Do you have lots of paperwork or documents for your business? If you need some help to get organised – we have 5 top tips to get your business admin in order.
1. Create A System
This needs to be something that makes sense to you AND everyone else that will need to access the files (both paperwork and online files). The main categories include filing by: Subject, Alphabetical, Numerical, Geographical or Chronological. Select the framework that will work best for your business and start a system that is utilised across both your paper and digital files.
Top tip! Use colour coding for the most important, or your most often used files. Colour is a super efficient way to easily find certain documents.
2. Use Naming Conventions
Naming conventions (or taxonomies) are particularly important when you are organising your digital information – but you should keep the same structure for all documents you are filing.
A typical naming convention should be short – but descriptive. It should avoid any special characters – including full stops. Instead use recognisable word formats, including capital letters and underscores to create spaces, and stick to the same date format style. It is also wise to include a version number so you can keep track of iterations too.
3. Remove old files
It is necessary to keep certain historic files of course, but there are undoubtedly many pieces that can be deleted or at least archived so they don’t take up space in a physical folder or a digital one.
Set an expiration date – whatever you feel is appropriate – so older content can be reviewed and removed after a set time frame. Pop a reoccurring date in your diary for when you should complete this process. This will clear up space for the folders you need more regularly.
If you prefer to archive rather than risk losing them – simply create an archive folder where you can move digital files; or create an archive box to place paperwork. Archives can take up space though, so be mindful of what you keep. If you find your home-office is filling up with archive boxes – use a storage unit to keep hold of the items you might need at a later date.
4. Ongoing work vs. finished work
This is a clever tip for helping you to prioritise your filing. Separate folders into work for ongoing projects – vs. work that has already been completed. This categorisation process will make it easier for you to to focus on the work that needs your immediate attention.
It might be beneficial for you to group your folders by completion date too, allowing you to have clear sight of your deadlines.
5. Don’t mix business with pleasure
Remember to keep your business filing for your specific work needs. The advantages are multiple, but include making sure you have a clear separation of work vs. personal life. This is beneficial for your own well being- as well as keeping a more efficient filing system.
Plus, you probably don’t want everyone from work looking through your holiday photos!
What are you top tips for organising your business files? Let us know in the comments below!
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