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Blog: Life Management
 How Do You Eat An Elephant...to Get Organized?
Bite 4 - Home Office
Last week in Bite 3 we talked about the importance of Daily Planning and how it is the backbone of all time management and being organized. "Write it Down!" was the concept promoted in making a To-Do list and then keeping that list in a personal Daily Planner of your choice. Mental notes are too easily lost.
During the night you may also find the need to "Write it Down!" Do you ever find yourself being deprived of sleep because you have so many great thoughts, ideas, things you don't want to forget, etc. floating through your brain? If so, I have just the tool to help you get back to sleep; it's called "Notes in the Night…Don't Lose Thoughts or Sleep!" This 50-page notepad and light up pen in a gift bag makes a terrific inexpensive gift item for Christmas, birthdays, Thank You, to yourself, or whenever. Keep it on the nightstand to get those thoughts off your mind and get back to sleep knowing that note is waiting for you in the morning.
This week we're taking Bite 4 of the Elephant – the Home Office. This is the heart of the home because it keeps all things ticking. Running a home is big business! You need to find a corner, cubbyhole, closet, or a spare bedroom to launch your attack against the Paper Monster that threatens to attack every day.
If you spend hours sorting, searching, shuffling papers then you need to learn to File Don't Pile! (This book by Pat Dorff has a proven filing system for personal and professional use.) Most of us didn't have any training in how to file no matter what our educational background. For personal files use the KISS method – keep it simple sweetie. For example, when filing some information on your Plumber don't file it under his or her name or the company name (you probably won't remember those names) – file it under Plumber. The object of a filing system is to be able to retrieve it quickly if/when needed/wanted again, however, it's estimated that 80% of neatly filed paper is never looked at again!
One method of dealing with papers is to use the Tray System. These were first used in offices but have now come into use in our homes. They once were just black or gray but later were made in a variety of colors to match or blend into surrounding décor. Now they are made in beautiful leathers, wire, or wicker to enhance the surrounding décor.
Some examples for how to label a set of 4 trays might be:
- Family – this is where the mail will go now. No longer will you find it on the living room sofa, dining room table, or bathroom countertop.
- To-Do – this is empty most of the time because you've To-Done it! Store items, for example, that require an RSVP. The day of the event you know right where to look for the invitation that has the address and other details on it.
- Financial – this is a great place to put current bills. No longer will you lose them under a pile somewhere thereby paying late charges and interest incurred from over due bills.
- Reference – though most papers should go into the circular file (the shredder) those that need to be kept may be stored here until they are filed in the more permanent file system. (Don't put this tray on top or the stack may get so high it's in danger of falling over.) Make it one of the other trays below and make it a rule that when you can't jam another paper in you must take out the stack and file it in the cabinet, drawer, or file box under it's proper category.
In your home office you need a desk to manage all the business of the household. If that desk is piled high with papers and stuff then you need to use the Finger Tip Management system of 3 circles. To begin clear everything off the top of the desk and clean it (probably for the first time in many months…or years?) Begin to put things back onto the desk top that you use all the time and will remain seated to reach for those items. Think of this as the A circle around the desk. The B circle will be where you will place or file items that will require a step or two to reach for use. The C circle is where you'll put items that you don't use very often and will require you to take many steps to get there (i.e. the garage, attic, basement or off-site storage.)
As for the papers that may normally be all over your desktop because you're afraid "out of sight out of mind" you should set up a Tickler File system. This may be made out of regular manila file folders or you can purchase an accordion file or notebook style systems in an office supply store. Basically it consists of divided sections 1-31 for each day of the month and divided sections January to December for each month of the year. As papers come to you put them in the month they need to be dealt with. Each month take the papers out and sort them into the day of the month you need to deal with them. Now these important papers are out of sight but will come to mind at just the right time!
Many people tell me that papers are their biggest problem in staying organized. I believe we make it more complicated than it needs to be. Actually, there are 2 principles of Paper Management:
- Have a place for your papers.
- Put the papers in that place.
See, it's simple! So, where is your problem? Is it that you haven't designated places for all of your papers to go in your home/office? Is it that you have places for the papers but you're not putting them there? Figure it out and you'll get a handle on your paper issues!
Note: a book to help you with your home office management is from the In No Time Series: Organize Your Office – In No Time by Monica Ricci.
Next week we'll look at the area of organizing and time management that too often gets pushed to the rear….of the Elephant….Bite 5 – Finances.
posted on: 10/30/2007 12:00:00 PM by Judy Warmington
category: The Mental Side
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