I'm convinced that a lot of people who are organized think that they aren't, just as lots of thin people think they are not at the right weight. Something weird is in our brains that makes us feel this way. If there is a good thing from this weird connection that is going on up there it's that we keep looking for ways to get more organized. Or, as we read all those organizational tips we read we think, maybe I'm already organized.
Regardless, I have openly admitted that I am one of those people that can't stop reading about being more organized. On pinterest, I jump at the organizational pins, I've accepted the Organizational Challenge for 2013 on the Delightful Order Blog, and my non fiction books on my Kindle mainly deal with organization. So, it would come to no surprise that when I opened up All You Magazines February issue and read the caption "Get Ahead, Organizing Papers" I couldn't wait to read the article. Considering this lines up with the months challenge I was even more excited.
The magazine outlines 4 steps that they feel should be taken with paper organization.
1. Clear the clutter- they talk about not keeping physical junk mail, as well as not keeping digital junk mail.
2. Sort documents- this was the magazines second tip. Again, part of this month's challenge. They did include a place to go for a list of things to save/shred. http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/organizing-cleaning/
3. Maintain your inbox- suggestion is to take 10 minutes a day to organize this. Don't have 10 minutes? If you have a smart phone this can be done while waiting in line anywhere. Use your time wisely.
If you follow my blog, you know that I've already posted this month about handling mail, but what about the digital mail that we get bogged down with. I try to get rid of things in my inbox as fast as I can. If it's junk email I just delete it as soon as I see it. If it's important and I need to take action of some kind on it, I flag it, and leave it in the inbox until I've done what I need to on it. If it is something that I might need to refer to later, I move it to a file marked with labels such as finances, school, hockey, diving and so on. Here's the big step though that we forget to do. Go back through those files too at some point down the road and delete unnecessary emails we still have. With January being about reorganizing files I've begun sorting through the digital wasteland again. Each time I check email, I have been taking 5 minutes to go through one of my digital files and delete things I know longer need. I know that digital files aren't making a mess on my desk, but for this organizational crazy person, it feels good to delete a file I know longer need.
I'm also doing this for the other digital forms of papers on my computer. I have a file for both of my kids for their school work, as well as a file for home, hockey, PTA, etc. When I save a document, I take the extra time, of 3 seconds, to save it to the correct file. Again, going back periodically and purging those as well.
4. Make a plan They suggest, as does anyone who ever has written about organization, that you have to have a plan and stick with it. Find one that works for you. What I do, might help, but it also might be too much, or too little depending on who you are and what you consider important. Pick and choose ideas from what you read, or hear about and go for it. It's about you, not someone else. We are all different, and need to find what works for us, or we won't stick to it at all.
Good luck, and Happy Organizing!!
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