Do you have quite a bit of filing to do? Do you feel that you should have some sort of control over these files on how you find them, for future reference?

Creating a filing system can be tricky, as you need to know exactly how to file your files and what type of information you would need to be able to access quickly. Your boss could ask you for something at a moment's notice and you are expected to find the information within minutes.

One of my readers asks:

I am trying to organize a file room based not on traditional alphabetical filing, but on a retrieval system. It is based on real estate issues - so, for instance, the transaction files are arranged by numbers in order of closing dates. Then, all files are set up in an excel file with columns for File #, property address, closing date, owner (whatever data important) - then sorts are run and printed so files can be referenced and found by whatever criteria you need. That makes sense, but can this system be applied to other information, like monthly bills, tax returns, staff, legal issues, normal company information?

Being able to retrieve the data is more important than an organized alphabetized file drawer.

I remember going to a walk-in clinic (doctor's office) for an ailment at the time. I gave in my health card and was asked to be seated. I looked around and noticed quite a large amount of folders, assuming that they were patient files (which they were). It was interesting to see that there were numbers on the side of them.

You can use this system for anything you like, such as monthly bills, tax returns, etc. as you mentioned in your question. You can use two different methods of creating a filing system.

1. You can use Microsoft Excel to add all of this information and then add the numbers from the files to your Excel spreadsheet.


2. You can use Microsoft Access to create a database of all of your files' criteria and the software assigns a "key" or number that corresponds with your files.

This way, you can keep track of all files in any way, shape or form.

Do you find articles on this site intriguing? Do you wish that you could save them to your Favorites so that you can look at them again and again? Do you wish that you could take your Favorites with you where ever you go, even if you don't own a laptop and have access to a computer with internet access?

You may have noticed the small icon at the top and bottom of each post which states "Bookmark" and a few symbols after it. If you hover over this icon, you will notice a small drop down box. You can click on any of the particular social bookmarks to be able to save and share your Favorites with anyone you choose.

There's also the "more..." button. Click this and you will get an even larger list of free services that are offered. You can sign up and use any or as many services as you wish.

You have option to share these with anyone or everyone that's part of this service. You can even find other people that have similar interests as you and add them to your "Friends" list. This is a networking tool that I've been using for quite some time now.

You can also use these services to organize yourself by adding "tags" or keywords to the articles that you've saved. So, next time you need to look for something within your tags, click on one of them and you will find all of the articles that you've saved with that particular tag.

Here are my top picks of services that I find most useful:

• Digg
  
  
• De.licio.us
  
  
• Stumble Upon
  
  
• Reddit
  
  
• Newsvine

So, next time you find an article on here that you are interested in saving and want to glance back quickly from anywhere in the world, click on the "Bookmark" icon and save it to one of these services.

What's next?

Subscribe to The Professional Assistant feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you today.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!


Post from: Administrative Assistant Tips

Happy Halloween everyone!

You walk into the office and notice all of the Halloween decorations. A spider here, a goblin there. Then a bunch of co-workers show up in costumes. What a sight!

Do you like to dress up in fancy or scary costumes for this occasion? Do you want to dress up at the office, but not sure what to wear or if you even can?

This has been a tradition in our office for quite some time now, where people would decorate the office, dress up in funky costumes and bring baked treats for everyone. Luckily, in my office, we dress in casual clothes all of the time and we do have a corporate policy of being able to dress up in a costume for this event. We even hold a "Best Costume Contest" and even get a small prize, although I've never seen what the prize was.

Here are some tips you should follow before you get into the spirit:

• Check to see if others will be doing the same. You don't want to end up at work and be the only one wearing a costume. Looking like a rabbit might be fun, but you don't want to be gnawing your carrot around others as they're working away.


• Check with your Human Resources Department or manager to see if this falls into your corporate policy.


• If you are going to wear a costume, make sure to wear something tasteful, not too scary or revealing. Remember that you are in a professional environment and have to upkeep this attitude.


• Try not to wear masks as the can block your vision and cut down on productivity. Try reading what you are typing or writing through really small holes. It's nearly impossible, especially if you wear glasses.

And last of all, have fun with it! Feel proud to be a part of a great office culture!

So, any of you celebrating Halloween? Do you have any more tips to add here? What are you dressing up as? Let us know!

What's next?

Subscribe to The Professional Assistant feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you today.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!


Post from: Administrative Assistant Tips

Do you find yourself being bored out of your mind at times with nothing to do? Do you feel that your boss could offer you more tasks, but keeps telling you that they're putting things together for you, but never do?

This, of course, is heaven to some, but like me, can't stand being bored. I always need to keep myself occupied with some sort of task, whether it be filing, updating our company's database with client information, etc. It really does make the time go by faster, especially during the slow periods, which doesn't happen too often for me. I do enjoy taking it easy at times, but still need to keep myself busy, so I don't feel like I'm going insane.

Unfortunately, one of my readers is in the same predicament as this. They write:

He doesn't have anything for me to do.

I know some might say that's a blessing, but I AM SO BORED and I feel very unproductive. I frequently tell him in different ways, "I don't have any tasks to do for you right now...." or "I don't want to be wasting your time or money, so if you have ANYTHING for me to do, I'll gladly do it."

His reply is usually, "I'm working on some things that I'll get to you soon...." and he never does. What do you think this means?

I've tried to exhaust all the possible things I could do that he doesn't ask me to do - organize emails, files, clutter, contacts, create procedures. I'm out of ideas! I know that he doesn't like the company we're working for. I think it could be a lot of things, but I would think that he would drop me if he didn't have anything for me to do!

Are you using ACT! as your client relationship manager (CRM)? Did your boss just decide to install it on his/her system and yours then told you, "Read the manual, we're going to be using this from now on"?

If you’re looking to purchase ACT! for your company, click here.

This same thing happened to me as well as one of my readers. In one of my previous jobs, when I was working for an Investment Advisor, he gave me the installation CD-ROM and asked me to read up on how to use it. Believe it or not, this was quite an easy system to learn. I've never used it before, but took a few hours each day to familiarize myself with it and it was really simple to operate.

One of my readers asks:

Can you help me with ACT? My employer needs someone who is educated in this program. I've never used it. HELP!

My answer to this is:

First off, cut down on the caffeine. Just had to say that, since you seem to be in a panic. Take a deep breath and follow the instructions below.

I've found a great resource on the ACT! website, which has the following online video tutorials for some of the most frequently used functions in this software. The only thing is that you need to have earphones or speakers at your computer. It's quite comprehensive and takes you step-by-step through all of the items. Just click on any of the links below to take a look at the particular task you would like to learn about.

• ACT! Workspace
• Activities
• Customization
• Dashboard
• Dashboard Designer
• Finding Information
• Groups & Companies
• Handheld Link Installation
• Importing Contacts
• Mail Merge
• Opportunities
• Outlook Integration
• Printing
• Setting up E-mail
• Setup Assistant
• Sharing Databases
• Synchronizing
• Writing a Letter