Dead Tree File Tips - slightly updated ~ teknologi

Posted on Tue - March 23, 2010

Dead Tree File Tips - slightly updated

More organizing to tame the paper

As much as I would LOVE to be totally digital, I still have to maintain paper files.

I separate invoices into three categories, my legal identity, my esoteric one, and my design company. Each has an expanding check file for the current year. At the end of the year, I toss the envelopes into my archive box.

Beyond the invoices, there is still paper I have to deal with.

First of course, there is the J.O.B.-that-pays-the-bills (J.O.B. stands for Just Over Broke). All the various paperwork and things I have to track for it go into a standard file folder.

Then there are the supplier files. If there are current issues with any of my suppliers, I have to keep paper copies until it's resolved. Some things like my insurance policies just have folders all the time.

And then there are my clients.

Each of these use a standard file folder, but I mess with the labels a bit to make it easy. A standard mailing label just fits on the tab on a 3-across folder. That is where my Dymo LabelWriter really comes into it's own. Here's a sample label for one of my suppliers. I use the same formatting for my clients.

Now the name of the company in bold is up at the top and you can clearly see it in bold face. The company address is offset just one tab so that the company name is emphasized even more. And the phone number (which has to be manually copy/pasted) is offset even more so you can spot it in a hurry. This way I have all the info I need when I pull the file.

Of course, the people I've been talking to (and their titles & phone/extension numbers) are on labels on the inside of the folder. These labels are oriented the papers in folders are so the back cover of the folder becomes just another page in the file. Oh, one personal idiosyncrasy here, I make small hash marks on each label so I can track how many times I've talked to each person about that particular project.

If the company is involved in a current project (especially a client file) there is a Dymo LetraTag label with the project name on the front of the folder. That is when I file the company under the project name and not the company name. Of course the company entry in Address Book has the project name as a tag.

As I finish each project, I put all the folders in a 10"x13" envelope, seal it, label it, and toss it in the archive boxes. Usually at the end of each year, I pull all my supplier files and put all the resolved issues for the year in an archive envelope.

There's another thing that used to take over all my files. That was all the manuals, instructions, & warranty cards for all the electronics and assorted thingamabobs. These have to be handy, but not real handy. I used to do one file folder per item, but that got very messy. So I switched to a new system. Now I have several three ring binders in a file drawer behind all my current catalogs. The important thing here is that the notebooks aren't too big and that the binder part is offset on the cover's back instead of the spine. Then each product's paperwork goes into top loading sheet protectors. It's like a regular page protector, but it's sealed on three sides. Instant file folder. Slap an index on the cover of the binder and you're done.

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