Find Things in Seconds in Your Files- Really!

As Professional Organizers who organize homes, home offices and small businesses, probably the most frequent cry for help we hear relates to PAPER. One alternative filing tool we have used literally hundreds of times over the years is Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger software. I see so much debate here at Lifehack over the nuances of filing that I thought you’d all appreciate knowing about this tool.

Here’s how it works: The software has nothing to do with scanning at all. It is simply a database that tracks the physical location of your papers. The screen looks similar to an Excel spreadsheet. Each row corresponds to a folder in your drawer. You set up numbered folders in advance (“Reference 1, Reference 2,” etc.), and when you file something, you type in a primary name, such as “Car Insurance.” Then you have a keyword field for all of the phrases you can think of that relate to that set of papers (“Honda, State Farm, Auto, Vehicle,” etc.).

When you are looking for the file later, you just search and it tells you which folder to grab. You can retrieve anything from your file drawer in just a few seconds, as fast as you could Google something.

Problems this fixes really well:

• You can’t decide what to name something: Since you are normally limited to what fits on the little folder tab, you must be succinct when naming a file folder. Sometimes papers simply defy classification and are very difficult to name, with many subjects represented in one article, for example. With this tool, you can keyword all of those things in and you’re covered.
• You don’t like slowing down to make new folders when you need to file: Using this system, you easily create numbered folders in advance, so you can have as many open hanging folders sitting there waiting as you like. When it’s time to file, it takes a few seconds to just type something in and drop the papers in the folder.
• You can’t remember where you filed something: Because of the keywording and searching, you no longer have to remember this kind of information in your head. You can find it in just a few seconds by searching or looking at the printed file index.
• People sharing files who cannot read minds: If the filing system is in someone else’s head, and that person gets hit by a bus, you can’t find anything. This system prevents people from being in the dark about where things are.

Drawbacks:

• If you don’t back up your data faithfully, you are not only playing with fire in general, but your paper filing information would now join all of your other data at risk.
• This system works absolutely beautifully for reference papers, but doesn’t do much for actionable papers. You’ll still need your trays, piles, or other methods for handling your paper-related to-do items.
• The search feature is a little frustrating at times, as it looks only for the EXACT phrase you have typed into the keywords. There is an advanced find that allows more narrowed searching, but it’s not as easy to use.
• Some people are very uncomfortable seeing only numbers in their file drawer. It is wonderful to not have to re-do labels when you change your mind about a folder, but for some people it’s just too abstract. Because there is a printed file index, however, it is something that is easy to overcome.
• It’s certainly a shift in thinking to realize that your papers are supposed to be randomly filed and like folders may not necessarily be physically next to each other.
• Technical changes and upgrades have to be tolerated, which can be frustrating. Their previous version 3 is not compatible with Internet Explorer 7, and that is just not cool. By the way, they have a Basic version and a Professional version, and I would not recommend the Basic, as it’s too stripped down, in my opinion.

All that said, I have personally used this system for over 5 years and I would have a very difficult time going back to conventional filing. It would feel like using a manual typewriter now.

Lorie Marrero is a Professional Organizer and creator of The Clutter Diet, an innovative, affordable online program for home organization. Lorie’s site helps members lose “Clutter-Pounds” from their homes by providing online access to her team of organizers. Lorie writes something insanely practical every few days or so in the Clutter Diet Blog. She lives in Austin, TX, where her company has provided hands-on organizing services to clients since 2000.