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7 Days of Christmas – 50% off the price of "Take Control of Your Paper"

Take Control of Your PaperAs part of my 7 Days of Christmas promotion, this eBook, Take Control of Your Paper, is available for the special price of just $7.00 (Normal price $14.95)!

This eBook will show you how to control your paper flow.

Techniques to use to control the flow of paper in your life.

How to tidy your desk most effectively, make it attractive, and implement systems so that it stays that way.

How to create a filing system that works for you.

Ways to stay on top of the paper avalanche.

Set up systems so that you can find the information when you need it, and you can keep control of what has to be done and when.

This offer is only available until 5 p.m. Thursday 19th December. Get it here >> http://bit.ly/1bwjHHG

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The Noguchi filing system

The filing system proposed and used by Noguchi Yukio is worth a look. To employ the system, you'll need to discard many conventional notions about how to store paper documents. Here's how it works:

You need a set of A4 (letter)-sized envelopes and some way to mark the outside of the envelopes. If you want, you can color-code them with markers.

Take every document and store it in an A4-sized envelope with the flaps cut off, as shown here.

Mark the title and date of the document on the side of the envelope, as shown, and the envelopes are stored vertically on a bookshelf.

Don't attempt to classify documents. The color coding is optional, and only there to help you find documents more quickly.

Add any new document to the left end of the "envelope buffer." Whenever a document is used (i.e., the envelope removed from the shelf), return it to the left end of the bookshelf. The result of this system is that the most recent and frequently used documents move to the left, while documents that are rarely or never used migrate to the right.

Over time, some of the files on the right side of the shelf will be classified as "holy files" which you will retain indefinitely. Remove these from the shelf and store them in boxes. If a "holy file" is in use, it is part of the working file group at the left. Thus, holy files are really dead files which you cannot part with. Get them out of sight into a box.

When you need more space, throw away any documents that you consider "unnecessary."

Read more on Noguchi's system in this article by William Lise, or on Noguchi's website.

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File it to find it – create a filing system that works for you

Someone asks for a copy of that document. Where is it?

You know you have the information for that presentation somewhere.

Or maybe you are fighting a losing battle to make sure the bills are paid on time, or your children go to the right performance on the right day. Can you find that information? Can you keep control of what has to be done when?

If we are to stay in control, then "Find" is the key word here.

And if we are to be able to find what we need when we need it, our filing systems have to match our finding needs. My needs are not your needs and your needs are not the same as someone else's, so the system has to be designed to suit you - not me, or someone else and certainly not the person who held the job before you.

Where to start

The best way to start is to look at all of your finding needs. You will discover that these can be grouped according to all the areas where you have goals. List those areas and then create a place for the material that relates to each. Think about the size of the material to be filed - its shape and the quantity. Define how often you will access it, where and when. These will all help you to define the container, its size and where you store it. Be sure to label the containers, on multiple sides, if necessary.

These containers may range from tiny boxes and manila or drop down folders right through to a compactus, but choose what suits you and the nature of the material you will file.

What to file

Basically you need to file those things that provide you with motivation, reassurance and information for current projects and that allow you to predict future needs or trends. You will also need information that allows you to manage things like finances.

Sorting

Your system will be your own, customized to your finding or retrieval needs, but some possibilities include

? By client and then by "current" or "past"

? By project and then by chronology or client

? Financial

? By subject,then subheadings, or client or project

? Alphabetical by, for example, name or code

? Sequential by, for example, invoice number or code

You may have separate areas for separate categories and you might use colour coding.

But do label everything and name it very specifically. It is very easy to forget what is in a particular container over time, especially if you only access it infrequently, so labelling is vital

In the end, the whole system must suit you. Your finding needs must determine your filing system.

(c) Bronwyn Ritchie is a speaker, writer, librarian and trainer and she manages Pivotal Points - resources for the times in your life when you pivot - change direction - towards a better you, a better life. For more tips and articles on organising and improving yourself and your life, visit http://www.pivotalpersonalbest.com

Beautiful paper art

This and many more at http://bit.ly/iK1sfK

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Today's tip: the first of "10 Easy steps to blitz the paper problem"

Are you having difficulty finding documents when you need them? Are the stacks of paper getting out of hand? Do you find yourself apologising for your untidy desk?

Then it’s time to cut through the paper – blitz the problem. Too busy, you say, to even think about it? Let me reassure you that the time we save by not attending to it right now is being wasted in looking for that document, shifting stacks of paper to make room for more and in explaining or maybe justifying, why things got out of hand.

So let’s start with the first of ten easy steps

1. Visualise the rewards
• Time saved
• Feeling of wellbeing when we look at the tidy desk, shelves and cupboards
• No more lost documents
• The reassurance that accounts will be paid on time
• Always being in the right place for appointments and meetings

and you have your motivation!! Hold onto those images, they will support you as you go through the processes of decluttering.

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Organise your desk to work for you

Your desk means a lot to you. It may be the place of your greatest creativity, or your most decisive business decisions. It may be the place that is the hub of your home management systems. It may be a sanctuary, an engine room or a creativity generator.

But if it is covered in piles of paper and other bits and pieces; if it is overflowing and ugly, then all of that creativity, efficiency and productivity is jeopardised, stifled and just plain difficult.

You know that, I know that, and we also know that the solution is to tidy it so that we can find things; make it attractive so that we are motivated; and to implement systems so that it stays that way. But somehow action to create this solution is a bit slow in coming. We are so busy doing the things we do at the desk to find the time to tidy it and set those systems in place.

The answer lies in one simple motivation – focus on the advantages. Visualise the desk as it could be, should be. Focus on how smoothly you will complete your tasks there and what a pleasant experience it will be.

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Blitzing the paper mess? 3 vital steps to take to ensure success

Is it time you took control of your paper?

Are you losing things?

Drowning in a sea of teetering stacks?

Dreading tax time?

Missing appointments?

Then don't put it off any longer.  Start now with these 3 steps that will ensure success.

1.  Visualise the rewards

Imagine for yourself

  • the time you will save
  • the feeling of wellbeing when we look at the tidy desk, shelves and cupboards
  • No more lost documents
  • The reassurance that accounts will be paid on time
  • Always being in the right place for appointments and meetings

2.  Choose a time.  Avoid office hours if you can.  It is an all-too-noticeable distraction from your work and you want neither an audience nor anyone else distracting you from your task.

3.  You can choose to do the whole job at once or divide it into motivationally small tasks, but stay on track. Take the phone off the hook, do one thing at a time and say no to distractions no matter how urgent it may seem to water the garden, feed the dog or top up the pen supply.   Remember that the more clutter there is, the faster the job will be.  Visualise the rewards.

OK now you have the basics in place, you can create your success!