Filing systems
Most people have to do some filing in their personal life. Whether it’s of computer documents, e-mails, or real physical pieces of paper, they have to decide a system. My system is rubbish – for example, I’ve got a “Travel and Health” folder, just because years ago I couldn’t decide which folder to put my E111 form into, so I combined them. I’ve got folders for DIY, for “Gadget Instructions” and two dozen other things. All of them are in tatty folders in a bookshelf which annoys my wife somewhat. My electronic life is only marginally better organised (my inbox always has thousands of unfiled mails in).
I was expecting to have to face the same problem with the business, and was not looking forward to it. But then, magically, a filing system that “just works” arrived in my brain. I suddenly realised there’s a reason big companies are split up the way they are. So, I have folders corresponding to all the departments of the large company I used to work for:
- Software Engineering
- Marketing
- Administration
- Finance
- Partnering
- Sales
I’ve done the same with e-mail, my hard disk, and real physical folders. So far it seems to work. Geenyus!
(And no, a post about filing systems is never going to be very interesting, so no moaning.)