- A Note From Anne
- Do your electronic and physical files talk to each other?
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Hello!
 Do you struggle in finding electronic and hard copy files when you need them? As I've been using the iPEP system over the last couple of months, I'm starting to see how it mirrors my physical files. It started out pretty simply with the action files and reference files; however, more recently it dawned on me that I could go a little deeper and get them to 'look' at each other.
Let's take look in this week's article.
All my best,
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Do Your Electronic and Physical Files Talk to Each Other?
I challenge you to think about the physical files in your office. For example, if you have a drawer that is filled with "Financial" documents, in your electronic file system (your hard drive) you may have a matching folder in your filing cabinet for current documents.
 Today you can start to bring this information together with the ease of search bar when you have the sysystem set up. For larger organizations, you may be using SharePoint. In a smaller work environment, a wiki product may be more practical. The iPEP system is a wiki. In the iPEP, you would set up a "Folder" for Financial files and use Barbara Hemphill's methodology of setting up the financial files by number. This will create a directory with keyword search ability to find your financial files when you need them. You can do this with every category of physical or electronic files that you have.
The next step would be to look at what you have coming in via email, or that could be scanned, and link that information to the iPEP folder. You probably have been doing it anyway on your hard drive and labeled the electronic "Financials" folder, now you can start linking those files to your iPEP workspace and keep all like-items in one place. How efficient is that!
As Barbara says, "today's mail is tomorrow's pile™", start with what you have now and go forward. I don't particularly recommend that you spend a lot of time going back in history. Statistics indicate that 80% of all files are never retrieved again. If you have the time and money and it really is interrupting your productivity, then it may be worthwhile for you to attack the piles. I just caution you to look at the ROI (return on investment) of the backlog.
For more information on electronic and physical file storage, or if you would like a business assessment on how your can be more efficient, contact me directly. Start today, don't put this off any longer. |
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WANT MORE INTERACTIVE CONVERSATIONS AND TIPS: See Anne's blog. |
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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 for small businesses at www.StrategizeAndOrganize.com. She is also a partner with Catapult Growth Partners. Catapult Growth Partners is a leading interim executive and advisory firm that specializes in providing turnaround and business revitalization services. | |
Strategize & Organize
P.O. Box 6282
Denver, Colorado 80206
(303) 778-0588
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