month make it easier and more efficient. You can do a month’s worth of filing in just minutes.
You are right about the importance of the system working for the user. I congratulate you for letting your husband do it.
I am an ABC filer. I agree it’s important to organize papers the way that makes sense to you – the user. If by chance you have a person who files for you or who may have a need to find something in your files, consider creating a digest. That makes it easier for everyone.
The idea of a digest is good. I do my own filing, so I had not thought of that.
Filing systems are so personal, as you said. Setting up a system to support how you think and process is key. My files are set up alphabetically by category and are color-coded. I have two main drawers with reference and less active files (personal files are aqua and business files are violet.) My ‘action’ files are all violet, but I use different colored plastic tabs to distinguish the main categories.
Again, it’s all a matter of what works for you. There is no right or wrong.
I am also an alphabetical filer. Whatever works!
I love color coding and have done it for many clients, but I never did it for myself. Color coding does make your file drawer more interesting and pretty and that can motivate someone to do their filing.
I follow the same system, using specific colours for broad topics such as Clients, Suppliers, etc.
Oh, gracious, those “Hate to File” folks! I’d rather do the filing for them (even for free) than have them stick a month of things together and then have us guess where the insurance policy or passports might be. It’s put *away* but it makes it so hard to access things again; I agree that it’s better than piled up on the table, but it feels like it’s only a step up from hiding everything in the closet!
Edited: Wait, I just read your response to the comments. I thought you meant to file everything from one month all together (as I’ve seen people do, particularly with expenses). If you just mean waiting and doing it all once a month, that seems eminently less prone to accessibility disaster!
I am ALL about categories first (financial, legal, medical, household, and personal) and then alphabetical (even if in sub-categories, if necessary), but I understand the appeal of a purely alphabetical set-up. (That said, I want all my credit card and bank account files, plus all my expense folders together to make it easier for tax time. Maybe you’d accept a hybrid option — alphabetical except for things that impact taxes?)
I like the look of color coding, but I don’t do it because a) colored file folders are more expensive and b) if you run out of one color for a category, you’re stuck waiting to file until you can buy a new box!
You’ve offered some great perspective.
Hi Julie. My idea of filing once a month is for people overwhelmed with the idea of filing every item as soon as they get it, so they shut down and don’t do the filing. Suggesting that they do it only once a month it is less overwhelming. Also, I find that, once a month, when it’s time to do the filing people discard a lot of what they thought they needed to file.
I too am a category and ABC person. I know the category idea can cause some of my clients problems especially if a drawer or box has more than one category. I once told a business colleague there are about 5 basic types of filing systems I can use with clients depending on their style. They thought there was only one. Your title hits home, A Filing system is a Personal Thing.
One of the important things is to create a filing system that works for the client and the way they think.