Filing

File organization is an essential area of life to be organized to enable more time to write. A filing system may take a small amount of time to set up but proper filing can help everyone in the household. Keep the filing area in a central location, such as a den or even a corner of the kitchen. File organization can save time for more important goal like writing.

Filing System

The choice of a filing system is a personal choice. Some of the easiest and most useful filing systems are alphabetical, monthly, or a combination of both. Alphabetical filing is using a letter to file for each debtor or item that needs to be kept. A monthly filing system is filing all paperwork by months. A third possibility is to file bills and receipts by month and paperwork alphabetically such as insurance, health records, vehicle papers, and house papers for ease in finding anything thats needed.

Materials For Filing

Materials used for file organization are inexpensive and readily available. A list might include labels, folders, hanging folders, and some kind of a container for the files. The container can be a large or small filing cabinet or a special inexpensive container for files. Clearly mark all folders with pen or use labels that can be printed from a computer. Put one or more folders in a hanging folder and place everything in the filing container. A label can be placed on the hanging folder to signify a group of files or leave the hanging folder with no label. Whichever type of materials and filing system are chosen, make sure everything is in an area that is easily accessible and continue to use it every month. It may take some time each month to fine everything in a proper place but in the long run an organized filing system will save time which can be converted into writing time.

Once a year, clean out the files that are monthly, usually in January, and transfer the files into a storage box for tax purposes. The storage box can be kept in a basement, closet, attic, or any place safe. Records need to be kept for 7 years in case of a tax audit. Cleaning the files out once a year will keep your files small, useable, and organized. All files are organized.