Ugh. Who doesn’t dread organizing records, folders, paperwork, and files? For most of us, either at work or at home (or both), it’s a daily responsibility.

With the tax deadline looming and spring cleaning season upon us, now is a good time to get started. That’s probably why Records Information Managers designated April as National Records and Information Management Month.

A few tips:

• Rule One of organizing: Don’t ask yourself “where should I put it?” Ask “where will I find it?” The purpose of organizing records is to make them easily findable (at ClerkBase, we’re all about findability).
• Choose a format and stick to it.  Will you store your information by topic? chronologically?
• Keep it simple. Remember, you may want to come back to these records some day. Imagine you’re filing lists of books. Next year, will you look for them under “books” or “literature”?
• Fear not the subfile. If it makes sense, divide your files into subfiles. But see above. Keep it simple.
• Use what works. If you find your system isn’t working for you, find another. There are literally thousands of websites dedicated to organizing. You’re sure to find one to meet your specific needs (for example, ClerkBase can help organize and manage boards and committees with our OnBoard solution).