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File cabinets are my black hole--are there any alternatives?

Alternatives to file cabinets? For things that you want to have accessible, easy to reach, and may want to refer to several times a week?

I find that if I put anything into a file drawer or filing cabinet, I could save time, space, and money on supplies and furniture by just shredding it first, since I never look there except as a last resort.

I use a rolling hanging file cart for projects and have bookcases all around me for filing things on shelves. Have considered getting another one, but don't like giving up the floor space, and it would be a hassle trying to But things filed on shelves aren't all that accessible.

The desktop hanging file boxes, if placed on a shelf, aren't all that accessible since they have to be removed from the shelf in order to see the contents. And I don't want to have anything on my desk except the project I'm currently working on, so don't want the files on my desk at all.

For client files I use shelves with end-tab folders--but they're long-term reference storage--taken out just a few times a year. Maybe I should use end-tab folders for the bookshelves right next to my desk.

The Pendaflex transparent plastic folders for piling with the writable tabs at the end that recently came out may be one answer --they're almost the same as a regular end-tab foler, but the capacity is limited. But I'm trying them out now, and like them. But is there something else out there?

I'm wondering if there are any alternatives I haven't tried. I've seen someone put projects into cardboard boxes on a shelf so they can be worked in the order they arrive, and I think my rolling file card serves that purpose pretty well for me.

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.

korinthe's picture

Try three-ring binders. I use these...

Try three-ring binders.

I use these for the more frequently accessed and the more must-be-portable material. I use hanging files for the less-frequently-referenced stuff. The binders help keep my desk neat and help compartmentalize different projects.

 
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