How the Three-File System Works to Save You Time and Simplify Your Life

Paper.

It's everywhere. And unless you have a simple system for "processing" it, it can overrun your office, kitchen, and home.

Before I discovered the three-file system, I had all kinds of files... maybe twenty or thirty of them, all with a different label.

Every month, I'd go through all the mail and bills and file the statements. Every piece of paper went into a separate file. Which meant I was touching dozens of files every month. Filing paperwork took way too much time, and I didn't like it.

Enter the three-file system. I can't remember where or when I heard about it. But I finally got so desperate (my study was beginning to look like a storage archive minus the filing boxes), I decided to give it a try.

Here's how to set up your three-file system.

1. Get three hanging file folders and put them in your filing cabinet.
2. Label the first one "File #1"
3. Label the second one "File #2"
4. Label the third one "File #3"
5. Get a small mail organizer and place it where you open the mail.

Okay, when you've completed each of these steps, you're ready to begin using the system. Here's how it works...

Whenever you get the mail, adopt a one-touch policy. Either throw it away, shred it, or file it in your mail center. (I put statements in the large slot of the mail center and place payment slips with their envelopes into the small slot. I organize the bills according to when they must be paid.)

Now, do this for the entire month. When the month is over, take all the statements and file them in Folder #1.

During the second month, you will open and process the mail the same way. Then, at the end of the month, you will take all the statements and place them in File #1. All the paperwork already in File #1 gets moved to File #2.

During the third month, repeat the process. At the end of the month, all the paperwork in File #2 goes to File #3. File #1 goes to File #2. And all the paperwork in the mail center goes in File #1.

Got it?

During the fourth month, repeat the process again. Except this time, the paperwork in File #3 goes to the shredder. Or at least most of it. If there's something you must save for tax records or for a longer period of time, simply create a folder to store the "exceptions."

Here's what the three-folder system does. It simplifies your life and saves you boatloads of time. Instead of touching dozens of files every month, you only touch one or two. There's no separating or sorting. Five minutes and you're done.

I've been using the three-file system for about half a year now and I wonder... why didn't I do this sooner? Paperwork is a breeze now. The paper beast has been tamed.

Your action item: Go set up your three-file system now and begin using it immediately. It'll be one of the best organizational improvements you make all year.

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Cut Down On Business Paperwork With HR Workflow Management Software

At its simplest definition, workflow is the movement of documents and/or tasks through a work process, and for many people, the idea of Human Resources and workflow in business involves the improvement of processing paperwork. Workflow is the operational aspect of a work procedure: how tasks are structured, who performs them, how they are synchronised, how tasks are tracked; the tasks involved in determining workflow are numerous and can have a serious impact on a business' productivity. The most common HR processes include appraisals, new starters, maternity, absence, holiday booking and leavers.

Workflow involves various components and people and each facet must integrate with the others in order to process and complete a task. For example, an employee wants to book a holiday and fills in a paper form. Details of the holiday from will be delivered to the employee?s line manager, who will check to see if there is sufficient cover before authorizing the holiday. The paper form is then delivered to the HR department who then makes a note of details of the employee?s holiday and subtracts the time from the employees holiday balance. The employee then receives a form showing that the holiday has been authorized and details of their new holiday balance.

Workflow is critical to driving greater efficiency within HR. It is a process which delivers the right work to the right people at the right time, eradicating the need for highly labour intensive activities and considerably reducing the need for paper to be pushed around the office. In essence Workflow can help to reduce costs, improve productivity, provide faster processing times and of course is a major player in helping to sustain the world?s declining tree population. A HR process may require interaction from many departments. Therefore, HR processes are well suited for automation because typically these processes are paper based, manual and prone to error and delay.

With workflow management becoming more and more critical in driving greater efficiency within your business, the ever changing demands on HR and business to become more effective, productive and profitable has led to many software solution companies introducing HR software designed to manage HR workflow; allowing labour intensive activities to be automated. Operating in tandem with process tracking, businesses can ensure that progress can be monitored effectively. For example, ASR Computers recently launched their .NET HR Workflow module, which is written in .NET technology and compliments the company?s existing HR and Payroll software product range,..

ASR?s .NET HR Workflow module management tool which gives HR professionals the functionality to re-engineer their HR processes and assist with the efficient running of their HR department; allowing for the use of electronic forms instead of paper. Consequently, a range of benefits are achieved - including process visibility, which is a key factor for tracking progress and improvement.

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance journalist.