Tagged “organising”
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Finding it again
Storage is solved and retrieval isn't. Filenames, dates and one flat folder will beat any hierarchy you design, because you won't maintain the hierarchy.
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Which date a record belongs to
A single purchase can carry five defensible dates. Pick one for filing, record the rest, and never let the file's own timestamp be the answer.
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How long to keep things
This site won't tell you the number, because it isn't one number. What it can give you is a scheme that works whatever the number turns out to be.
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Test your filing by trying to break it
You find out whether a records system works when someone asks for something. Ask yourself first, on a random month, and time how long it takes.
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Records two people share
Two people filing into one system produces gaps neither can see. The fix is an owner per class, one destination, and a habit of saying what you did.
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The cost of keeping everything
Keeping everything feels free and isn't. Volume is paid for in retrieval time, in noise, and in holding data about other people you didn't need.
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Running a disposal review
A retention scheme that never disposes of anything is just an accumulation. Here's the periodic pass that makes it a scheme, without stating any period.
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An inbox and an archive
Most filing systems fail because one container has to be both a landing zone and a permanent home. Split them and the hesitation at capture disappears.
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Why batch entry fails
The pile isn't a discipline problem. Batching a per-transaction task makes it grow, get harder, and cost the one thing paper never had: your memory.