What do you want to spend your time doing?

What do you want to have more time to do?

The first order of business was to purge and sort. Eighty percent of papers you keep will never be referred to again.

Trash If: You haven't referred to it in the last 3-6 months; you don't value it; you don't need to keep it for legal reasons (find out here how long you should keep files); you can get the information somewhere else; you can live with the consequences of having thrown it out if you happen to by some miracle need it later.

P - U - R - G - E!
It's OK!

Let It Go!

This is a pile of organizing trays Anna had purchased in her previous attempts to get organized. These trays gave her the perfect place to stash more junk. We got rid of all of them except her StationMate that she'll use to hold work she refers to all day, an In tray for her assistant and staff, and a tray for her paperwork related to one aspect of her job.

This is how the recycling bin looked after a few hours of purging. We also filled up a at least ten oversized trash bags!

Anna was hording junk. Junk was taking up precious office and drawer space. Junk was stressing her out every day. Junk made her procrastinate about important work. Junk made her waste time.

Junk - Junk - Junk!

Why do you keep JUNK?

And Stop Sending JUNK
to Storage!

PURGE!!!!!

Once Anna purged, then sorted the papers to keep (with like subjects together), we set up a new filing system to give all the papers a home. Everything in your space must have a home...a set place it goes when you're not using it.

Each orange tab represents a major category. Each major category has subfolders, and each subfolder has a manila folder(s) to create more breakdown. You always want to be able to retrieve what you need the instant you need it.

If you'd like a system like this and avoid most of the work, sign up for my private email list and receive free templates and a complete file index to guide you through creating a filing system that works!

To keep business cards from piling up, Anna did what I did. She purged first, then turned her business cards into digital contacts with a business card reader (Card Scan). Use it to quickly and accurately turn business cards into sortable, searchable records on your computer, PDA, or smart phone. You'll love it as much as we do.

I also showed Anna some software I use with Outlook called "anagram(TM)." You can create digital contacts from text on a Web page and also from inside an electronic document or email message.

All you have to do is  select the text, press your hot key, and watch anagram turn the info into a digital contact (or calendar item, task, or note). I use this software every day!
Click here to try then buy.
 

Anna hung in there with me until we finished Part I (8 hours).

What's Next?

AFTER