Crack the Color Code: Tips for Better Filing

Community Manager — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:26:00 GMT

Files are the building blocks of office organization. Maximize your office's organization by creating highly visual, efficient color-coded files.

Fundamentals of Color Coding

Color coded systems assign colored labels to key letters, file names or categories. The highly visual system makes it easy to quickly asses where a file belongs or to spot misfiled folders. Experts agree that color coding offers several benefits including:

Fast, easy access to files. Color coding makes it a snap to determine where files belong.
Dramatically reduce the number of misfiled folders.
Lessens negative emotions associated with filing such as frustration, confusion and boredom.

Seeing is Believing

We've rounded up a few examples of successful color coding from across the web to get you up and running.

Professional organization site Color Coded has a wonderful post, Color Coded Spaces, Smiling Faces, that demonstrates how color coding can be used in the filing cabinet and beyond. From organizing appliance cords to bookshelves and more, color coding helps keep life organized.

LA lifestyle blog Cupcakes & Cashmere trains its finely honed aesthetic sensibility on home office files. Read the post Office Etiquette for details on synching an attractive streamlined desktop holder with a more comprehensive, color coded system in your filing cabinet: it's a vibrant example of form meeting function.

How-to site eHow has a useful video primer on color coding. Check out How to Color Code Your Files to get started.

Have you made use of color coding in your files? Do you have tips for getting a color coded system up and running? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Beyond Folders : color coding, Organization tools

Crack the Color Code: Tips for Better Filing