Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain" by Eve Abbott
1 - 2 - 3-SORT!
Every time you start to clean up your office so you can work better instead of harder-that big backlog of information is just too overwhelming. Sorting can actually put you into a better working space in very short time!
The good news is you don't have to do it all at once. Use the first cut to trash, recycle, shred, and archive leaving just the items requiring Action on your part.
Now do the Action sort beginning with your desktop, desk drawers, then, wall mount shelves or cupboards at your desk. You'll have a clean Action zone to put these items back in better working order. Then, it's 1 - 2 - 3-SORT!
Sort and only sort-no reading a newsletter or making one quick call. Also, work for two hours or less, take a break, then, finish it off with another two hours at the most. Otherwise, our stone age brains overload and start putting things in the wrong place. There are three essential Action domains: 1) to Do 2) to Read 3) to File.
TO DO: In the to-Do domain there are some basic categories: Call, Pay, Sign, Schedule, Correspond, Read, Review, Write, Research, etc. Everyone has unique information categories in their work and lives, but, these will get you going and you can add Actions as your piles take on definition and turn into Action files.
When a piece of info is sticking to your fingers, ask yourself: Am I past the due date? Trash or if you need other info from it, file it. Will anyone care if I do or don't do this? If not, why spend time on it? Trash
Do I really need to do this? If no-trash. If yes, into an Action file and calendar it.
TO READ: Set up magazine files to sort your reading material as it arrives. Label these by topic, project or subscription. Do not read anything yet! This the time to decide which articles are really worth your time and energy to read.
First, scan the table of contents for relevant articles and ask these questions: Is this out of date? (If older than 3 months it has to be a classic to be timely) Is this significant in my current work/life? Do I have time to read it? Or, Do I have more important stuff to read that I can't get to?
Once you triage your incoming newsletters, and magazines to decide which are the keepers; cut out and staple only those articles, and discard the rest. This will shrink your reading pile from three feet to three inches!
Keep the trimmed articles in a file you can take with you to read in bits of in-between time. If you decide to keep for further reference, sort them into your magazine files.
TO FILE: Your first choice is to separate out your personal from your business filing. Then, it's 1 - 2 - 3-SORT in filing as well. 1) File in this year's current filing system 2) File into archive file boxes (financial/legal audit trail) 3) Scan into electronic document storage (put it all on CD!)
If you don't have a filing system, check out the cost-effective Home and Small Business File Kits that I use in my own business, which makes it easy for me to guarantee your satisfaction. (www.organize.com)
Current business filing domains:
People: clients, staff, teams, vendors
Things: projects, programs, products, property
Administration: the business of doing business.
Current personal filing domains:
Personal/Family
Household
Finances/Insurance
Place only current years records into your office filing system. Archive filing can be boxed and kept out of your office in a secure dry storage place-you just need to maintain it.
Now, you can manage your information more successfully at work and at home. Just do it, 1 - 2 - 3-SORT!
You'll find more free time-saving tips at http://www.organize.com
What does "time" have to do with getting organized? Everything!... Read More
Last year I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and... Read More
1. The Law of the 1st StepA good first step... Read More
Do you use to-do lists? Do you find it satisfying... Read More
I have a huge white board in my home office,... Read More
Has your polished mahogany (or modular plastic) desk been buried... Read More
What do you do with those special items that have... Read More
Spring?. Fresh breezes through open windows, sleeping trees come awake... Read More
Sometimes the task of keeping a clean, tidy house just... Read More
Obviously, productivity involves producing. Producing widgets, events, reports, sales. The... Read More
Cindy looks at the calendar and sighs. Ah, the end... Read More
"Do something every day that you don't want to-do; this... Read More
Recently, in an online group, we talked about "balance" and... Read More
One of the hardest things for most individuals working from... Read More
It may seem far-fetched, but by organizing your desk, your... Read More
I've noticed that in the two years since the major... Read More
Getting organized is hard. If it weren't, we wouldn't put... Read More
Helping people clean out their closet is something I love... Read More
Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day... Read More
Spring is such a refreshing time- we are filled with... Read More
Studies show that 80 percent of what we use comes... Read More
Getting and staying organized is critical to achieving your goals.... Read More
I recently read an article that had some interesting but... Read More
There is nothing worse then spending ten minutes looking for... Read More
One of the most basic ways to find papers when... Read More
You arrived on earth without clutter. Your parents and doting... Read More
I recently conducted a survey to look at the relationship... Read More
Does Your Present Internet Filing System Work?Do You Really Know... Read More
Clutter is postponed decisions®. Here are some suggestions to simplify... Read More
Parenting is always a challenge, but particularly so if your... Read More
Spring is here and its time to sweep away the... Read More
I followed my boss to a co-worker's cubicle where my... Read More
Life is about maintaining a balance of all aspects. At... Read More
The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to... Read More
Does Your Present Internet Filing System Work?Do You Really Know... Read More
Balance- what a popular topic these days! Finding a work-life... Read More
What do you do with those special items that have... Read More
I'm cheap and proud of it.I use and re-use things... Read More
Do you ever sit down at your desk buried in... Read More
The Mexican VillagerThe American investment banker was at the pier... Read More
Laundry. You sort, you wash, you fold, you blink ?... Read More
Take time to declutter this summer...Writing can certainly consume the... Read More
"Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts... Read More
Feeling Overwhelmed and Unorganized? - How to Use Index Cards... Read More
1. THE LOVE IT OR LOSE IT PRINCIPLE: Every item... Read More
Our children are probably the biggest clutter creators we have... Read More
Have you ever been totally overwhelmed by a massive task... Read More
There are 3 kinds of clutter: Inner (between our ears);... Read More
We previously noted that papers must be sorted before they... Read More
Cindy looks at the calendar and sighs. Ah, the end... Read More
Many people have a huge challenge coping with the incoming... Read More
I like a room you can dance in the middle... Read More
I followed my boss to a co-worker's cubicle where my... Read More
I gathered some things you can do this spring while... Read More
Spring is here and its time to sweep away the... Read More
The Law of the 1st StepA good first step in... Read More
Worried because you're moving soon? This really doesn't have to... Read More
The Productive Environment Scorecard?Read the statements below and rate your... Read More
Much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent... Read More
Nature loves clutter. Just think of all the stuff that... Read More
What method do you currently use to organize your family?... Read More
There are eight distinct steps to constructing and executing an... Read More
Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More
Do you use to-do lists? Do you find it satisfying... Read More
1. All or nothing thinking/taking on too much." I'm going... Read More
? Are you embarrassed when you walk into your home... Read More
Get Organized - Organization |