If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times (and you know I’ll say it again!):  “You’ve got to keep it flowing by knowing where it’s going.”  There, the secret to the paper organizing universe!  There is an author named Barbara Hemphill who says, “Clutter is postponed decisions.”  That is right on the mark!  Whether it’s stuff in your home or paper, if you don’t do something with it, it piles up and creates clutter.  If a piece of paper comes in and you don’t know what to do with it, you set it to the side.  Because certainly you’ll deal with it later.  And then more paper comes in and more paper comes in…Pretty soon all these papers you set aside for later are in piles on your desk, on top of your file cabinet and on your floor.  When it wasn’t easy to make a decision on one piece of paper, it certainly isn’t easy to make decisions on piles of paper.  As a matter of fact, it’s overwhelming!

So what are you to do?  Why, let me tell you!

1)  You’ve got to have systems in place so you know exactly where to place each paper.  Is it for the recycle bin?  Is it something you need to take action on so it should be in your “Action File?”  Is it a long-term resource and should be placed in your file cabinet?  You’ve got to have these systems in place so it’s easy to put paper away.  (Read more here about how to set up an action system)

2) Make quick decisions.  When I process my mail daily it takes me about 1-2 minutes.  If I were to let my mail sit for a week, suddenly it would look like an overwhelming pile.  Make sure you stay on top of your paper by not setting it aside-do something with it on the spot!

Whether you are dealing with paper in a business or your home office, you can bust paper and be the boss!

Your Home Organization Expert-Monika

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Tweet This Post

Tags: action system, Barbara Hemphill, home office, home office organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, mail, paper, paper pile