how do i get a good filing system

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What are the 6 features of a good filing system?

Essential qualities of good filing system can be described as follows:Simplicity. Simplicity is the first quality of a proper filing system. ... Economy. A good filing system should be economical. ... Compactness. A good filing system should be compact. ... Flexibility. ... Safety. ... Accessibility. ... Cross reference. ... Classification and indexing.

What are the 5 basic filing systems?

There are 5 methods of filing:Filing by Subject/Category.Filing in Alphabetical order.Filing by Numbers/Numerical order.Filing by Places/Geographical order.Filing by Dates/Chronological order.

What is the most appropriate filing system?

Alphabetic filing is the most common filing system for less than 5,000 records. Filing by alphabetic order is a system where you arrange files by names of individuals, businesses, institutions, agencies, subjects, topics or geographic locations according to dictionary order.

What are the 3 basic filing methods?

Filing and classification systems fall into three main types: alphabetical, numeric and alphanumeric. Each of these types of filing systems has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the information being filed and classified. In addition, you can separate each type of filing system into subgroups.

How do I create a simple home filing system?

0:281:21How To Organize Your Files -- Simple Home Filing System - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStart by gathering all your papers. And sorting them into files placing like with--like then groupMoreStart by gathering all your papers. And sorting them into files placing like with--like then group your categories. Together. So for example in this case I have auto insurance in one file financing.

How can I organize my personal files at home?

InstructionsGather All of Your Papers in One Spot. ... Separate Your Papers Into 5 Categories. ... Discard Documents You Don't Need. ... Organize the Archive File. ... Arrange the Household File. ... Set Up the Action File.

What is efficient filing system?

Effective filing systems ensure the systematic preservation of relevant information as well as their efficient retrieval. Using simple folder naming and easy structuring of files can often lead to some distinct advantages. This applies to both physical documents as well as digital.

What are the two most common filing techniques?

There are 2 main methods of filing, which are Loose Leaf method and secondly, the Collective method. Documents are filed individually in a normal file, holes are punched in the documents and then they are filed. Documents can be filed and de-filed very easily.

How do you set up a filing system?

Create A Filing System That Actually Works!1) Determine Your Broad Categories for Your Filing System. First, identify the groupings that you most often need to organize. ... 2) Put ALL Free-floating Papers Into Those Filing Categories. Now it's time to quickly sort. ... 3) Organize Your Broad Categories Into Subcategories.

How do I set up a small business filing system?

Here are our five steps to creating and organizing an electronic filing system in your small business:Create a document retention plan.Choose the right file management software.Figure out an implementation plan.Set up storage.Schedule ongoing maintenance.

What are the filing systems?

In a computer, a file system -- sometimes written filesystem -- is the way in which files are named and where they are placed logically for storage and retrieval. Without a file system, stored information wouldn't be isolated into individual files and would be difficult to identify and retrieve.

What are the examples of filing system?

Examples include FAT (FAT12, FAT16, FAT32), exFAT, NTFS, HFS and HFS+, HPFS, APFS, UFS, ext2, ext3, ext4, XFS, btrfs, Files-11, Veritas File System, VMFS, ZFS, ReiserFS and ScoutFS. Some disk file systems are journaling file systems or versioning file systems.

What are the categories for filing system?

I use the following categories and sub-categories for my family's personal filing:Home: mortgage, insurance, property taxes, utilities, alarm company, pool, work done, purchases etc.Auto: leases, claims, insurance etc.Finances: credit card and banking, investments, pensions, etc.Taxes: current year and last 7 years.More items...

What are the 7 steps to organize a home filing system?

7 Steps to Organizing Your Papers Like a ProStep 1: Determine Where Your Papers Should be Stored. ... Step 2: Purge Your Existing File System. ... Step 3: Collect all your loose papers. ... Step 4: Gather Filing Supplies. ... Step 5: Sort & Label. ... Step 6: Handling the Action Papers. ... Step 7: Weed out & Maintain.

Why is it important to have a filing system?

Whether you are the only one accessing files or you share with a staff, the filing system you choose must be organized so everyone can find what they're looking for. If the filing system is difficult to use, you will hang onto papers for fear of losing them in the files, and you'll soon have piles of papers covering your desk.

Why do businesses use filing systems?

A filing system allows a business to keep track of important documents and find them quickly and easily when they're needed. It ensures that the business functions smoothly and efficiently.

How to organize piles in Manila?

Place each pile into a manila folder and label it clearly. It's best to use folders with tabs that are in the center rather than staggered because it makes the files look neater.

How to organize Manila folders?

Place the manila folders into the hanging folders. For most files, regular hanging folders will work, but for thick files or files you had to divide into subcategories, use box bottom folders. You can order the folders however you want, but most people use an alphabetical system at this point.

Why is filing important?

A filing system allows a business to keep track of important documents and find them quickly. It also helps the business to function smoothly and efficiently.

How to sort paper into piles?

Sort your papers into piles by category. If a pile gets more than an inch or two tall, divide it into subcategories. If a pile is too thin, combine it with another pile and rename it. The names of the piles should make it easy to determine which pile every piece of paper goes into.

Where to put plastic tabs in a file cabinet?

Place all the plastic tabs on the left of the folder unless you are using a lateral file cabinet. For lateral files, which run left to right when you open the drawer rather than front to back, place the tabs on the right side. ...

Where to put my filing system?

Choose a location for your filing system. The easiest place in which to create a filing system is the Desktop, as placing your filing system there will make accessing your files easier than if you place it inside of a different folder on your computer.

How to back up a file system?

The easiest way to back up your filing system is to copy it by selecting it and pressing Ctrl + C (Windows) or ⌘ Command + C (Mac), open an external hard drive or flash drive, and paste the filing system there by pressing Ctrl + V (Windows) or ⌘ Command + V (Mac).

How to move files in a folder?

On a Windows computer, you can select the files you want to move, press Ctrl + X to copy and delete the files, and then go to the folder location and press Ctrl + V to paste in the files.

How to create a folder on a Mac?

You can create a new, empty folder and name it whatever you like on both Windows and Mac computers: Windows — Right-click a blank space, select New, click Folder, type in your folder's name, and press ↵ Enter. Mac — Go to a location in which you want to create a folder, click File, ...

What should a document folder be labeled?

For example, your documents folder should be labeled "Documents" or something similar, not "Docs". A good rule of thumb is to label your folders as though you were creating a filing system for another person to be able to navigate without help.

How to create subcategory folders?

Create subfolders for your category folders. Open a category folder, then create a folder inside of it to serve as a subcategory folder. This will further separate your files.

What is a file in a folder?

File — An individual item, such as a picture or a document. Folder — A storage container used to hold files or other folders. Subfolder — A folder inside of a folder. Determine which files you have to organize. Your computer already has a built-in file manager (File Explorer on Windows, Finder on Mac) that organizes your files into various folders, ...

What are the characteristics of a good filing system?

Essentials (or) Characteristics of Good filing system. 1. Compactness: The compact filing system should be adopted by every business office. It means that the filing system should not require any unnecessary space. 2.

Why should the cost of filing equipment be low?

The cost of filing equipment should be very low. The filing equipment save the time of operation i.e. locating, inserting and placing of documents and papers in a file. The unwanted records may be disposed of in order to economies space.

What is flexibility in filing?

Flexibility: The filing system can be expanded if the volume of business transactions increased. An inflexible system is not useful after crossing a certain limit. 6. Classification: The filing system should be supported by a proper system of classification.

Why should a cross reference be given wherever a document can be filed more than one head?

8. Cross Reference: A cross reference should be given wherever a document can be filed more than one head to avoid confusion and facilitates easy location of files. It saves time and human resources. 9.

Is there a good filing system?

The needs of filing system of one business office are differ from another. Therefore, there is no one good filing system and no one ideal filing equipment which will meet the needs of every record of any business office.

How to organize office filing system?

The best way to organize an office filing system is to decide your organization method first. Once you have done so, you can use file cabinets to safely store each file and folder in their corresponding category to make it easier for you should you need to retrieve them.

What is the most important thing to address before you get started?

Before you get started, the most important thing that you need to address first is deciding how you want to retrieve the files that you will be working with. Some people prefer to work with typical filing cabinets, while others may want to keep their files in folders or binders, and separate them out this way.

Why do we sort files in categories?

Sorting files and folders in categories can make your filing system much easier.

How to separate folders and cases of files?

For example, if you are working with folders, binders, and cases of files, you should separate them by adding labels to the containers, as well as labelling where those containers are stored. As always, you should leave enough space in each container to accommodate any new files, should they arrive.

Why is it important to organize your office?

The Importance of Organizing Your Office Filing System. Organizing an office filing system can save you from future headaches from having a messy office. If you neglect creating an organized office filing system , there’s a good chance that it will become more difficult for you to find the important files you need.

Why is it important to have a file cabinet when moving into an office?

You wouldn’t want to deal with this kind of office nightmare now, would you? Because of this, it is important that as soon as you move into an office, you quickly realize that you will be dealing with a lot of files. Therefore, you need to create your own office filing system. This is why file cabinets are invaluable to offices.

Where to place label in folder?

When labelling folders, you want to place the label at the edge of the folder . This is done so that it is visible to anyone looking at the folder. Doing so allows you to quickly find the files that you need without having to pick up every folder and search through it.

Where to put latest documents in business filing system?

Business filing system tip - put the latest documents near the top. If your financial year runs from January to December you would put all your months back to front, so January is at the bottom and December at the top.

How to keep emails in your business filing system?

Keep your emails in a systematic way within your email program by opening folders underneath your ‘Inbox” folder.

What are the different types of taxes that a business can file?

Tax. A business will have different types of tax to take care of, the main ones being payroll tax, sales tax and income tax . File documents relating to these different types of tax into their own tax sections within the business filing system.

When you produce an invoice, what order do you file it in?

When you produce an invoice, file it into the unpaid sales in alphabetical order and then move it to the paid sales into the relevant month once payment is received (file it into the month you produced the invoice or the month payment is received).

What section of your correspondence should you keep?

For important correspondence that you receive a lot of, such as letters from your lawyer, keep a separate section called Legal along with copies of invoices from your lawyer.

Do you staple in the top left corner of a file?

Business filing system tip - avoid stapling documents in the top left corner – it really isn’t necessary to staple everything. Stapled corners become bulky and prevent documents lying flat and neat inside the folder. The bulky bits curl over and make it hard to keep the file in good order.

Do you keep bank reconciliations separate from bank statements?

Bank Statements and Reconciliations. If you have more than one bank account it will be easier if you keep the statements in separate dividers for each bank account and also keep the reconciliation reports in separate dividers for each bank account, and separate from the bank statements.

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It sounds like a boring subject but it’s actually an important one. Filing is a fundamental, but often overlooked, element of records management. Effective filing systems ensure the systematic preservation of relevant information as well as their efficient retrieval.

6. Compliance

Appropriate filing fulfills the obligations under the International Standards as well as legislatively. These obligations include keeping documents according for business as well as income tax, later confirmation of events etc.

7. Evidence

In the case of a dispute, effective document filing may serve as evidence before a court of law or tribunal. Timely retrieval may be vital in such circumstances.

8. Reduced stress in the workplace

Effective filing systems have a positive impact on staff at all levels. but in particular, office and administration staff. Frustration from finding information can be avoided by simple and commonly understood filing structures.

Overview

Steps Download Article

• Decide on a filing system. Whatever it is, it must make sense, so you'll know exactly where every …
  Alphabetical. This system is best when most of your files are going to be names of clients, patients or customers.
• Subject or category: Most file systems are organized by subject or category, which works well w…
  Numerical/Chronological. This best when your files consist mainly of numbered or dated material, like purchase orders or receipts.

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