How long does it take you to find a paper on your desk or in the files? Is it stored under “Car” or “Toyota”? Is it in Suzi’s desk, Jim’s desk or the central files? For over seven years now, I have had a filing system that works! I no longer have to remember where I filed something or worse yet, where my assistant filed things, because I have a tool to help me remember. I use a software tool called Taming the Paper Tiger . Using a tool like this allows us to stand behind our 8-Hour Miracle office productivity solution, a one-on-one organizing session of your workspace where a paper management system can be established in one day. You can do it too!

Types of Files First, organize your papers by category. If you already have a filing system, you may have designated different filing cabinet drawers for broad categories. For example, small businesses use file headings like Active Clients, Inactive Clients, Company Information, Financial and Reference. Larger companies break down their files even further, adding classifications such as Accounts Payable and Contracts.

You need to write a proposal and you just know you have a Word document somewhere that is similar. You begin to write an email describing how to do a certain function and you just know you’ve sent one with the same subject to someone before. It bugs you to recreate your work so you look around for that Word file or Outlook email. After a few minutes, you get disgusted, give up and start writing from memory. What a waste of time!

There are several tools on the market to help. Just like a search engine for the web, you enter some keywords and a list is displayed of the files on your own computer that match. In the background, the tools automatically build the index. Google has a free tool (for now) called Google Desktop they are testing out. You can download it at http://desktop.google.com/. If you like the Google interface, you’ll like this. It won’t search every type of file, do any cross referencing or display the contents of a file without you having to open it. Also remember it is not a fully released product yet so changes are inevitable.

Try Enfish for more power. Starting at $49.95 it is a powerful tool and has been on the market for a while. It can search many more file types and actually looks inside your PDF and ZIP files. The index can run when you want, it highlights the words you are looking for and displays a view of the file so you can quickly decide if it is the one you want.

If you’re not sure which one is right for you, click here and choose the comparison link. Enfish offers a 30 day free trial. Pretty slick huh? I estimate I save about an hour a week using this and my files are pretty organized. Try one or both of them out; you’ve got nothing to lose and only time to gain.

Include only one subject per email message. Clearly state what the email is about in the Subject line. Not only will this method simplify e-mail filing and retrieval, but it eliminates the possibility of someone reacting to the first issue, and missing the second, or forgetting to go back and deal with it.

If you really need to put multiple items in an email, make sure they relate to the same project. State this in the subject line. Number your points and give at least one space between paragraphs. Try to end each point with your question and even use bolding or colors to indicate where you need an answer. Stop and look at it from the reader’s point of view. Can they quickly understand what you want?

• Know what a blog is? I’m just getting to know myself. It is a personal Internet journal that is frequently updated and is usually more conversational in nature. They are easy to set up and maintain yourself and several free services exist. Since each post becomes a ‘webpage’ they are picked up by the search engines more frequently. I’ll have mine up in a few days. I’ll let you know when. Watch and learn through me as I jump into this new (at least for me) arena.
• Want to know how I am reengineering my business to be more effective online? It is because of an intensive program I’m in called Virtual Practice Builder, by Travis Greenlee. I’m learning the how-to’s of internet marketing, blogs, audiologs, shopping carts, autoresponders, and more. It’s not for the faint of heart, only those serious about growing their online business should apply. If you are interested in streamlining your learning, click here for the details. Don’t hesitate to ask me directly about my experience!