How to Organize An Efficient Office

In a world of 'the paperless office', files and folders should be obsolete. Every business needs to learn "how-to" manage records and organize documents. Small business owners are too afraid to throw anything away. Consequently, this leads to an overload of file folders, storage boxes, and ultimately a paper avalanche.

When faced with the dilemma of what to toss out and what to keep, business owners panic and keep it all. Years pass, until one day the storage room has overflowed. Documents are now lost in the massive piles around the office. Management has the dilemma of organizing paperwork to prevent low productivity and direct failure of the business.

Barbara Hemphill, an expert on office efficiency, says that "most small businesses don't deal with their papers until it's too late." If there is one important piece of paper you need to find amongst hundreds if not thousands of other papers it could take you days to locate its whereabouts. Management needs to take steps now to prevent this type of situation from happening.

Step One Towards Office Organization

Start by declaring an office cleanup day. All employees should pitch in and help organize any and all paperwork in the office. If at all possible schedule this on a day that you're normally closed to avoid any distractions. Paying your staff overtime for one day will be well worth it once you see the results.

Organizing your office space and paperwork is more difficult if you work alone, but not impossible. Even entrepreneur diehards can squeeze in a day for cleanup.

Tackle the paperwork on your desk first. Sort by subject, then sort by dates. Once everything is sorted, create file folders for each subject. Place paperwork neatly into the appropriate file folder and set aside, but don't forget about it.

Next, locate income statements, expense receipts, and sort them accordingly. Your accounting should be a priority. Record transactions into an accounting system or ledger until you're current. If you're like me, you could spend the majority of your day just entering transactions. Instead, end at a time that you can easily pickup from.

Once you've organized paperwork into file folders, you'll need to assemble boxes or purchase crates to keep documents in. Your filing system will depend on the type of business you operate. Some businesses organize their files by the client's name, while others use job numbers. No matter what type of business you operate, you will always file your accounts receivable and accounts payable the same. All that matters is that you have a system to your filing.

Organizing your Computer Documents

Fire and water damage are a major concern for most businesses, especially for a home-based office. Small businesses find scanners to be a business asset. In minutes, a scanner processes a document from paper form to electronic file.

Computer documents are easily accessible and easier to file on a CD or 3.5" floppy. Of course, if you want to be really high-tech, you can use an external hard drive to store your documents. CD's, floppies, and external hard drives should be stored in a fire resistant safe, or off the premises.

You may want to consider an automated backup service for your financial files and records. For a reasonable fee you can have all your important documents stored on an off site server. This will keep your files safe give you peace of mind.

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About the author: Vlad Ehrsam writes exclusively for Full Info on Business, it's one of the webs most up to date Business sites, their free newsletter is well worth signing up for too.