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The Propriety of Paper Handling

You don’t want to waste either fruitlessly searching for that crucial document that should be there when you need it, but, alas is not. Never again.  Keep your paperwork under control before it becomes overwhelming.

Create a pending file for urgent, important items that need to be done at specific times of the week.Decide what you need to keep and how to file it so that you can quickly access it when the need arises. Then continue to always do your filing the same way so you will always know where to find what you want, at any given time.

To avoid those skyscrapers of paper obscuring your desk, file all paperwork immediately as you receive it in an “incoming” folder, and then file each item again in its proper file, once you have the chance to post each document. Prevent the same information being entered twice by stamping invoices as “posted” after entering them on your system, and stamping them again as “paid” once the corresponding cheque has been issued.

Some paper documents don’t need to be kept when you are using an electronic accounting system. However, make sure to maintain safe, reliable backups of your electronic files, and paper backup information when it’s needed for audits. In the end, how you chose to file and store your documents is an essential step to keeping organized.

In the wise words of Stephen Covey, "The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."

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