There is a great post over at FreelanceSwitch on how to organize yourself using an old fashioned filing cabinet.
I have to confess; filing papers is not something that I enjoy. In fact, I try to avoid the physical filing of papers whenever I can. I keep most of my work files electronically and back them up regularly. I dream of a day when I can shove my filing cabinets into a closet ("out of sight, out of mind").
However, sometimes you just can't avoid filing papers, and that's where the FreelanceSwitch tips come in handy.
Here's two reasons why you might still use paper files:- Equipment failure. If you're like me and keep a lot of files on the computer, you should be backing them up electronically on a regular basis. Be aware that your computer could fail. If you have paper backups as well as electronic backups, you will have records while you wait to get a new computer.
- Paper documents. Some records still only come in paper. Many of my clients still pay me with actual physical checks. Yes, I have an electronic record of the invoices I sent, but the check stub and a photocopy of the check are the records that show I got paid. Receipts from the office supply store are paper. Contracts with my signature on them are another example of paper photocopies that I should have on file.
I need to tackle my paper pile. I learned, even with a computer and saving to disk, thumb drives, etc., we need to have paper back-ups for some things. All the floppies I saved manuscripts on years ago aren't usable because the programs no longer exist and they were made on older computers. Perhaps some expert can somehow retrieve them, but they're not easy to download. So I learned that anything I really wanted to have access to, I made a hard copy...like the "olden" days. Also, as you say, Laura, some information still is only available on paper
Posted by: Mary Emma Allen | July 20, 2007 9:41 AM | Permalink to Comment