New year resolutions are usually quite easy. Simply adopt any "to-do" list that's already in progress. But this year I'm going to address a real life long problem: A work space cluttered with rather large and unmanageable stacks of paper.
It starts out simply enough. If there's a piece of mail or paper I want to keep and an empty surface space, then that's where it goes. As long as it's a short stack it's manageable. But after a while the stack loses its shape and becomes a pile, and retrieval becomes a bit more difficult. (Somewhere in one of my stacks is a printout of a pretty good article on how to get organized.)
We've all seen some immaculate co-worker's desk that has absolutely nothing on the surface. Don't you just hate them? Clutterers like me could console ourselves with the old saw: an empty desk is the sign of an empty mind.
That works for a while. But, eventually that stack of paper transforms itself, werewolf like, into a blob, an angry blob. Needless to say, by that point retrieval is impossible.
So what to do? One of those clean desk people once told me what works for him. Whenever a piece of paper arrives at his desk the first thing he does is decide where it should go. That was the best advice I had gotten up to that point. But saying it is easier than doing it.
There's no shortage of websites willing to offer advice. And all of it looks very well organized and efficient. But each of us knows our own limitations, so much of it is simply unworkable. However, here's one at organizerswebring.com that has a useful suggestion:
Base filing on retrieval, not storage. Instead of asking yourself, "Where should I file this?" ask yourself, "Where would I look for this if I need it?" Then label the file accordingly. Consistently insert new papers into the front of the file folder. When purging files, start from the back where the oldest documents are.
Okay. I'm ready to make the resolution: Clean my work space of stacks of paper. And keep it clean!
I'll start tomorrow. No wait, tomorrow's a holiday. I'll start Tuesday. Tuesday at the latest. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Joking aside, this time I'm going to do it.
Resources: Step by step instructions at OrganizeTips.com;
More step by step;
Can't get organized? You've got brain damage;
Give up? Hire a Professional Organizer.
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