Many offices today are paperless, keeping their documents in digital format rather than printing out hard copies. However, this isn't always true, as some offices still need to process actual paper agreements, reports, invoices and the like. Organizing and streamlining what needs to be done with that paperwork can be a challenge, so note a few tips on how to ensure nothing is overlooked when it comes to the papers you handle in the office.

Create a plan

To get paperwork organized, write out a plan for how it needs to be handled, depending on its use, who needs to see it, and so on. For example, if your company needs a certain financial report prepared every month, note how this paperwork is handled, including by whom, and their due dates. Your plan might say that managers submit their part of the report by the 15th of each month to their supervisor, he or she submits their review to the owner by the 20th, and the owner signs off on the plan and sends it to accounting by the 28th. If you don't actually write out this type of plan, with names and dates, it's easy for paperwork to be overlooked, or for persons to submit these items at their convenience and not when they're needed by someone else in the company.

Colour code

When you buy manila folders at the supply store, you might notice that they're available in various colours. Designate colours for different types of paperwork; red folders for urgent items, yellow folders need a signature of a department head, white folder are for salespersons to submit expenditures that need reimbursement, and the like. This will ensure everyone knows exactly what needs to be done with papers inside that folder, and they can more readily find urgent items, and so on.

Rubber stamps

If you handle paperwork in your office, you'll need some rubber stamps! These can greatly assist in keeping you organized; you can stamp papers that have been entered into a ledger so you know it's been done, or use a stamp that says "Signature Needed," so someone knows they're supposed to sign something and not just read it! Custom stamps can also be made that help you track how paperwork is handled; for example, if you have reports that need to be circulated among various department heads, get a stamp made with the name of each department, and a space they can check after they've read that report. You can then see at a glance who else needs to read those papers, so nothing is overlooked.