swamped by filing

[akara]

OK,  similar problems have been posted before here.

It's the dreaded filing again.  Yes, I hate filing.  Consequently it tends to build up.  And I know the answer is to set aside a time to do it, every week.  But here is the problem:

I work in a very small office.  Most of the time it's just me and the boss.  Bossie is very disorganised and has a very bad memory, relying on a bring forward system to remember things.  Fine - it works for him.  But my memory is not much better.  When he gives me something to file, it goes in my 'filing' tray.  He doesn't concern himself with the filing - as far as he's concerned it's my responsibility (I don't have a problem with this - he's probably right.  But it would help if my memory was better).

Then two weeks later he'll ask me for a piece of paper with someone's address/phone number/etc on that he insists he gave me.  I have no recollection at all.  After much frantic searching, said document invariably turns up in my filling tray, waiting to be put away, and I have no memory of putting it there.

At the moment things are very busy at the office - we have a trade show coming up, and I'm away next week so I'm trying to get through everything.  I am already working through several lunch hours to get the important stuff done, and  I have no desire to stay in the office till 8 o'clock to catch up on the filing.  I have a life outside of work.

Filing gets left because it's not 'urgent' - bossie wanting a,b and c yesterday is urgent, then the stuff that's left over from last week.  Since that cycle appears to be unending, the filing simply doesn't get done.

The company can't afford to take on another admin at this stage, so I have to cope.  Any suggestions?

Akara

[mlm668]

You have to learn to make time.  The first step is to get caught up - no matter what it takes.  For me it was coming in on a Saturday to get it done (or setting aside one morning and making it known to the rest of the office that filing was my priority that day).  

Once you get caught up try what I call group filing.  When I work on a "group" (jobs, payroll, etc) I do my filing for what I've done before I move on to the next group.  

For example:

When I do payroll, I also have to enter equipment hours for the previous week and fuel usage.  First I process payroll and run those reports.  If I can, I then enter the fuel and eq. hours, but sometimes I have to wait a day or more.  Once I finish, I bind all the payroll, fuel and eq reports by week in one of those computer printout thingys and then file the binder.  Then I sort, clamp and file the timesheets.  This way I know where everything is and its off my desk.  When I work on job files, I try to pull the file(s) (correspondence, po's, subcontractor) I'm working on and as soon as I make my file distribution copies, I clamp the file copies into the file and put it away and distribute the others.  

It takes time to relearn this.  I still don't have it perfected, but I've gotten so much better.  I even got rid of one of my "to be filed trays" because it was becoming an "out of sight/out of mind" issue (I only saw it when I turned away from my desk).  If its on my desk, I can't avoid it and I have to put it away if I want to keep my work more organized and my desk clean.

Good luck.



Michelle

[smitkit]

I used to number all my files, and have a sheet of paper in my filing tray with all the numbers and the name of the file.  When bossie gave me something to file (you might want to ask him to give them to you or put them in your in-tray instead of putting them directly into the filing tray - at least you will have seen them) I would pull out the numbered file sheet and write the number on the top right hand corner of the document.  Then it gets left in your filing-tray until you have the time to do it.

Now when he comes to you to ask for the bit of paper, you will probably know which file you would have put it into (company name / project etc), can look the number up on your sheet of paper and then flick through the pile of filing until you find it.  

I know you might think this sounds as much effort as getting up and filing it as soon as it comes in ... but that never happens.

Numbering the documents also REALLY helps when you actually get round to doing the filing, and makes it so much quicker.  

The point here is that when he asks for the telephone number, you're not looking like you don't know what he's talking about, as you can go straight to the relevant bit of paper - albeit still in the filing pile.

I hope that makes sense!

Smitkit

[andream]

and if bossie insists on handing you bits of things, then try this, ... give him some color coded folders, for instance nice red ones, ANYTHING he hands you has to go in one of these folders, period the end full stop.  A post it note all by itself with last week's golf scores on it.  Red folder and THEN into the in box. Two week old napkin with a contact's business number written on it, RED FOLDER and then into the in box.  Until you develop a system that works for you in keeping up with the filing, then at least, when bossie insists he gave it to you, you'll be able to go to the pile, find the red folders and go thru them.  Further that growing pile with the red folders sticking out of it will be a constant reminder and will cause you to think about how to solve your issues, you can also take the color coding to the next level, if bossie is well trained and responds well to new ideas,

Try,,, this.  If it's urgent filing stuff, as in  "if you lose this you are going to be SO busy looking for your replacement" it goes into Red, if it's got to do with bills meaning recv;ables or payables, payroll,  or money in whatever fashion it goes into green, if it's got to do with clients it goes into blue.... if it's too weird to be properly categorized zap it into a yellow folder, keep a supply handy near your in tray, upright in one of those stepped up file thingiies whose name I knew just a few minutes ago but which now suddenly eludes me, anyway keep them upright, empty and well supplied so that bossie can chuck his stuff in them easily.  As your rainbow of a file tray begins to grow at LEAST you can say, hmmmm Let me do just the urgent don't lose this under pain of death filing today and pull the red folders from the pile, then later, you can pull the green ones, rather than having to take the entire pile and figure out what everything is first and then worry about where to file it.  it seems a roundabout way of doing things, but it will help you to prioritize the paperwork a little, will let bossie know you are trying to be proactive, encourage you to develop a system.  We can all tell you wonderful things about how we created our own systems but in the end you need to find one that works for you, and in the meantime you need to be able to find things that have been handed to you.

Positioning this thing with bossie is easy too.  Take responsibility for not having the filing done as often as you'd both like, then explain your system which is meant to be a temporary stop gap and ask,, repeat ASK for his help until you get a better system in place.  He'll do it.  He's a nice guy., besides he's going to be in awe of you for attempting to do something about the issue in the short term which enables him to have what he needs and an offshoot will be that when he is looking for something and you're not sitting there, even HE will know it's in a Red file,,, or a green,,, or ... well you get the idea.

And don't everyone write me about how she needs to do the filing! this is only meant to be a temporary measure to help sort out the problems that arise when akara has to pull forth a big pile of unsorted papers and try to find something while bossie stands and taps his foot, saying things like... I gave it too you last week.

My own files tend to be like an archeological dig,,, when Im looking for something, I think,.,, hmm well that's the presentation for xyz company in there, so that was before the insert name of document was created which means it MUST be further up the pile,,,,,,

Andrea
No file folders were harmed in the making of this post....

[JessW]

Now, where are all those lovely work experience pupils when you need them most, or even offer to child mind a minor family member and get them on to your filing!!!  Worth checking out as it doesn't cost much AND if you get a bright one they may even want to come back for more!

Jess

PS I hope I am not coming across as being completely mercinary, am I?

[radaro]

If all else fails, use a blowtorch !

[Jackie G]

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.  Like the rest of you it's the last thing I do and I've got to be super-bored to even think of doing it!

But here's a good thing - keep something in your filing pile long enough and you'll discover that it's dead and long finished and you don't even need to keep it for reference any more.   It's a great way to refine the filing pile!!!

Jackie
www.iqps.org
Peer Moderator

[twhfan]

Love Andrea's suggestion about organizing the filing pile that way - I may try that myself, although my filing doesn't usually get so far behind anymore.  My boss is a fanatic about files, so I am a reformed (most of the time) filing procrastinator!  I too, hate filing, but I developed a system (thanks to some long-ago advice I got here) to make my files color-coded by category, i.e., red for state organizations that we do business with, blue for national organizations, yellow for internal projects, committees, etc.  The files are alphebetized within the category.  Simple!

My boss loves this system and I find it very easy to decide where to file things and they're easily retrievable, too.  My previous boss would think of 3 or 4 names for the same file, so consequently I'd have 3 or 4 files for the same project and none would be complete!  Very frustrating, and it made me hate filing so much that my piles became enormous (shudder).

I agree with a previous poster who suggested coming in on a Saturday or staying late one night to do the filing.  Once you're caught up, you'll feel so much better - one less thing to worry about.

Good luck.

[mnaeempk]

Yes, the most dreaded part of job description of an admin professional. A better way to tackle this is through better time management. Here is my suggestion picked up from a previous post.

Generally, filing has two components. Revewing, separating and sorting papers  (difficult/time-consuming) and then putting these separated/sorted papers in files (easy and less time-taking). If you don't have enough time to complete filing at one go, you can do it separately i.e. separate / sort at one time and file at some other time depending upon the availability of time.

mnaeempk
Naeem in Pakistan

[elkiedee]

Check content of pieces of paper when they're given to you. If names and phone numbers, record them in computerised or paper address book, or short notes - type them up on computer. Then you'll have them to hand more properly and don't have to worry about scraps of paper. But do print out computer records or back them up.

Keep a large ringbinder and punch and put in what he gives you on a daily basis if this seems too much, newest on top.

Luci
Luci