Filing cabinets are a familiar feature in offices around the world.

But do your filing cabinets allow you to quickly and easily locate business information when you need it most?

Perhaps you may be mistakenly viewing your filing cabinets as an eyesore and not as a supportive and trusted productivity tool in your business?

Having practical organization systems in place in your filing cabinets can make regular file storage and retrieval a breeze.

An added benefit is that systems can have a positive impact in all areas of your business, from finance, to marketing, to product development.

Here are three quick tips you can use right away to make sure your filing cabinets stay in tip-top shape.

Upgrade your filing cabinet mindset

Filing cabinets often end up as unceremonious dumping grounds for files.

But a better way to view your filing cabinet is that of a well-organized library of information that has exactly what you need to run your business.

As such, you’ll want to do your best to ensure materials are correctly stored.

Ideally, you should return folders to their proper designated locations in filing cabinets as soon as you finish using them.

Take care to replace folders in the correct location: you’re storing them now so you can locate them in future.

If you have multiple files and are short on time, temporarily store folders in a basket or bin.

You can refile folders yourself at a future date or delegate the task to someone else.

Above all, make sure files are promptly returned to filing cabinet.

The longer you wait, the more likely it is for files to be misplaced or lost. Do your best to ensure folders are refiled as soon as possible.

Create concise file naming conventions

It’s extremely important to skip creativity in favor of clarity.

Remember, you’re storing files for future reference and retrieval.

You should be able to glance at a folder and understand what’s sitting inside the folder right away.

Use only as much information as you need to identify a folder. Avoid using confusing terms, abbreviations, cryptic descriptions, jargon, or slang.

Often times a name may seem overly obvious or either incredibly simple. Most likely this will be the level of specificity you need for a file name.

If you’re unsure as to whether or not a naming convention is easily understood, ask a trusted colleague to review the item with you.

Another method is to set aside and review the proposed file name after a few days.

If you are confused or puzzled by a proposed name, make any necessary adjustments so the name is crystal clear.

Schedule yearly filing cabinet reviews

Regular reviews help keep your filing cabinets both productive and organized.

Not only do you remove unneeded items from your daily area, but you free up necessary space for day-to-day materials in the filing cabinet itself.

What’s more, regular filing cabinet reviews can be a thoughtful business review exercise.

You’ll gain a better understanding of what took place in your business over the past several weeks and months. You may even be inspired to revisit past projects after your filing cabinet review.

At the very least, pencil in a yearly or semi yearly file review into your work calendar.

Consider scheduling these reviews during slower or less busy times of the calendar year so you’ll have sufficient time to process materials.

Remove unnecessary documents, refile misplaced items, or move inactive files to secure permanent archiving at an off-site location.

After the end each review, take care to oversee the safe and secure destruction of unwanted files. Gather all documents and files into one centralized location so they are aptly contained.

You may decide to shred files in-house by hand using an electronic shredder or hire a reputable document destruction company to securely process unwanted items.

Get inspired to organize your office and home

Getting organized doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out process. You can take small steps every day to help you put things in order in your business office and home.

My organization guide 31 Easy Ways to Get Organized in the New Year offers easy-to-follow exercises that can help you get organized in your office and home.      

If you want to organize your business files so you can work more productively, then check out my productivity consulting services. Book a strategy session with me today!

How about you? Which of the following tips are you going to use in your filing cabinet? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!

This article originally appeared on Inc.com.