The Clutter Diet Blog

We ARE Moving Toward Paperless...

I personally do not believe there will ever be such a thing as a completely paperless world. (Yikes, this might be really funny someday if I am wrong!) I know so many clients who just like their paper. They like to hold it, mark on it, fold it, carry it, and keep it. And so many times it's convenient to print something and use it for a brief time even if you plan on ultimately keeping it electronically.

It is very interesting to see, however, that we are moving toward a more paperless society. I visited a client on Thursday for whom I had done a massive filing system project five years ago. I was training the new manager of the department on the system, which was all paper filing, and we were teaching her how to put her new papers into the system. "What papers?" was the answer... she gets and keeps everything electronically, and so does everyone else in the department. They may print things out for a short time, but they are not needing to file papers like they used to. It was such a huge contrast to five years ago!

What could you do today to go toward a more paperless existence? (And a related question, do you have a good backup system to make this work?)

Related posts: Sudden Hard Drive Crash, Find Stuff on Your Hard Drive

The "Bottom" Line on File Folders

I was working with a client Friday and was reminded that many people still don't know about Box-Bottom File Folders. They are terrific for those very bulky files that would dwarf an ordinary hanging folder and cause the contents to bow up out of the top.

This picture is from the FedEx Kinko's website of a Smead product, which was the best photo I could find that shows how these work. (Other places sell them, though, and other companies produce them besides Smead.) They come with these cardboard inserts that you place into the bottom of the folders, which are themselves larger than normal to accommodate the insert. They come in different sizes, and many people are tempted to order the "assortment" box of various sizes. In my experience, just get a box of 2-inch box-bottom folders and not the assortment. The 1-inch size is barely worth bothering for, and the 3-inch size is so large that you might want to think about other options for that much paper!

Using box-bottom folders is a great way to neaten-up your filing cabinet and make it easier to wrangle those large files. Do ask yourself why you're keeping that much paper, though, and make sure that makes sense!

Throw Out Your Manuals With Confidence!

We are always telling our clients that manuals and user guides are obsolete the moment they are printed. Of course there are some you may use more frequently and those are great to hold onto, but there are some you probably never would use. You can now throw electronics-related manuals away with confidence because of this great website called "Retrevo." You search for the electronic gadget you have and it pulls up the manual for you, usually in PDF form. Try it! They also have great product reviews and buying information if you just need a new printer, for example.

I looked up my printer, my cell phone, and my camera and all of the info was there. You may want to verify that the information is online before you throw the documentation out, and keep in mind that the information may also be very easily available on the manufacturer's own website too. Retrevo appears to be just for electronics, but this concept of finding the information online applies to appliances, software, toys, and many other things too.

These kinds of booklets take up a LOT of space in file drawers and on shelves in many people's homes and offices. Liberate yourselves and liberate the space!

Lorie the Laminator

You've heard of the Terminator... now meet "The Laminator." I really like laminating important pieces of paper! Here are some ways that I use laminating pouches around my home and office:

• Checklists for packing, speaking engagements, and other recurring needs
• Workout training program- taped to my treadmill
• Schedules for newsletter releases and other recurring business events
• Procedures/instructions posted up on a wall or cabinet
• Rate charts, price lists, tax tables
• Cheat sheets
• One-page downtown map in my car
• I could go on and on...

I don't have a laminating machine--I use laminating pouches that you "peel & seal." I like the "Scotch Self-Sealing Laminating Pouches" product #LS854-25G. I have found them at the best price at Sam's Club (this photo is from their website), but I know you can get them at lots of office supply stores too. I use an architect's ruler to smooth the pages out while I peel off the backing (3-sided ruler that is easier to hold onto), but you can use any straight edge that works for you.

What could you laminate today? Get creative! It's fun AND efficient.

Three Simple Secrets to Paper Management

Yes, Monday, January 14th is National Clean Off Your Desk Day. Did you know that the #1 reason that people call us for services in person is PAPER?

Whether you are a filer or a piler, managing your paper has only gotten more difficult in the last ten-to-twenty years. We all thought we'd have a "paperless office," but the advent of computers has just made things worse. We now send e-mails but then we print them...and we can create something instantly that would have taken us a week to send off to the print shop when we were growing up.

Here are three simple secrets to effective and efficient paper management to help you clean off your desk:

1. Learn to identify papers quickly. A skill that is often overlooked is the ability to actually know WHAT a paper is. Cultivate your "skimming" skills so you can look over a paper quickly and understand it. What does this piece of paper want from you? For example: "This is an insurance paper. They want me to reply to confirm the details of my accident by February 3rd."
2. Be decisive. (Read my previous post entitled, "You Should Probably Be More Decisive, I Think") Shuffling papers around results from not making decisions about the paper. I don't necessarily believe in the "Only Handle It Once" rule-- just that you should DECIDE about it once. Is there action required, and if so, what is that action? Put similar actions together, like Calls, Bills, etc.
3. Identify a trigger. When you have identified an action for a particular piece of paper, don't go on to the next one until you have thought through what your TRIGGER is for that action to take place. How are you going to remember to do this later? Should you put it on your calendar? Put it in a tickler file? Should you put it next to your car keys? Maybe make a task reminder pop up in Outlook? Use a sticky note somewhere strategic? Whatever works for you... make sure your solution is foolproof so your brain can let go of that information and relax.

Our paid Clutter Diet members are working on some great home office projects in the next few weeks to put these skills to good use.  Also, for more great productivity and paper tips, see my good friend Susan Sabo's blog at Productivity Cafe.

Now, go clean off your desk!  ;)  Check back here and comment to let us know what you got done.

Tips on Taming Paper Clutter

This Sunday the Austin American-Statesman's Life Guide column, by Sarah Lindner, featured some of my tips on managing paper. Here are some snips from the article:

What makes paper so hard to deal with? "Every piece of paper represents a decision that hasn't been made yet," she says. "And so when people see that large stack, they see all those decisions ahead."

"The first thing we do is pull out all of the reading material," Marrero says. Catalogs and magazines are bulky and make your stacks look "a lot more scary" than they really are. Another trick is to start with your most recent papers and work your way back.

Get electronic statements instead of paper ones when possible. But if you go the e-statement route, remember to back up your hard drive regularly. [See my previous post on backing up]

Get off marketers' mailing lists. There are several services that will take care of this for you, including one from the Direct Marketing Association at www.dmachoice.org/MPS .

Pay attention to a company's privacy policy when you sign up for a warranty. Sometimes your name can end up on junk-mail lists.

Process your mail quickly. If you live in a community with a trash can at its mail station, throw away the mail you don't need before it even gets inside your home.

Click here to read the rest of the article. Enjoy!

October is National Clean Out Your Files Month

"They" say it's that time of year... however, I actually recommend cleaning out your files in April right after you finish your taxes.  I suppose this is exactly 6 months after April, so if you want to do this twice a year, October and April make a lot of sense.  (Who sets these national observances anyway?)

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive is about paid bills-- do you need to keep them?  Well, if you are a business entity, then yes.  If you are talking about personal bills, you need to keep them if:

• ...the paid bill represents a receipt for tax deduction purposes
• ...you need a historical record of charges, like how much electricity you've been using
• ...you need to get reimbursed for something from another party
• ...there is a doubt or question about your payment of the bill
• ...you have notes written on the bill about something else important!

Otherwise, you really don't need to keep routine household bills.  ("Your mileage may vary" so please check with your own accountant or attorney to be sure!)  You can usually get a copy of one later if you need it, and otherwise it's a lot of extra filing and work to keep something you rarely if ever look at again.  For our clients who do want to keep them, we recommend a brown January-December accordion file that you can just easily put the bills in by month.  If you want to make sure things are paid and cleared, just do a "pending paid bills" file and keep only the most recent bills in it until the new ones come in.  Or better yet-- get as many of your bills electronically as possible and save them on a hard drive.  No filing, no mess! 

Remember to shred if there is any sensitive personal information on anything you throw out!  Enjoy cleaning out your files if you are so inclined.  Our Clutter Diet members can refer to our full articles in the Knowledge Base about Managing Paper & Filing, Bills & Bill Paying, Paper Retention Guidelines, and others.  If you're not a paid member of our Clutter Diet main website, please go check it out...  There is no other place, anywhere, that you can get help from a team of Professional Organizers for $15/month!

Three Tips to Manage Your Reading Pile

I work with a lot of high-achieving people, and they are really intent on being the best in their fields and staying on top of all of the information they need to know.  Unfortunately, there is just way too much information for them to possibly consume... and that leads to "READING GUILT."  There is this expectation that they must consume all of this information and catalog it in their own filing systems, and when they can't, it is a big "SHOULD" hanging over their heads causing stress. 

I worked with a client this week that had saved a huge bin of industry magazines from 2003-2005 that were "To Clip," and we discovered it while working together.  There was also a huge stack of recent ones that also had come through in the meantime!  We have to conclude that the "someday" will never come when she is going to get back to those old publications.  It will be amazing if she gets time to go through these recent ones alone. 

Here are 3 ways to put the brakes on your "Reading Guilt" and manage that pile:

1. Skim through the table of contents initially when you receive a magazine to see if there are relevant articles that are important right now.  You can quickly tear those articles out and discard the rest of the magazine, or you can just flag those articles with a sticky note.  You might even find there is nothing of interest and you can get rid of it!
2. Realize that all of the publications you subscribe to probably have an online version of their content, and most importantly, that content is INDEXED and SEARCHABLE. (I bet your filing system of clippings is not indexed and searchable!) Learn how to log in to the member areas of your publications' websites and search their archives.  Some publications are making electronic-only subscriptions available that would eliminate your magazine pile-up.  Save your online discoveries by making PDFs of the documents instead of printing them out.
3. Prevent the pile-up.  If you find that you have not read a magazine for 3 months, you need to strongly consider unsubscribing.  Get realistic about what you have time to read. If you haven't read it in 3 months, it can't be that crucial to your life or work.  If you just like it anyway, make it a treat to pick up a copy at the newsstand when you have time, like when you go on a trip.

Our Clutter Diet members can log in and read our Knowledge Base article here for even more details and ideas on clippings and reading material.

How can YOU tame the tower of reading material this week?  Share your comments here, and members can join in our message board discussions for direct advice from our team about your situation.

Nifty On-the-Go Desktop File!

The PR folks at Pendaflex just sent me a sample of the very cool "On The Go® Desktop File."  (Photo from Pendaflex- click photo for larger view) It lets you organize your papers in six color-coded compartments, and it sits nicely on your desk with its unique "stadium-style" view of the tabs.  When you're ready to go, it quickly converts to a portable case with handles.  There is even a little prism-shaped compartment underneath to store pencils or other office supplies.  What a great design! It would be perfect for encasing papers for a large project, or your top client files, etc.  I think real estate agents would love this. It's about $16.00.

I just researched and found this little number when I was writing an article this week for Northwest Airlines WorldTraveler magazine, which will be published in September.  I will let you know and see if I can get a link on here when it comes out.

Have a great weekend!

Newspapers are Old News

One of the clutter traps we see often in people's homes is reading material... there is this strange guilt hanging over people's heads about all of the things that they "should" read sometime.  The reading material that stacks up the quickest is newspapers.  Sorry, Lois Lane-- the newspapers have gotta go.

Here is what my colleague Judith Kolberg says about newspapers in her book Conquering Chronic Disorganization:

The information in newspapers is obsolete about eight hours after it is published.  Over 70% of a newspaper is advertising.  Of the 30% of real news and information, 80% can be accessed with ease through other kinds of media, like radio or TV.  100% is obtainable over the Internet.  A good 50% of any newspaper will repeat in some form the very next day.  A newspaper unread is closer to trash than orange peels.

OK, how's that for a reason to recycle that stack??  Please do not guilt yourself into thinking you should go back and read those unread papers.  You don't have time.  And if your newspapers are consistently stacking up unread, you might consider changing your subscription to weekends-only, when you may have more time to read and enjoy them.