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by: Allan Cowley
When working
from home, it is usual to find that you have your office in an area
that is not very big, such as a box room or even in the corner of
the kitchen. When your business really takes off, you will begin to
discover that your work area starts to get swamped by paperwork and
that you are running out of storage space.
An excellent solution to this is to aim towards having a paperless
office. Obviously, certain documents must be kept for legal and tax
purposes, but take a look around you and ask yourself, “Just how
much of this paper do I need to keep?”
The first task is to go through your paperwork and decide what is
for the bin. Base your decision on whether you are ever going to
need that document again. This is slightly different to documents
you know you will never READ again, because most businesses are
required by law to retain certain paperwork for official purposes,
for example, certain receipts and leasing agreements.
Secondly, decide what you want to be able to access in future but
don’t require the information to be on paper. This is the main group
of documents that are heading towards your scanner. Items in this
category would include letters between you and your customers,
brochures, price lists, business cards, etc.
Your third task is to separate all official, legal, tax, etc
documents you must keep. Basically, you should consider if these
documents are possibly going to be required by a lawyer, tax
inspector, customs officer or the police. If you are not sure then
it is better to err on the side of caution and keep it.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
On the assumption that you already own a computer, what other
equipment are you going to need?
Proper filing boxes for the “keeps”. Office supply stores stock a
wide variety of storage options. Label your boxes and files properly
so that you can access information held in them easily. You could
also consider asking your lawyer, accountant or bank to store the
more important items for you. This is a good option for the very
important documents, but you may be charged for the service.
A scanner. Scanners are relatively cheap and are much cheaper and
smaller than a filing cabinet. Systematically work your way through
your files and scan the items in the second category. REMEMBER TO
BACKUP ALL YOUR SCANS! Most recent computers will have a CD-Writer.
They are a cheap and quick way to make a permanent, digital record
of your files. As with your filing boxes, clearly mark your CD with
a guide to the information it contains.
A paper shredder. AFTER YOU HAVE MADE BACKUP COPIES of the redundant
paperwork, shred all your unwanted paperwork to keep it away from
prying eyes. You can use the shreddings on a compost heap, if you
have one. They are excellent to mix in with grass cuttings!
About The Author
Allan Cowley is a Life Coach working with clients throughout the
world. He provides online coaching in self improvement, goal
setting, time management and small business development. You can
contact Allan on his website at:-
http://www.uk-success-coach.com/.
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2775 West Dickman Road, Battle Creek, Michigan 49037