Do you have a lot of papers piling up in the office? Do you want to learn how to organize those papers?
In this article, we’ll show you how to do just that.
How to Organize Papers
It’s really easy for offices to get overwhelmed with paperwork. The biggest problem is that, once that paper mess gets out of hand, it can really hinder the company’s ability to do good work. That’s why it’s so important to try your best to keep your papers nice and organized.
So if you want to know how to organize your papers, here are seven tips for you.
1. Go paperless
The fact is, it’s going to be easier to keep everything organized if you can go paperless. It’s easier to drag and drop files from place to place. Additionally, you can search for things that were accidentally misplaced much more easily when those papers are digital than when you’re looking for a physical paper. It might take some work at first to convert your old paper documents into digital copies, but everything will be so much easier when you’re done.
2. Think of an organization system that works for you
Most people assume that the best way to organize your files is simply by putting them in alphabetical order, but that’s not always the case. Think about where your papers go and what you do with them. If you can’t go paperless, maybe you’ll need multiple filing cabinets. Maybe, instead of organizing everything by name, you should organize your cabinets by process. Talk to the people in your office to make sure you understand all of the in’s and out’s of a given document’s lifespan. Ask yourself, what’s the best way to organize these documents according to the needs of the company. This is going to look different from company to company.
3. Get rid of what you don’t need the moment you don’t need it
Once your paperwork becomes obsolete it’s basically trash that you have stored in your filing cabinets. Most paperwork has a lifespan or a period of time where it’s worth keeping it. Sometimes, it’s required by law. Sometimes it’s just a matter of company workflow. Either way, once your documents are no longer relevant to the company, you need to get rid of them. Think of this as you set up your document organization system.
Remember, document management systems like eFileCabinet can get rid of old documents automatically so you don’t have to think about it.
4. Remember permissions
When it comes to paperwork in the office, certain documents should only be seen by certain people. When you’re setting up your document organization system, you should keep in mind those permissions. This can get really tricky when you keep physical papers filed away instead of digitizing everything. A good document management system can automatically set up permissions so only people with the correct clearance can access certain documents. You should also be able to control permissions to edit documents as well.
5. Have an established workflow
Once you have your document organization set up, you’ll want to establish a workflow. Meaning, you know where each document is, and where it needs to go depending on the type of document it is. This will help you know what has to be done to which document, and what stage it is in its life cycle.
6. Set up reminders
People forget things. That should come as a surprise to nobody, but we still act surprised whenever something slips through the cracks. Go ahead and deal with reality on reality’s terms, and set up as many reminders, alerts, and fail-safes as you need to keep track of all of your office documents. There’s no reason to make document organization any harder than it needs to be.
7. Automate wherever possible
This is going to be easier if you go digital. Using a document management software like eFileCabinet allows you to set up automatic workflows. This will help you keep track of everything, giving you one less thing to worry about.
If you still use physical copies of paperwork, automating your work will be harder. It might be worth writing up some email templates. You can then implement them into your workflows so you don’t have to write follow-up emails and other messages over and over again.
eFileCabinet Can Help You Keep All Of Your Papers Organized
eFileCabinet can scan your documents, organize them according to type, set up the right permissions, and send reminders according to where the document is in your workflow.
Not only that, but it can do all of this automatically.
You don’t have to turn paper document organization into a full-time job. It doesn’t even have to be part-time. Let eFileCabinet worry about keeping your papers organized and do something more important instead. To learn more about how it works, consider viewing a free demo.