Friday, October 28, 2011

Challenge of the Day -- Paper Chaos

One of my biggest challenges is dealing with paper clutter.  I stack.  I pile.  I sort.  I re-pile.  I file.  I lose.  I dig.

Well, you are getting the drift!  This morning I am sitting in my office wondering what it would be like to have a clear desk.  Now, I don't think that a clear desk is necessarily a sign of conquered chaos, but I do think that having a mess and not hardly being able to work is a clear sign of CHAOS!

Today's challenge has to do with the Paper Chaos.  Pick one area in your space (office, den, kitchen) where there is paper clutter.  Take a good hard look at it.  Now, how are we going to manage it?

Here's what we are going to try to do:

1. Pick up the paper.  Decide:
  • Do I need to deal with it today.  If yes, start a new pile! Yes, I actually mean this.  This is how the mind of not-so-naturally organized works.
  • Do I need access to it every day?  If yes, start a another pile.
  • If you don't need access to it every day, decided whether you need it weekly, or longer than that.
2. Do step one for all the papers in the area you are conquering today!  You will now have four "neat" piles.  OK, in my case, it might be 4 messy piles, but that doesn't matter.
  • Do today
  • Use every day (reference papers, like phone directories, calendars, shopping lists, etc.)
  • Use weekly
  • Use less frequently than weekly

3. Grab a file folder and write "Do Today" on it.  Put all the papers in the 1st pile in it.  If you don't have a file folder handy, and let's face it, if we are dealing with chaos, we might not have all the supplies we need, then paperclip or rubber band them together.  The DO TODAY folder is your new friend.  Don't put anything in there unless you really mean to deal with it today, OK?  By the time your day is over, it should be empty.

4. Now, dealing with these other three piles.  Here's what I'm hoping to do.  I have a basket on my desk that holds files in a vertical position.  Mine happens to be a Longaberger basket that I've had for many years.  The plan is to put my DO TODAY folder in the front of that basket and then create folders for those things I need weekly and put behind it.  Examples for me:
  • Faculty meeting folder
  • Music staff paper
  • Invoices to pay
  • Papers to grade
  • Papers to return
The challenge for me will be resisting the urge to stick other things in there!

5. Now, for those things that we use every day, I believe setting up some kind of command central would be helpful.  I found a clever organizer who has excellent instructions on setting up a command central notebook. Household Binder

I believe you should have one for home and one for your workplace.  I am planning to set one up for my workplace -- at least I'll start today!

6. Long term storage (filing!) is going to need to be the subject for a future blog.  Filing is an animal of its own kind -- at least for us who are not-so-natural organizers.

Pictures will come in the future.  Since I am not-so-naturally organized, I do not have my camera with me today.  (Hmm... note to self, where should I put reminders and notes to myself?)

Let me know how this works for you, and I'll do the same.

Ready, set, CHALLENGE!


3 comments:

  1. How did you know I have paper chaos in our spare bedroom?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Our filing cabinets literally exploded all over the guest room (I'm trying to find the title to one of our cars so we can sell it). The room was a mess anyway. I go to the door, look in and want to cry. There's no available floor space. I honestly don't know where to start. Any advice? I'm gmcavana from TMMO by the way - please help!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Mary, your spare room seems like my spare room! When I have something like this, and it seems that I do from time-to-time, I just need to pick one thing to focus on. For example, I might decide that I will pick up all the trash in the room. Or, if there is more than 10 - 15 minutes worth, I'll pick up trash for 10 - 15 minutes.

    Another thing that seems to work for me is to just do one thing each day until inspiration strikes. So, I might open the door, and put one thing it its proper place. It is sort of like a warning to that room... don't you dare get any messier, 'cuz I'm coming for you!

    Try those things and see how it goes. My theory is just a little dent day after day, and soon you'll see progress.

    As far as your title goes, I'll suggest, for the future, that you keep car titles in a lock box at the bank. I hope you find it!

    ReplyDelete