- A Note From Anne
- What to Call Your File
- Maintaining Your Inventory
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Hello!
Going back to the days when I used to be in the jewelry business, I think about the value of doing inventory. Everyone hated it - the year-end closing down shop for one or two days and finding every last back to an earring or loose fixing. A lot of work; however, a financial value as you can see where you've lost money through old inventory or inventory that is no longer there (unfortunately through loss or theft). There is also a financial benefit as you don't have to pay taxes on what you don't have. Another positive is that when someone asks you if you have a certain "gold hoop earring", you can refer to your inventory quickly to see if you have it and where it is. Well, ironically, you can do the same thing with your physical files. When you inventory your files and create a "file index", you can find what you have - when you need it.
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What to Call Your File
 Kind of like labeling the name of a piece of jewelry in a store inventory, gold hoop earring could be, listed under 14K Gold Hoop Earring, or Hoop Earring in 14KT Gold - there are many alternatives. One of the challenges in locating the earrings on the list would be what to look for - an "E" for Earrings, an "H" for Hoop or "14" for 14K. There are many description options - and what you or someone else refer to today could be entirely different a year from now.
It's so similar with filing documents. One of the biggest challenges of filing is determining what name to put on the file label. Again, you may think of it one way and a co-worker may have a completely different logic. The key is a File Index - an inventory list of the names of your files. It will be easier to check the list to trigger your mind as to how you, or someone else, filed a piece of paper. See this sample list that you could use manually, or use a computer program such as Taming the Paper Tiger Software to cross-reference your files for even easier retrieval. There's also a newer program coming out that is web based, (if you want to learn more about that, email me, as I'm just learning about it myself. |
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Maintaining Your Inventory
Like any business that is successful, the more accurate their inventory is, the more easily they can review it and make decisions on what's old and costing them precious display space or what is easily accessible that they can snag for that customer who wants to impulsively buy it now.
 Likewise, if you think of your paper files as "inventory" and keep them well organized with a file index, you can make decisions more quickly, have information faster for your clients, vendors, or internal use - which can save major time and money.
I'm reminded of the expression, "Information is Power" - with your files in order, you'll have the upper hand. Enjoy the benefits of having more space by getting rid of unused or unwanted files, and reap the rewards of having information available when you need it so you can make wise decisions. |
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About Anne:
 Anne McGurty is CEO of Strategize & Organize, a company devoted to training individual's to be more effective with the tools and resources to be productive in their work environment.
If you liked today's issue, you'll love Anne's transforming productivity training and organizing products to help you organize your business -- and yourself -- ranging from productivity consulting for individuals and executives to small business coaching programs to keynote speaking and corporate training programs to improve efficiencies in the workplace and improve productivity.
While Anne's best known for her expertise in productivity and expert office organizing, her clients share that her biggest impact comes from her philosophy of "personalizing her programs to fit the needs of her clients so they can streamline more efficiently with existing processes" - ensuring to create a sustainable work environment. This, Anne says, is the most important key to bringing an individual to personal freedom with time and organization.
You can learn more about Anne and her services, programs, and products at www.StrategizeAndOrganize.com. | |
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