Steps to Tackling a Large Pile of Papers

It seems like no one is exempt; it's not uncommon to have a bunch of unrelated documents gathered into a seemingly daunting pile. School schedules, medical forms, work projects, research results, letters, permission slips, event details, invitations et al. You'll have to go through the whole pile in order to deal with each one of them. Following is an approach that limits the frustration.

Items needed:

Pencil, marker, stapler & staple remover, paper clips; 3 bins or bags marked: Trash, Recycle and Shred.
 

Separate ‘things’ from paper.

Books, magazines, office supplies, maps, journals, calendars, physical things like cups, glasses, do-dads...  Even if they're made of paper, in this case, we'll consider them 'things'.

 

Pick up just one piece of paper at a time.

Staple/clip papers that belong together; treat as if they're one piece.



Decide if you should TOSS it or KEEP it.

If you can TOSS it, choose between Trash, Recycle or Shred.



If you need to KEEP it, choose between FILE or ACTION...

If you need to keep it but don’t need to take any action, you’ll just want to FILE IT...



Write with a pencil in the upper right corner of the document:

        FILE: (which file folder) or New File: ________
        e.g., Medical - tests, Financial - checking

(Make a 'File' pile of paper to be filed later.)



If it’s a To-Do or ACTION item...

    Determine the specific ACTION you’ll need to take.
   
        Write that action in the upper right corner.

        ACTION: ____________
        e.g., Call by 10/25/11, write summary, give copy to staff etc.

Think along the lines of verbs like these: Call Go Do Read Write Consider Research Copy Fax etc.



Read with a pencil:

As you read any document (File or Action), circle all key information the first time you read it e.g., contact person, phone number, address, amount due, date due, any major points, so when you look at it a second time only that important information will jump out at you and you won't have to read the whole document word for word again.



After you set aside all the trash/recycle items, you’ll have 2 piles:


FILE and ACTION


Place FILE items on or near your filing cabinet or in a file box to deal with a little later. (Schedule a time once a week for filing.)

Focus now on the ACTION pile;  
cluster papers with similar actions together e.g., Calls with Calls, Read with Read, Write with Write, etc or cluster related documents together if they have a few different actions associated with them. 



Finally, the best option is to schedule each action item in your calendar to ensure that it has a dedicated day and time in which to be completed.

Or, the next best option is to make a ‘to-do’ list (paper or digital) so your action items have at least been recorded.

Cluster similar actions together on that to-do list (or in chart form) so you can be more efficient: make a series of calls, run a handful of errands, accomplish a few tasks in one specific place (home, office, garage etc), mail several packages at once and so on.



Give yourself a ton of credit for tackling that monster mash of papers!  


After all this you can simply practice prevention...
          Read with a pencil,
          Write File or Action
          Make a pile: To Be Filed
          Schedule Actions
                                   ...the first time you touch each document!


If any papers start chasing you around the room, remember that I'm here to help. I've got a knack with taming them!

Tips for 'Right-Sizing' Your Space and Possessions

Less is More

Right-sizing (as opposed to down-sizing) will make your space work for you by having only what you need, use or is beautiful or precious to you. Don’t let things that don’t serve you take up space in your home or your mind. A simpler life takes much less time, money and energy to manage, you won’t be overwhelmed and you’ll have easier access to what’s important to you.

Like with Like

Keep similar items together: books with books, music with music, kitchen items in kitchen, bathroom items in bathroom, clothes in bedroom, etc. Zones in your home ensure that there’s only one or maybe two places to look for a particular kind of thing. Things will have homes and most importantly, you’ll know exactly where ‘not’ to look for them.

Label Everything

Immediately identify what’s in boxes, bins, baskets or even on shelves to ensure you won’t have to guess. Feel free to write in detail on the outside to know what’s exactly in the container.

Create Drawers

Use boxes, bins, baskets in your cupboards or closets as if they were drawers. Similar items are nestled together inside and you can slide out the container to see what’s there. This works especially well for small items in the kitchen or bathroom. Labeling makes it even more organized.

Letting Go

Take photos of items you want to remember but don’t want to keep any longer. Toss, donate or sell it but keep the memories associated with it. The memory is really the most important thing, isn’t it? You can create a small photo album of these kind of pictures to jog your memory or see in a slide show on a digital photo frame.

Criteria

Develop simple criteria to help you decide whether or not to keep certain things.

...For Clothes:

Do I wear it? Do I like how I feel when I wear it? Does it fit? Is it flattering? In good condition? (Think of other considerations that 'suit' you specifically.)

...For Possessions:

Do I use it? Not will I use it ‘someday’, but do I really use it on a regular or semi-regular basis?

If not necessarily useful... Do you simply love it? Is it beautiful? Is it precious? If so, showcase it. Don’t tuck it away in a box in the basement. Give it a prominent place in your home so you can enjoy it. Surround yourself with beauty and pleasant memories.

If it’s still ‘good’ or ‘could be useful to somebody’, give it new life by donating it so someone else will enjoy using it. Keep a bag or box near your entry to collect items to drop off at a charity; when full, make a trip. Begin again with a new bag or box. From time to time as you go around your home or office, keep an eye out for things you’re ready to let go.

Enjoy your home and your possessions without being overwhelmed by having ‘too much stuff’. You’ll feel lighter and more in control. You’ll have exactly what you need and want but won’t be bogged down by what you don’t need or want. It’ll be easier to find things and it’ll free up your time to do what you want to do instead of having unnecessary possessions weighing down your mind or space.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

Greeting Card Protocol

Greeting Card Protocol

I’ve been working with a client on a variety of organizing projects. Our last session she asked me to help her with making decisions about the cards she receives from family and friends. First she showed me a small pile, mostly holiday cards, that she wasn’t sure if she should save this year.

The real issue was that she has three banker’s boxes in her hall closet filled with greeting cards she’s received over decades. It’s one of the projects we’ll be working on together next month. She regrets that she procrastinated along the way because she’s going to be paying me to help her go through them all in order to limit the keepers to one small box.

I gave her this advice:

Start each calendar year fresh by going through the cards you’ve received over the previous year.

Have you ever thought that some note cards are just like a quick phone call: “Just wanted to let you know I’m thinking of you” or “I hope you feel better soon” or a holiday card where the sender simply signs it.

If you read those or any cards two or more times, I hope you realize that you’ve seen it more times than most people ever do their own.

Imagine if you called each sender and asked them the following questions:

    "Do you want or expect me to keep this card forever?"
   
    "Would you want me to keep this if you knew it became problematic for me?"

    "Would you want me to keep it if you knew that sometimes I let chronic indecision stall me? If everything then becomes overwhelming and I end up hiring a professional organizer to help me decide what to do with a jumbled pile of papers, your card included?"

I'm sure your friends and family would reassure you: “I just wanted to touch base, no need to keep it”.

Certainly you may want to keep some cards such as special birthdays, very important events and cards with a long, lovely handwritten message.

Absolutely keep those - until the end of the year. At that time look at them again, hold them, think about the people who sent them, consider responding to the sender with “I just came across the lovely card you sent me earlier this year. I’m still touched by it”.

You may still want to keep a handful of the 'best of the best' to save forever.

However, feel free to toss the rest. It’s okay. Really.


So starting with today...

When you first receive a card, write the address on the back of the card and immediately toss the envelope. Later you can check the address, and if necessary, make changes in your address book or database.

Take time to read every word. Think about the person who sent it. Decide if you want to send a card in return. If you do, write the task on your calendar. (I've designated Sunday as my day for written correspondence.)

Ask yourself if you’d like to save it at least until the end of the year. If not, kiss it goodbye and toss it.

If you’d like to save it, find a special place for it. A decorative basket could hold it with others until you’re ready to make a more definitive decision in January next year.

Please know ahead of time, if you receive a card from me, I firmly expect you to toss it. You should probably open it first though; I’ve been known to tuck in a little something from time to time.