When it comes to organizing and storing documents, a metal filing cabinet is indispensable - and unattractive. Transform the corporate look with fabric that will bring warmth to a room.
A metal filing cabinet is an indispensable tool for organizing and storing your paperwork. But its harsh, industrial look often takes away from the warmth of a room. This is especially true if you live in an apartment or a smaller home, and the unit has to be stored right out in the open, in a main living area or bedroom.
There's an easy fix to this problem though. Simply disguise the cabinet!
Measure your filing cabinet--length, width and depth. Then go to your local fabric store and tell the clerk you'd like to drape some fabric over the filing cabinet so it's completely covered. Look for some fabric that will fit in well with your decor. The clerk should be able to assist you with the proper size.
When you get home, drape the fabric over your filing cabinet and top it with a lamp, vase or other decorative item so it looks more like a table or stand than a filing cabinet.
For short metal file cabinets, you might even get yourself a round plywood top and attach this to the top of the filing cabinet, then drape the fabric over it. This will make it look even more like a table.
When you need a file inside, just lift up the fabric, get what you need, and then drape the fabric down over it again. Now you see it, now you don't!
by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak and E-zine, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site.
When it comes to filing papers, the way you label your file folders will determine how quickly, or if, you find the papers inside those folders later on.
If you write the words, Miscellaneous, Stuff, Future or any other indistinguishable term on the tab of your file folder, you'll never know what's in that folder without spending wasted time going through each sheet of paper one by one.
Take a few moments to first determine the major category. For home, it might be Financial, or Family or Health. For the office, it might be Management, or Marketing or Human Resources.
Once you know the major category, determine what an appropriate sub-category might be. For instance, in a Financial file you might have categories such as Savings Account, Mortgage and Stocks. In a Marketing file, you might have Advertising Budget, Ad Copy examples and Marketing Goals. The rule of thumb is, if the paper is important enough to file, it should be clearly categorized in your filing system.
by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak and E-zine, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site.
Conquer desktop clutter with action files
Action files enable you to unclutter your desk yet still keep reminders and current papers close at hand. Also known as working files, these files are usually separate from -- and in addition to - client, project, or reference files. Action files are for current or pending activities and miscellaneous things you must act on.
Action files must always be within easy reach-- ideally in a small desktop file holder that holds the file folders upright so the tabs are clearly visible. For added peace of mind, make a note in your calendar or scheduling software to remind you of important dates. This combats the "out of sight, out of mind" worry and lets you clear your desk without fearing you'll forget something important.
Suggested categories for Action Files:
- phone calls to return
- agenda for an upcoming staff meeting
- expenses to submit bills to pay
- papers to file
- business development ideas
- good ideas to try someday
- papers to photocopy
- current departmental & administrative matters
- pending health insurance claims
- your upcoming business trip
- tasks to delegate to your assistant
- conferences to register for
- matters to discuss with co-workers
- errands to run, gifts to buy, sale coupons
- things to discuss with your child's teacher or doctor
- pending (for example, letters you sent for which you must receive a reply
Use colored tabs to manage project folders
It's a challenge to keep track of everything you must discuss with co-workers involved in a project. Project folders are a good start, but each folder contains issues involving various people. You may have 4 issues, in 4 different project folders, to discuss with Sue. How can you remember them all when Sue phones?
A commonly-used method that doesn't work is to remove all papers to be discussed with Sue from their project folders, and put them in a pile - when Sue calls, you go through the pile. But this causes problems later because you don't have time to put the papers back in the folder.
The solution -- Use colored flags or sticky notes to 'sort' paper without removing it from its project folder. Use visual cues. If Sue's last name is Green, she gets the green flags. When you see a paper to be discussed with Sue, stick on a green flag. When Sue calls, reach for the green-flagged papers. (Remove the colored flag when you're done.) How about Bob, your co-worker who's always down in the dumps? Assign him blue tabs. (I don't recommend you tell people the reasons for your color choices!)
The benefits are many: You don't have to call Sue again because you forgot to ask her something. You spend less time moving paper around. And you won't misplace things.
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