|
We often get emails from people based in the UK or in continental Europe who have read Getting Things Done and are looking to set up their own system, but come up against a couple of questions when it comes to reference filing systems:
1) Have I understood what David means when he describes the folders, cabinets and so on that he recommends?
2) I have looked around and can't find a source for some of these things. Are they really unavailable here, and does this mean I will never be able to set up a "proper" GTD system?
Here are some words of reassurance. In places, we have quoted particular suppliers, part numbers and other specifics, so you can be sure what we mean. This is not meant to be a recommendation of one supplier over another.
Filing cabinets
It's best to start with the furniture, if only because that's what people are least likely to be able to change. Most filing furniture sold in Europe is designed on the assumption that it will be used with hanging files. You can usually use such furniture with non-hanging files, the way David recommends, just by standing the files upright on the floor of each drawer (so the drawers have to have floors - some that are made for hanging files don't). Then you need something to stop the files from flopping about too much or falling over. This could be a "book end" at the back, although we haven't found a satisfactory solution of exactly that kind.
Furniture that's built for non-hanging files has a book-end built into it that runs on a track from front to back along the floor of the drawer. If yours doesn't, and you can't get one as an option, then you'd need to improvise.
We have heard that there is a Bisley cabinet available in the UK which is designed for use without suspension files. We have even seen one (we see a lot of filing cabinets in the course of our work here!).
A UK-based GTD fan called Duncan Riach came up with a solution based on custom-made wooden inserts in regular foolscap suspension file drawers. You can find more detail on that in Duncan's website.
The Bisley "Classic" that he mentions seems like a near miss - the problem he reports is that the compression plate sliders don't seem to work nicely.
James coached a lady in London who came up with an alternative solution. She had a two-drawer foolscap cabinet designed for use with suspension files and she wanted to get rid of the suspension files. She bought a couple of Rotadex archive filing racks (metal ones) and placed one in the bottom of each drawer. Archive filing racks aren't intended for this purpose, but it seems to work well. They prevent the folders from flopping over or moving excessively in the front-back direction and also help to contain any lateral movement (of the kind Duncan Riach mentions). They are £20 - £25 each, so a bit more affordable than custom-made wooden liners.
You can get the archive filing racks from Notjuststationery.
Their catalogue number for it is 573306 and the manufacturer's part number is AFR4. They are probably available from other places as well.
Folders
What to use for folders? The answer that David recommends is a very simple folder made from folded manila card. You drop the contents of the file into the V-shape formed between the folded sides. The back sticks up slightly higher than the front, so you can put a label on the back to identify the folder, and you'll be able to see the label when the folder is sitting in the drawer. David recommends A4 format, but they're also available in foolscap if you have foolscap drawers and want to use them to the max. David recommends using folders where the tab across the back is cut away, so that only about 1/3 of the width is sticking up at the back to form a tab. These come in mixed sets with tabs on the left, in the middle and on the right. You can get folders very like his ones here.
The folders Julie uses are the Avery Tabbed Folders. In A4 size they are called "Tabbed Folder 180gsm A4 Buff Ref 20442". If your filing is foolscap size they do foolscap versions in various pretty colours as well as an economy version.
Having said all that, the ruling principle here is to minimise the resistance to making a new file and/or to putting something away in an existing one. The precise physical form of the system is of secondary importance. The thing of primary importance is that the system looks and feels "nice" to you so you enjoy working it (within reason!), and you are reasonably confident that you would be able to find something again when you need it.
Neither Julie nor James uses the exact system David recommends, and you are not a "bad person" if you don't either. Julie uses manila folders dropped into A4 hanging files in A4 drawers. The folders are labelled and the hanging files aren't. So apart from using hanging files, her system is pretty close to the one described in the GTD book.
James's system incorporates some extra differences. It has foolscap drawers, with foolscap hanging files in them. It uses foolscap wallet-type folders (eg Staples foolscap Manila Document Wallets, Red, 10 Pack Item Number 334243), because a folder with a side gusset holds more before it overflows (James works on projects which generate thick wads of documentation) and the sides stop odd stuff falling out too easily - he puts a lot of non-standard bits and bobs in his filing system (eg the Allen keys for his daughter's Ikea bed/desk thingy). He labels the hanging file as well as the wallet - printing off two labels takes not much more time than printing one because most of the time goes into typing in the text of the label - James didn't want to be in any doubt which hanger any given wallet goes back into when he's done with it.
This is just to illustrate the modifications you can make to reflect how you work, personal preference and what's available.
Neither of us uses the plastic clip-on tabs that come with the hanging files. They crack and fall off after a while, often have sharp edges and are a nightmare to label.
We both use Dymo labellers, although Julie uses a handheld one and James uses one that attaches to his PC. We both end up with folders that contain and protect the contents properly when not in our filing drawers and look decent in a wide range of environments where they may need to be used.
The other things to remember about filing are:
1. Keep each drawer to at most 3/4 full. A drawer that's no fuller than that is easy to use and a drawer that's easy to use gets used.
2. Don't over-stuff the folders. If you're using suspension files, put one folder in each suspension file - no more.
3. Categorisation and labelling are subjective. It's what's obvious to you that counts. If there is an organising principle that's completely obvious to you and which you will use and remember consistently, use it. In the absence of any other compelling organising principle, use alphabetic.
4. Keep as little distance as possible between where you sit and where your filing is. If you can file without getting up, you've got it cracked.
5. Filing is a means to an end, not an end in itself!
Go to Top
|
