After reading the post on Dave's Communication Nation blog regarding the Nagochi Filing System, I realized I had been doing something similar for several years now, and posted a comment. Dave wanted to see some examples with a brief explanation, so here they are.
These transparent envelopes would enhance the usability of the Nagochi System by allowing the user to quickly view the envelope's contents without emptying it first.
The transparency also makes marking the envelopes an optional task.
Having recently moved, I have culled most of the unwanted documents from these envelopes, categorized them more precisely, and placed them in inexpensive filing boxes for archiving. These would be considered "holy files" in the definition of the Nagochi System.
My system was never as organized or systematic as Nagochi's, I just keep these envelopes around and when a pile on my desk or work area got too unruly, into an envelope it went. The envlopes were tossed into a box until I needed something in them or got around to sorting them further.
I use a similar process at tax time.
As tax related documents arrive they go into an envelope. Even though I file electronically, I obtain and keep the Federal and Local tax booklets and instructions so that I can see them through the envelope. No marking necessary, the booklets are the labels. Everything goes into a handy filing box as shown here, along with all the previous years tax filings and documents. Note that the box is also quasi-transparent.
Most of these envelopes here are a horizontal/landscape format, but you can buy them in vertical/portrait format as well.
