Project Profile: Forty Years of Files
When I describe the work that I do, there is nothing that gets a stronger reaction than the term “Digital Organizing.” One person recently asked me if this means that I rearrange rooms in virtual spaces, like The Sims. Most people say “Like files and stuff?” and I get to say, “Yes. Like files and stuff. But it’s a lot more than that!” Our digital organizing partnerships have been transformative for individuals and businesses. Creating effective digital systems and processes to manage excess, whether physical or digital, is an incredibly clarifying process that can make a huge difference in day-to-day productivity and satisfaction.
What is Digital Organizing?
Digital organizing takes many forms depending on the needs of the client, whether personal or business. For individuals, digital organizing usually involves setting up a digital infrastructure for file and photo storage. This can happen on a variety of platforms, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple Photos, or OneDrive. We often scan documents and photos into this infrastructure once it is set up and provide a systematized process to help our clients maintain their newly organized digital landscape.
For a business, we follow a similar philosophy, but the process is much more nuanced. Our organizers first need to fully understand the nature of the work that the business is doing, and more importantly, the organizational challenges that they are facing. Developing a full picture of the needs and expectations of both the stakeholders and the clientele helps the organizer create systems that will really work for everyone.
Forty Years of Paper Build-Up
We have spent over a year with one small business that has been in operation for 40 years. All of these years of client files, business formation documents, compliance documents, and personal notes added up to hundreds of bankers boxes full of paper.
Our role has been to review all of the paper and identify what is needed in the long term. Once we purged the paper, we got working on scanning all of the “keep” documents into a newly developed digital infrastructure that meets the needs of all of the members of the team. Following industry standards and legal compliance guidelines, we have worked to create a digital filing system that will carry the company through the digital age. This process has included dozens of meetings with the members of the team to discuss their needs, preferred workflows, and client specifications.
This image shows how we designed the folder structure for the company, and how one section looked on their digital filing system.
A day of digital organizing at the business is now divided up into two tasks: scanning and filing. We have been using a ScanSnap iX1600 Scanner, which has the ability to scan many pages at once, front and back. The scanning task includes prepping all of the paper documents to ensure that they are free of folds, staples, and paper clips. Each document is then scanned and saved with a clear file name.
Digital Organizing Tip: Develop a naming convention for files of different types to make it super easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. For example, all of the Proposals that we scan are named with the convention “Client Name Prop YYYYMMDD” to make them easily searchable and sortable.
Filing digitally closely resembles physical filing. We take all the scanned files, upload them to the company’s secure server, and file them into their corresponding folders. Having a thoroughly implemented digital infrastructure makes this process smooth and efficient. Although it takes time, it’s incredibly valuable for being able to find any file that the team might need at their fingertips.
As a result of this digital organizing work, the business has been able to downsize their office space significantly. They reduced from eight full filing cabinets to just one! The entire business is now more efficient, more compliant with SEC regulations, and staff can access necessary files on-the-go. It has been a joy to help them become organized for many more years of successful business.
The before photo was taken in June of 2022 - the after, in July 2024! We worked with the team over multiple years to give everyone plenty of time to adjust to a totally new system. We went through every single piece of paper in all of those boxes, which took a lot of time.
Do you have more paper than you can manage? Whether you’re a small business or an individual, we can help. Book a complimentary consultation today to learn more about how we can support your organizing needs!
