Posts Tagged ‘filing system’

Go to the Cloud or Not???

Monday, January 30th, 2012

The question is not an easy one for many businesses. As with many things in business, it’s not always an all or nothing situation. The USPS has offered a television commercial to remind us that an online virus has never attacked a corkboard; and so we are much safer from cyber attack, identity theft, etc. if we keep the physical paper and know where to find it.

There are several things about this commercial that are true and give warm, fuzzy feelings to certain types of viewers. Yes, I agree with you that it would be great if the USPS could deliver on time and for a reasonable fee but that is another matter to be discussed later.

On the other hand, things placed on physical wall boards and in open trays on desks that tend to get covered up (translate “piles”) give us unpleasant thoughts of late fees, wasted time searching for the physical item, possibly missing a sale, as well as other stresses. According to the medical professionals, these are unhealthy scenarios for the heart.

Here are a few questions to help:

1. Are you kinesthetic? Do you LIKE to hold the paper, highlight it, make notes on it and place it in a binder for future use? Is the type of paper the information is printed on important for making decisions regarding your business?
2. Would you prefer to never see another piece of paper again? In your opinion, going to the Cloud is the ONLY way to conduct business, and you do not understand why everyone does not realize how vitally important it is to Go Green.
3. Are you a combination of the two?

If you enjoy using the computer to search for information, for communicating by sending email etc. but you are totally kinesthetic, you print each important email and keep almost every piece of important business paper there is. For you, having a system to keep the paper in order is important. Professions such as marketing and legal come to mind. There are many reasons for these businesses to keep certain types of information in printed form. For ideas and solutions to keep physical information together in a stylish and organized way, check out www.bindertek.com.

Depending on the type of your business and your target market, there are many reasons and ways to go completely to the Cloud. If the Cloud is right for you, chose your favorite method and get going!

If you have a business that needs a combination of the two systems, check out www.mobillogic.com and learn how you can effectively keep and FIND the physical items you need/want to keep while storing related information on the Cloud for future reference. You can have your paper and scan it too!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Management, Space | No Comments »

Complaints of Inaccessible Company Information

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

One of the most common complaints I hear as an office organizer is about information that should be easily accessible and shared, isn’t. There are many reasons for this, but the most common complaint is that there is not a standardized method of filing information of all types. Whether it’s electronic or physical, information that is created by employees is for the use of the company to further the business function of the company. It is not created for that employee alone.

Over the years I’ve heard many employees’ reasons for hoarding company information, especially in a large company. One of the most common is that the creator of the information wants to be able to find it again. They fear that if they place it on the drive that is the company backup drive they will not be able to get back to the information when they need it. Yes, it does happen sometimes that a drive becomes “full” and the info is moved, but more often than not the creator of the info has had a bad experience with losing information and does not want to repeat it. That person is responsible for maintaining the information since they have created it; however it will not benefit the company if that person is not there to retrieve the information when needed.

This is a true story: A few years ago an employer needed information that an employee had created. As a deadline approached, the employee was on a well deserved vacation and was out of cell phone range. (Good for them!) In a panic, thinking the deadline would arrive before the employee returned, the employer called multiple family members to try to locate the employee, which caused much distress for many. When the employer finally reached the employee, he learned that everything needed was ready and that the employee would return well before the deadline arrived. This episode did nothing to improve their working relationship.

In this case, a good search engine and better communication would have relieved the stress for everyone. Of course, moving to the cloud to create and store information would have helped significantly. Fears of lost information on random drives would be relieved and everything needed would be a search bar away. So when you run into these same issues, try making a change to MobilLogic to solve the problem. The people in the story above made the move to the cloud and both are much happier now. I believe you will be also.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Management, Space | No Comments »

Legal Advice Part I

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

Recently, in a meeting with a successful “30-something” tax attorney, I was discussing with him the things he wanted to change or improve in his practice.  I asked him what was the most frustrating thing about his practice in which he quickly replied, “some of my clients”.

I asked him if he was ready to leave the practice and open the upscale restaurant, he had discussed earlier. He said, “No, but I do want to figure out a way to get it across to my clients that calling or e-mailing with a 5-part legal question is not like going through a drive through restaurant and placing an order to be picked up in seconds.”

He said that so often a client waits to call until the last minute or until something has escalated to the point that it will take hours to correct rather than minutes and then they don’t understand why it’s not done “immediately”.

“The perception is that lawyers only fill out forms that they get online at the “Get a Form” site for their state and that is all it takes to be a good attorney.  They do not realize that I have to take ALL of their extenuating circumstances into consideration for each part of their 5-part question and then decide the action that will be best for them now AND later.  There is just a lot more to do than they realize.”

I thought, “No wonder this firm has an AV Rating!”

In trying to come up with some possible solutions for that issue, I asked about developing a client education page for his website and he didn’t think much of that idea.  ”Too much time to put into something that the clients will not read anyway,” was his reply.

Another idea was to develop a “let the call come through” list of clients to help his assistants make decisions regarding interrupting his time. He thought about that and rejected it as too strict.

Then we discussed time blocking - he tried that and it didn’t work for him. When he finally decided he is not truly ready for a change, we left the situation as is - yet - during the exchange of ideas, we realized he needs a better filing system!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Legal | No Comments »

The Great Quest to Be Organized

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

Could your disorganized work style lead to health problems? Yes, says Sandra Seick RN, the director of cardiovascular development with Providence Hospital. Chaos leads to stress, which takes itself out on the body. The primary organ affected by stress is the heart. Eat right, exercise and reduce your stress, advises Seick.

 

Not long ago, high tech gurus around the country were predicting that, by now, we would have become a paperless society. Though a heavenly vision, it simply hasn’t happened. In fact, with the onset of technology, people seem to be waging an internal battle, stuck somewhere between their old filing system and an increasing attraction to their computer and all of its paperless capabilities. The result is chaos, lost souls who, at one time relied on personal filing methods but who are now wandering aimlessly in a disorganized realm.

 

Today, it is estimated that 80 percent of all information is still paper based. U.S. and Canadian businesses alone generate over one trillion new pieces of paper each year In addition, the average time to retrieve and re-file a paper document is 10 minutes, and about 30 percent of documents are lost or misfiled and have to be recovered at an alarming cost of $120 per document. (Source: Gartner Group, Coopers &Lybrand, Ernst &Young).

 

“It’s not only frustrating to be disorganized, it’s just plain costly,” says Lee Donald, president of Organizing Associates Inc. in Mobile. Donald likes to quote a study by Coopers and Lybrand which found that the average executive wastes 150 hours per year looking for lost, misplaced, misfiled or mislabeled documents.

 

“People think that being organized is being perfect, but it’s not,” Donald points out. “Being organized is having a system that works consistently for that person.”

 

Though there are different software programs available to help people become more organized, Donald’s favorite one for filing systems is called “Taming The Paper Tiger.”

 

Describing it as a “search engine for your files,” Donald says the system integrates paper filing systems into a computer program that can help people find information instantly, reminds them of any activity they need to maintain within a file, and can even keep track of archived information stored offsite.

 

“You’re not getting rid of your files,” said Donald. “You’re simply logging them into a system where you can cross reference information and find things instantly without searching through a file drawer. It’s so useful that you no longer need to keep a single piece of paper on your desk. Your active files and information are placed within arms reach, so even your “things to do list” can be dropped into a file.”

 

Mark Glass, CEO of Southern Heritage Inc. is a believer in the Paper Tiger method. His three-year-old company was experiencing 10 percent com pounded growth every month of last year and this year, the percentage has been even higher.

 

“My desk was a three- ring circus,” said Glass. “We have 8,000 customers in our data base. I use my computer for everything, but when it came to paper; I didn’t file anything for fear I’d lose it. I needed to put my hands on that paper instantly.”

 

One day, Glass was watching television and saw Donald talking about the Paper Tiger system. He called her the same day with one simple sentence, “You are going to organize me.” Before long, Donald was in his office helping him put his papers into the system.

 

“With Paper Tiger, everything’s in the computer and files are numbered. It’s so simple, but it’s ingenious,” said Glass. “If paperwork bogs you down, you can’t grow. This enables you to get control so you can step up to the next level.”

 

 

Five Tips for Organizing Your Workload

1. Eliminate the non-essentials.

2. Prioritize your task or “to do” list using a 1, 2, or 3to indicate order of importance. Do one of each every day, so that the lesser important things do not turn into urgent matters.

3. Schedule appointments with yourself to get work done. Keep the appointment!

4. Define and delegate when possible.

5. Break projects into manageable steps and schedule the due dates for each step on a calendar for all involved.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Health | No Comments »

Integrated Legal Office Systems Lead to Productivity, Part 3

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

Lee’s Keys #3  Improve Efficiency, Reduce Steps

Let me share some statistics regarding paper.  In a survey done by Fast Company, the question was asked,

“Do you use more paper or e-mail in your business?”  Eighty-six percent said “more paper.”  Look at these paper statistics:

1)         The average American office worker is estimated to use a minimum of 1 sheet of paper every 12 minutes.  

 

2)         80% of papers filed in drawers are never referenced again

 

3)         50% of all filed materials are duplicates or expired information

Remember the RULE OF ORIGINATION

“The person responsible for the origination of a document is the person who is responsible for maintaining that information either on paper or electronically.”

One of the best ways to maintain hard copy information in any form is by using MobilLogic.  It is a web based search engine for your file cabinet as well as a great front-end application for your records management system.  MobilLogic also works very well with off site hard copy storage and retrieval. 

If you don’t already have a standardized hard copy filing system with pop-up reminders, this one can solve many issues for you.  With reminders regarding actions to be taken on a file as well as searchable records of cases in progress, you don’t have to remember which legal pad the notes were written on. 

We know where the paper comes from, but what do we do with it?  Use the ART OF WASTEBASKETRY® to determine whether or not to keep a piece of paper.  Ask yourself these 6 questions when making a tough decision about keeping a piece of paper.

1)      Did I ask for this Information?

 

2)      Is this the only place the information is available?

 

3)      Is the information recent enough to be useful?

 

4)      Can I identify the special circumstances when I would want this information?

 

5)      Are there tax or legal implications?

 

6)      What is the worst possible thing that could happen if I didn’t have this piece of paper? 

 

From:  Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger: Organizing the Paper in Your Life

Revised and Expanded Edition

By Barbara Hemphill

Registered trademarks are the property of Hemphill Institute

If the answer to these questions is NO, then toss the paper!  Remember to include scanning in your office records management system.  Used properly this will become a great part of improving office efficiency. 

Over the years I’ve learned there are different learning types in most offices – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. The people who are kinesthetic will be the least likely to want to convert to a total scanning system. These are the people who will re-print a scanned document to read it. 

 

Know that scanning is important as a part of overall office organization, but it may work better for some practices rather than others due to the people who are the end users of the information.

  

One practice I worked with saved its client millions of dollars because they were able to locate the original printed fax cover sheet.  That alone was worth the effort for the office to become organized!

 

Lee’s Keys #4 is about prioritizing, scheduling, and minimizing.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Legal | No Comments »

Integrated Legal Office Systems Lead to Productivity, Part 1

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” We have all heard the saying, but what does it mean in an office environment?

 

I have learned over the years that when you say the words “get organized”, different people will hear different things.  One person may think “communication”, another person may think “spatial order” and another may think “time management.”  Actually they are all correct; I will give you some Keys to remember when planning the systems in your law office.

 

Lee’s Keys #1 Design your Waterfront Property© for Maximum Use

 

How many of you have Waterfront Property©? Actually, anyone who works in an office has it! It’s a term I coined to describe the space around your desk or credenza – or the area where you do most of your work. 

 

When you sit in your chair, hold your arms out to your side and turn in a circle, this area is considered your Waterfront Property©.  It’s the most valuable piece of property in your office because it is where your most important work is done.

 

One of the main complaints I hear about a person’s Waterfront Property is “what do I do with all this stuff”?  We tend to keep lots of “stuff” around us in our Waterfront Property area especially if we are visual people.  And we tend to keep this Waterfront Property “stuff” in piles, rather than in files.  

 

Someone with lots of piles is creating what I call “horizontal filing”. These people have difficulty finding information quickly because most of it is paper based. If a matter or case is not closed, then we tend to keep the information in paper form, and most of the time it’s filed horizontally rather than vertically.  This creates a pile that must be lifted and moved every time information is needed.  This equals more time wasted.

 

Many law practices wait until the case is closed before they consider the ways they keep the information. Remember that information in a combination of paper, electronic, and scanned documents is often a good way to handle a case or a legal matter.

 

Always send the closed case hard copy information to an AAA Certified records management center rather than using a mini warehouse unit, or closet, or attic of the building you are in. The difference in these options is dramatic and failure to manage and store your records properly could have serious consequences.

 

When horizontal filing is the organizing problem, I teach people Lee’s Key #2.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Legal | No Comments »

Unclutter Your Space!

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

What is your definition of clear and simple? It means different things to different people. Over the years I’ve heard these words described as many different things such as:

 

1)   Not having much STUFF

2)   A task that is easy to accomplish

3)  A plain, uncomplicated life

 

Even these easy definitions leave a lot open to interpretation. For instance, how much stuff is too much stuff? 

 

A few years ago, I worked with a business man in his office to help set up a records management system.  It took quite a bit of work to wade through all of the other things and areas in the offices, but when we were finished, he and his assistant were pleased with the outcome.  Gaining control in his office improved operations throughout the entire company. 

 

As happens many times, what is going on at the office is mirrored at home. So, I was not surprised when he asked me to work with his family as well.  When I arrived at the home, I saw that the family did have a similar situation as the one we had handled at his office.  There was just WAY too much stuff.  Not only was there no where to put anything because all of the storage places in the house were full, but there was so much stuff that needed to be put away that you couldn’t safely walk through a room. 

 

In addition to these issues, they had more stuff that was not yet unpacked from containers with shipping dates that were months old. There was simply too much stuff in this home and they all knew they needed help.

Think about WHY people do this kind of thing. There are many reasons, yes, but most of the time it’s because they are seeking fulfillment from the wrong source – material possessions – instead of looking at the situation as a whole and making a decision to change a habit, expectation or thought pattern.  Think about WHY people do this kind of thing; there are many reasons, yes, but most of the time it’s because they are seeking fulfillment from the wrong source – material possessions, instead of looking at the situation as a whole and making a decision to change a habit or expectation or thought pattern. 

They think that if they just have THAT thing – whatever THAT thing is, their lives will be SO much better.  They think, hey – it looks great in the magazine ad, or in the TV infomercial or on the web site, and they can pay just a little more and get RUSH delivery and begin using it NOW.  And since it’s so “cheap” let’s get 2 – that will be twice as good! 

If they only knew that there is no thing that will fill their lives it will be a giant leap toward solving a problem.  There is only one way to happiness and contentment in life, and that way is not through going shopping.   

Here are a few tips to help us get rid of stuff so you can focus on life:

 

1)     If you already have one, don’t buy another one – yes, even if you can’t find the one you already have!  Instead, clean the area of the “lost” item and find the one you have.  While you are cleaning, you will not be able to go out and buy more! 

 

2)     And yes, cleaning while you search is key – get out the dust cloths, the cleaning supplies and the vacuum and do the job well. It will give you a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of well being and you will be able to find the things you are looking for with ease. Stress in your life will decrease because you will know that your space is in order.  In another blog, we will discuss stress from disorganization and how it affects our health!

 

3)   Use it or lose it! Someone else can always benefit from things you really don’t want or use.  Donate! You will be amazed at how many different types of items can be donated to worthwhile charities: cars, clothes, mattresses, toys - almost anything. 

 

To keep things simple, make a record of the items and donate them to your favorite charity.  If you don’t know how much value to place on the item when donating, go to http://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/itsdeductible/ and itemize your donations on that site.  There is a series of printable forms to fill in that will give you correct amounts to place on your donations.  You will be surprised at how much money you can save by filling in the form. 

 

A reader suggested having a party and giving your very nice, but unwanted, things away to your friends.  Number the items at the table and let them draw a number to see which item they get.  They can even trade with someone else if they like. This will be fun for everyone. There are many variations on this idea, so find the one you like and lose it!

 

4)   Recycle - especially paper.  It’s amazing how much space we take up in our homes storing old paper of all kinds.  Do you really need the whole newspaper if the only article you want to keep is on the second page of the C section? Allow yourself one magazine subscription per year and discontinue that one if you don’t read it every month. Be honest with yourself about this habit or lack of time.

 

Buy a file cabinet for the important papers you really do need to keep and set up a correct filing system.  If you use a system that is easy for everyone and keep the index in the front of the drawer, you will be able to find the items quickly and it will be easy to teach your family members to file using the system that you have set up.  DO get everyone in the family involved!

 

5)     DO NOT procrastinate.  Do it NOW.  Remember - no one procrastinates their way to an uncluttered life! 

 

Remember the executive I spoke about at the beginning?  He, his assistant and his family are still working with the system we began for them. The key was that he led the way at the beginning and is still leading by example. Their system continues to work well because they have gained freedom from clutter and have given up the bad habit of procrastinating.  As they all learned, if they do the mildly unpleasant thing like filing now they can relax at the end of the work week and enjoy their weekend, which is a pleasant thought for us all. 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Space | No Comments »