The Big Idea

Getting organized is not an easy task. Everyday, you are forced to deal with mountains of paper that contain both crucial information and useless garbage. This scenario is common to anyone who dares thrive in the workplace.

Without realizing it, you may have bred your very own paper tiger. Although paper can serve a great purpose, a huge amount of it can literally wreak havoc and harm productivity.

Barbara Hemphill, a well-known professional organizer, shares her expertise on how to effectively manage your files, take control of your time and produce effective results.

Getting Centered

Organize Your Thoughts It is tempting to put off organizing things for another day. Unfortunately, constant procrastination often results in you realizing that your files have become unmanageable causing you to mismanage appointments and other work commitments.

"I don't have the time" is the most common alibi used to explain lack of organization. What you may not realize, however, is that a lot of time is wasted when you try to search for missing documents.

Remember that organization is a tool that will help you be more effective in the work you do. By being organized, you are giving yourself the opportunity to come up with the right materials at exactly the right time they are needed.

Let FAT Work for You

You have to stop thinking that you don't have time to organize. Remember that the process of organization only becomes more difficult in time because clutter accumulate. A task that may take you only an hour to do may take you weeks if you let everything pile up.

To make organization easier for you, use the FAT system:

1. File it.

2. Act on it, or

3. Toss it.

Whenever you receive information, ask yourself if it requires any action. If it required action, file the document and include it in your files that need urgent action. Otherwise, toss it in the wastebasket.

After an action has been done, ask yourself if the file will be important for future reference. If so, file it in your cabinet. Otherwise, toss it.

Getting Started

The Mechanics of Filing Paper

The simple task of filing paper involves mechanics.. One of them involves the use of filing cabinets. Although everyone knows that filing cabinets exist, few have tried using them. Even fewer use them effectively.

Once you start filing, labeling your files is crucial. A filing cabinet can store tons of information and it would be too much trouble to rummage through all that paper just to get a single page of information.

An effective way of labeling your files is by using color-coded folders. You may also write along the sides of folders to ensure that you are aware of what the folder contains at a single glance.

Set Up Your File System

Pulling at every drawer of your cabinet and rifling through each folder to find the information you need is a tedious task. One way to resolve this is to devise your very own file system.

Create a file system similar to catalogues used in libraries. Remember that your system doesn't need to be a sophisticated one. You can even use index cards.

Label each cabinet and each folder.. On the index cards, write the labels and what type of information they contain. Put together things according to their use and not according to their source.

Manage Your Contact Information

Files are not the only things you organize. You also have to manage the people you work with.

Remember that not all the files you need to complete a project will be available in your filing cabinet. Sometimes, you will be forced to ask for help from other people. Officemates and business partners are just some examples of individuals that can supply you information necessary to complete a task.

Nowadays, you can choose from a variety of technological equipment that can assist you in managing contact information. You can use laptop computers, personal digital assistants, or a simple telephone book.