| |
| |
|
Organizing Information |
|
|
|
1-2-3 Sort
Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain" by Eve Abbott 1 - 2 - 3-SORT! Every time you start to clean up your office so you can work better instead of harder-that big backlog of information is just too overwhelming. Sorting can actually put you into a better working space in very short time! The good news is you don't have to do it all at once. Use the first cut to trash, recycle, shred, and archive leaving just the items requiring Action on your part. Now do the Action sort beginning with your desktop, desk drawers, then, wall mount shelves or cupboards at your desk. You'll have a clean Action zone to put these items back in better working order. Then, it's 1 - 2 - 3-SORT! Sort and only sort-no reading a newsletter or making one quick call. Also, work for two hours or less, take a break, then, finish it off with another two hours at the most. Otherwise, our stone age brains overload and start putting things in the wrong place. There are three essential Action domains: 1) to Do 2) to Read 3) to File. TO DO: In the to-Do domain there are some basic categories: Call, Pay, Sign, Schedule, Correspond, Read, Review, Write, Research, etc. Everyone has unique information categories in their work and lives, but, these will get you going and you can add Actions as your piles take on definition and turn into Action files. When a piece of info is sticking to your fingers, ask yourself: Am I past the due date? Trash or if you need other info from it, file it. Will anyone care if I do or don't do this? If not, why spend time on it? Trash Do I really need to do this? If no-trash. If yes, into an Action file and calendar it. TO READ: Set up magazine files to sort your reading material as it arrives. Label these by topic, project or subscription. Do not read anything yet! This the time to decide which articles are really worth your time and energy to read. First, scan the table of contents for relevant articles and ask these questions: Is this out of date? (If older than 3 months it has to be a classic to be timely) Is this significant in my current work/life? Do I have time to read it? Or, Do I have more important stuff to read that I can't get to? Once you triage your incoming newsletters, and magazines to decide which are the keepers; cut out and staple only those articles, and discard the rest. This will shrink your reading pile from three feet to three inches! Keep the trimmed articles in a file you can take with you to read in bits of in-between time. If you decide to keep for further reference, sort them into your magazine files. TO FILE: Your first choice is to separate out your personal from your business filing. Then, it's 1 - 2 - 3-SORT in filing as well. 1) File in this year's current filing system 2) File into archive file boxes (financial/legal audit trail) 3) Scan into electronic document storage (put it all on CD!) If you don't have a filing system, check out the cost-effective Home and Small Business File Kits that I use in my own business, which makes it easy for me to guarantee your satisfaction. (www.organize.com) Current business filing domains: Current personal filing domains: Personal/Family Place only current years records into your office filing system. Archive filing can be boxed and kept out of your office in a secure dry storage place-you just need to maintain it. Now, you can manage your information more successfully at work and at home. Just do it, 1 - 2 - 3-SORT! You'll find more free time-saving tips at http://www.organize.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Organizing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Basic Organizing Principles So you've decided to get organized, but you just don't know where to begin. Here are four basic organizing principles that will help you regain control over your schedule, your environment, and your life:1) Clear Out the ClutterWe suffer from overload in our society -- too much stuff, too many obligations, too much information. Until We Go Paperless From time to time I hear this question from an audience member during one of my presentations. They express a dire hope that getting organized is a one-time event based on acquiring the right tools?and then secretly hope for a magic pill. Spring Cleaning: Mission Garage Organization Spring is here and the garage door is open. This is a scary thought for Cindy. Tired of Endless Chores and To-Dos? Stop Running Around in Circles and Enjoy Life Again Do you feel like you are running around in circles, completing one task after the next only to find there are 20 chores you have not done yet? I am not even talking about the constants such as grocery shopping, returns, doctor appointments, clients, and carpool!If you are tired of fighting this endless battle, stop fighting and start winning. I have come to the realization that I will ALWAYS be able to think of something else that needs to be done-even after completing my long to-do list!Tired of my endless pursuit of checking off my to-do list and interested in silencing my mental clutter, I made a conscious decision to give up the frustrating goal of "getting it ALL done" and instead have regular achievable goals that fit into my larger life path. Organisation - Getting Back To Basics If you look at any major organisation, there is this trend for executives to use "palm pilots" in conjunction with software schedulers such as Microsoft Outlook.What's really interesting is even with all this technology (and many of these execs are fortunate to have personal assistants) they are still disorganised. The Clutter Factor: From Packrativity to Productivity ? Are you embarrassed when you walk into your home or office? ? Do you frequently run out of space? ? Is your desk piled high with UPO's (unidentified piled objects)? ? Are you frustrated by the amount of time you spend looking for things?If so, you're not alone! Research shows the average person spends 150 hours per year looking for misplaced information, while eight out of ten people have at least one area of their home or office they would prefer that no one ever see!The word "clutter" comes from the same root word as "clot". Webster's Dictionary defines it as "to run in disorder, to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness. 1-2-3 Sort Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain" by Eve Abbott1 - 2 - 3-SORT!Every time you start to clean up your office so you can work better instead of harder-that big backlog of information is just too overwhelming. Sorting can actually put you into a better working space in very short time!The good news is you don't have to do it all at once. It's Spring Cleaning Time? Let's Make Room For Abundance! I gathered some things you can do this spring while you take a minute to smell those roses. There are things we need to do to clear our space and to reflect on what exciting things we'd like to bring in. Stress Management: 10 Universal Laws to Get and Stay Organized 1. The Law of the 1st StepA good first step in getting organized is to 3-pile everything:pile one is for those things to throw awaypile 2 is for those things that need immediate actionpile 3 is for those things that can be taken care of later, or filed, or both. Quick Organizing Tips From Assistance For You Keeping on task and getting organized starts with a basic plan that can be implemented into everyone's daily life. Just by following these simple steps you can be on your way to a more productive and friendly work environment. Spring Clean Your Life Spring is here and its time to sweep away the wintertime blues.Have you been hibernating this winter? Well you’re not the only one. Get Organized: 10 Universal Laws The Law of the 1st StepA good first step in getting organized is to 3-pile everything:pile one is for those things to throw away, pile 2 is for those things that need immediate action, pile 3 is for those things that can be taken care of later, or filed, or both.The Law of the PastOne of the curious things that seem to hold people back from getting organized is wanting to avoid dealing with things left over from the past. Organization Tips - How To Get Things Done What stops you from 'getting things done?'Have you ever started your day with good intentions of completing a task or project only to find that by the end of the day you've hardly worked on it?Or have you ever set a goal to attend a seminar, learn a new skill or just have more time out for you?I'm sure you have. I'm not going to write a long-winded explanation about the art of procrastination or "putting things off" but what I will do is share with you the secret of actually "getting things done". The 4-Keys to Clutter Free Living - Design a Space that Nurtures Your Soul Decluttering is a simple-to-learn process, once you break it down into manageable steps. Tackling too much at once, or underestimating the time and effort it will take to "get organized", can lead to frustration and a "throw in the towel" stance that will further add to your clutter and your anxiety. Finish in Style - Organizing Works! One of my mother-in-law's many oft-quoted and wise declarations was "Finish in style." It has been on my mind lately, as I contemplate the end of another year, and the end of the first fifty years of my life. Is Your To Do List The Problem? You start each week with great intentions. You are determined to get a grip of your workload. The Organized Move: Packing Made Simple (This is the second in a series of three articles on "The Organized Move")Does the thought of packing all your belongings make you want to run for the hills? Homeowners who are moving on their own (as opposed to a corporate relocation where an employer is paying all the bills) find themselves with the dilemma of whether to do the packing themselves or contract out this huge task.A packing crew can be a good fit for an overscheduled family, a long-distance move where you may already be living in the destination city, or individuals with physical limitations. Change the Way You Think and Change Your Life Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day and a security guard at night. He needs these two incomes in order to stay above water in his bills. Organized Living-Secrets About Your Lifes Hidden Power Revealed An organized living lifestyle can cause you to weed out those prolonged situations of failure.. What Balance Looks Like For You Recently, in an online group, we talked about "balance" and an article one member had read decrying the demise of balance altogether. We all had different ideas about what balance is and how to reach it, and I realized, after a number of posts, that we were all right.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
