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Did you know the average person spends four minutes per hour looking for something in their office?

That equates to more than three weeks per year!

It’s often paper!

Getting control of it may seem like a time-consuming or daunting task, but I promise it’s worth it.

Despite the digital revolution, we still have a lot of paper.

Here Are a Few Tips to Help You Organize Yours

Start by gathering all the loose papers and tasks into four groups:

To Do: These action items will need to be captured in one place; digital or hard copy is your choice, but a single to-do list is strongly recommended. Group similar tasks together and schedule them on your calendar. Tip: sometimes, a simple task turns out to be a small project. You can start by capturing all the do’s related to that project on its own list.

To Pay: Place all incoming bills (contractors, utilities, subscriptions, etc.) here to ensure they’re entered into your accounting software or shared with your bookkeeper.

To File: These documents will magically show the wireframe for your entire filing system. You may have two primary groups, ‘office documents’ and ‘office expenses.’

To Read: Keep all reading materials in one accessible area, making it easy to catch up. Tip: grab something to read on the way somewhere you’re likely to be waiting or idle for a time.

Download the Kaos Group Core Four System™ to learn how to process these groups.

How to Tackle and Stay On Top of Your Paper

1. Schedule 10-15 minutes at least three times each week to review your office’s orderliness. What is out of place can be filed, scheduled, or completed.
2. Give mail and magazines a home until they are opened: mail can go into the to-do pile, and magazines can go into the to-read pile.
3. Dispose of the sticky notes! Yup, you heard it from someone who loves sticky notes. They have a great purpose, but not when our entire desk is littered with them. Tip: If your sticky notes are action items, schedule them in your calendar.
4. Keep your projects and monthly reference business materials in binders or magazine boxes on the shelf. It’s an excellent way to contain all information pertaining to a specific project while ensuring that it is handy (it looks good too).

The above steps will certainly assist you in managing the paper flow in your environment, but the next step will be to organize your computer files so that you know where to find those documents when you need them.
Ask me more about the Core Four System™, which can be used to manage physical and digital paper.

 

Organize. Optimize. Profit.
Read more about Optimizing Workflow and Organizing Personal Spaces
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