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File Tabs
Does it really matter how they look?
 Have you ever opened a file drawer and looked at it as if a stranger were looking at it? Sure, if you've been opening the drawer for years, you could probably find everything you need fairly quickly, but many times my clients say, "I don't really even know what is in there", or "I haven't touched those files in years because I can't find what I'm looking for anyway".
If your file tabs look like the ones above, then you might want to consider a new way of doing things. Sure, there is color coding, and the names are written on there, and they are alphabetized. What more could I ask, right?!
Well how about having:
- Labels that are created using a labeler or computer, instead of handwriting, so the topics are bold and easy to read, and all the same size
- Tabs that are all the same size, instead of some being 4 inches long and others 2 inches long. The more consistency, the better!
- Straight-line tabs so your eye is not wandering all over an 11 inch wide area, looking for the one you want. If you don't want one straight line, choose 2 lines next to each other creating a SMALL zig zag. Use either the very left, center or very right tab position for your lines.
- Main and sub categories. If you use the left for your main categories, then use the center position for your sub categories. For instance, the main category might be "Human Resources" and then the sub categories might be "Applications", "Employee Files", "Hiring Documents", etc. Then within those subcategories is where the manilla folders come in (and by the way, use a labeler on them as well).
 What does all of this extra effort give you? Easy--more time and less stress! Plus, it makes you LOOK organized to others around you, even if things are falling apart. Most people's reaction to tidying up their files is just a big sigh, "AAAHHHH", when they see how different their files look. So I encourage you to take a little time here and there and just clean 'em up!
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