Computerized Paper Management - Organize For Productivity, Profit and Peace-of-Mind? (Part4)
Now we are really ready for filing. As mentioned, we want to use the power of our computer to assist in finding our documents. Not just to find them, but to find them in seconds! Remember: often there is an impatient client waiting for the answer on the other end of the phone line. Don't you just hate it? You search frantically for long minutes with no result. You tell the other party that you'll call them back as soon as you found it. Five seconds after you hung up, there it is! (Another of Murphy's laws?)
Commercially available software applications provide the solutions for the effective filing and speedy retrieval of documents. Almost without exception, these programs rely on the use of keywords to locate an item. Traditional, alphabetic filing works reasonably well, when you rely mostly on customer or company names. Filing by named categories may also be helpful for certain types of documents. Most documents, however, defy easy categorization or labeling. Today, you may put them in a category (or under a certain letter), but will you remember where you put it, say, 6 months from now?
Keywords, on the other hand, allow you to think about a document in many different ways. Capturing several, meaningful keywords about the piece of paper you are about to file, will ensure quick and confident retrieval in the future. It is, therefore, recommended that during the pre-sorting phase of your papers you circle, highlight, or write down the keywords on the documents themselves.
There are software packages to suit every need and/or budget. There may even be shareware solutions. However, it's good to keep in mind that, in general, you get what you pay for. Here are some better known products: FileWise Instant Filing System, Find Every File, The Paper Tiger TM, File Folder OrganizerTM. Of the above, Paper Tiger may be the more established and most robust. It also supports synchronization with your favorite PDA (Palm or Pocket PC) device. You should review the available choices and make your decision according to your needs and budget. Again, please remember: You are investing, not spending, when you get organized!
Now, armed with a s/w tool and a filing system (Actions, Projects and References) you may begin the task of entering the keywords and placing the documents in their labeled (numbered) folders. Entering all those keywords, at this point, may frighten you. Please keep in mind: We have just proceeded to work through a huge pile of paper, accumulated over a long period of time. On a daily basis, you need only to contend with a relatively few number of documents. Provided, of course, that you will follow the regular maintenance of your filing effort. How to stay organized, with minimal daily effort, will be the topic of my next article.
Computerized Paper Management Organize For Productivity Profit and PeaceofMind Part4 - To learn more about this author, visit Alex Revai's Website.
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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