We presented Black with Broadhurst's situation: Her 11- by
10-foot office contains a computer, laser printer, dot-matrix
printer, phone, stand-alone fax, lamp, calculator, credit card
processing machine and telephone. There are two closets in her
home, both in her office; one is filled with clothes and the other
with office supplies. To make a desk, she has set up several tables
in a U-shape around her chair. Broadhurst has bought a lateral file
cabinet, a mobile file rack and baskets in an attempt to corral the
paper that has accumulated.
Here are Black's suggestions. "Remember, these are just
suggestions," she emphasizes. "There is no right and
wrong. If one thing doesn't work, another could. The solution
has to be customized to your needs."
1. Clear off the top of your desk. Don't try
to organize; just pile everything up, and take it off the desk.
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2. Create action files. "These are things
that you need to see visually and that must be taken care of
immediately," explains Black. "If you put your bills in
an action file, for example, you'll remember to pay them. If
you put them in baskets, you'll often forget."
Use an open desktop file for the action files, says Black, who
prefers one made by Estellete called the Oxford DecoFlex open
hanging file. Within the action file, create hanging files for
mail, immediate responses, queries, bills and the like. Inside each
hanging file, place smaller manila or colored file folders.
You can also create action files for each project you're
working on, suggests Black; but don't keep these on the
desk.
Broadhurst agrees that action files work for her individual
business projects but has found they are not practical for items
such as bills or mail. "For the bills that are really
critical, I put a reminder to myself in Quicken and my contact
management file," says the entrepreneur.
In this case, Black suggests handling all bills the same way.
"I think consistency is important; you should have the same
system with every bill," she says.
As for the mail, which Black says Broadhurst should open daily,
"the key is to put it where you are going to take the next
step on it"-in folders labeled "reply letter,"
"phone call" and so on, depending on what action is
needed.
3. Establish reference files. These are papers
that are less than five years old, which you may need to refer to.
They are kept in file cabinets, preferably lateral ones (the kind
that are wider than they are deep) because it's easier to find
things there. Black says this is where Broadhurst could put
articles she clips. Reference files should also contain any bank
statements more than one month old.
4. Set up archival files. These are used to store
papers more than five years old. They are labeled by date and
content and kept in a closet or moisture-tight location. Store
archival files in boxes the same size and width as file drawers
(banker's boxes, for example) because this makes it easier to
retrieve information.
Black says it's also important to use a notebook as an index
detailing what is in the reference and archival files.
Once action, reference and archival files are established, Black
suggests that Broadhurst begin organizing in one corner of the room
and work her way around.
What to throw away? For guidelines on keeping records, see
"Management Smarts," page 32, in our May 1996 issue. When
in doubt, ask yourself, "What is the worst that could happen
if I throw it out?" Check with your accountant or attorney
before tossing any papers related to real estate, investments,
legal issues or taxes.
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