File...Don't Pile: A proven filing system for personal and professional use (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: filing kit, cooking file, vertical sorter, Action Notebook, Master Index, Four-Step Maintenance Plan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As an organizer, I am more excited about this book than any other I have seen in a long time, and it is the only one written totally on the subject of paper." --Bonnie McCullough, author of Totally Organized and Bonnie's Household Organizer -- Review

Review

"As an organizer, I am more excited about this book than any other I have seen in a long time, and it is the only one written totally on the subject of paper." --Bonnie McCullough, author of Totally Organized and Bonnie's Household Organizer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 15, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312289316
• ISBN-13: 978-0312289317
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #121,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

174 of 176 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've used this system more than 10 years & love it!, May 13, 2001

By	Groovy Vegan (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

I bought this book when I was buried in papers and had a chaotic filing system. I was attracted to the subtitle, "A Proven Filing System for Personal and Professional Use," and not wanting to reinvent the wheel, decided I would faithfully follow this system step-by-step for a month. If I didn't like it, I didn't have to stick with it. That was more than 10 years ago. I followed her easy 5-step plan and it works beautifully. It only looks complicated when you skip around the book.

Recently, I had some furniture delivered to a consignment shop and the store owner called and asked if I could possibly find my original receipts. I told her to hold a moment, and within seconds, pulled the receipts from my files and told her how much I paid. She said, "You must be a very organized person to have found those so quickly!" I said, "No, I just have a very good filing system!"

I liked that once I planned the major file categories, I had quick visible results by sorting the papers into the appropriate boxes. So my mess was cleaned up right away as I was implementing the system. The system's easy to maintain as well. I also like the fact Pat Dorff's a librarian who understands the filing needs of folks like me who save paper in our many areas of interest.

One reviewer recommends Julia Morgenstern's "Organizing from the Inside Out" instead of this book for filing. I've read Julia's book twice and am in the process of implementing Julia's system for overall household organization. However, when it comes to paperwork, I much prefer Pat Dorff's system. I find Pat's system strategizes the paper problems better, is easier to implement and maintain, and is more flexible when new categories come up. Also, Pat has an extensive discussion of all sorts of filing problems, such as presorting, you can't decide how to label an item, an item is too big to fit in a file folder, etc. Finally, Pat's numerical system nicely deals with the lining up the tabs problem, while Julie's straight-line system (all tabs lined up in the same position) looks nice, but is harder to on the eye to use, and wastes the folders with center tabs.

Summary of my experience with this system: Great for filing, retrieving papers, & keeping the place neat for over a decade!

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars May work if you don't have electronic files to organize as well., July 1, 2006

By	M. Martinez (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First let me start by reviewing the pros of this book -- Although the indexing system in this book is not ideal for my circumstances, I found that there were other topics in the book that were helpful. Some of the helpful aspects of the book were the sections on the personality profiles and how they relate to paper management (or lack there of), as well as the questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to keep a document. If you need motivation to get started, this book could provide that as well. I find that whenever I am working on a project it is better to read everything I can get my hands on and then just determine what methods will work best for me.

Now for the cons -- At first I thought this system would be helpful for me to organize my document files, however after further review I don't feel that it is the best solution to align with today's technology. Over the past few weeks I have been reviewing several books and guides on the subject of filing and I have come to the realization that I don't want to use one system for my paper files and a completely different system for my computer files. I want the way I organize documents whether they are hard copy or electronic to be exactly the same. This should streamline the process not only when I am creating a place to store a document, but also when I want to retrieve it.

The author states that the advantages of using a a numbered index system are:

1st - To avoid having to redo all of your folders when you want to add a new one (necessary to keep all tabs in the proper sequence). Other organizers have suggested to use files that have the tab all to the left or all to the right to avoid this problem, however I tried that method for the last few years and I find that I still have to search for a file because the only tab I can see when I open the file drawer is the first one.

2nd - To eliminate the need to throw away folders from no longer kept subjects because they have already been written on. I avoid this problem by using removable labels.

3rd - The indexing system is easier for making revisions. Since I am using removable labels this isn't an issue.

4th - To avoid problems due to illegible writing. You can use a label maker if this is a problem for you.

None of these issues exist when filing documents on a computer, therefore it creates double work for electronic files. In fact in my opinion, using this system on the computer doesn't make any sense at all. Ultimately I have chosen to go with the recommendations from two other books "Conquering the Paper Pile-up" and "Taming the Paper Tiger". While neither of these books provided the exact solution to my paper management challenge, they provided a good foundation to start from and then I made adjustments for my particular needs.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a life saver, June 6, 2001

By	Amber (Denton, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

If you are a major paper person (and I am), this is the format for you. When you read the book, it does sound complicated and like a lot of work. When you actually do it, however, it is the simplist thing ever. I kept saying to my husband, "I can't believe how little time it takes to get this stuff filed!". It actually encourages me to file because it's so simple. And it doesn't require upkeep everyday. In fact, I probably only truly file every 3-4 weeks. In addition, the book only takes a few hours to read, so if you decide you like what you're doing better (if you do, tell me about it) you haven't really wasted much time. It's a very easy read, and a very simple system for filing and retrieving a variety of papers on a variety of topics.