Unclutter the Paperwork at the Office

Uncluttering and organizing the paperwork at your place of employment involves the same processes as uncluttering and organizing the paperwork in your home (or is it the other way around?)  The biggest difference is that at work you probably have to get permission from higher-ups to go through and organize paperwork.

If the clutter at work is horrible, you could be suggesting an action that everyone thinks should be done, but that no one wants to take on.  You too may be thinking that the people at work should be more organized, but unless someone (perhaps you) suggest ways to get organized, you are just going to be frustrated.

• Everyone should have an inbox on their desk which represents the things they need to work on (not just the day's mail).
• Decide (this could require a meeting or some guidance from others), what paperwork and files are no longer valid and can get shredded.  Pull this old paperwork from the file cabinets and be surprised by all the space the office cabinets now have. 
• If some files need to be held for a certain number of years, remove them from the active files and put them in boxes that are labeled with the year, contents, and the date when they can be disposed.  Move these boxes to a room where these files won't be confused or mixed up with the stuff that is currently important. 
• Be prepared to go through file folders page-by-page in order to have the most current and relevant information in each folder.
• Use a label maker and make neat, printed labels for each folder.  This is a simple technique for adding to the organized appearance of your filing system.
• Create a uniform filing system.  For example, if you are using hanging file folders, will you put the plastic tabs along the front of the file or the back of the folder.  Folders should be the appropriate size for your file cabinet - if the cabinet holds legal-size folders is it because you have legal-size paper in those folders?  Otherwise, you are wasting space.  Also, avoid a mix of letter-size and legal-size file folders in the same cabinet as it makes it too easy for folders to end up in the incorrect place. 
• As the new system develops, talk to people about how to find and then put away folders in the cabinets. 
• Encourage everyone to clean their own files.  When someone starts organizing things, with hope, this inspires others to create a similar organization. 
• Know that you and your coworkers will need weekly, monthly, or yearly time schedules to clean up and update files.

Uncluttering and organizing the files at work doesn't make your company money, and so this may become a low priority.  However, your company can save time and stress when they can get their hands on the most current information that they need, when they need it.

I can help you organize personal or business paperwork, including the files associated with elderly relative or their estate.  If you live in Massachusetts, in one of the following towns, contact me at SusanCaplanMcCarthy@gmail.com to discuss how I can assist: Canton, Foxboro, Franklin, Holliston, Mansfield, Medfield, Medway, Milford, Natick, Norwood, Sharon, Stoughton, Walpole, Westwood, and Wrentham. 

15 Minutes to Organization

If you are struggling staying organized, one of the first things you need to figure out is where to put something.  After you can answer the question, Where Does This Go?, you next need to come up with a system that will encourage you to maintain the organization you create by decluttering. 

• Know where something goes.  Don't accept, "Oh, this will go in the file cabinet" as an answer.  Know that you have a labeled file so you can file a paper and then retrieve it when necessary.  Yes, it takes time to create that file; but, once done, you will be more organized because in the future you can put things in their proper place.
• Buy organizing materials only if necessary.  Think about reusing or repurposing drawers, bins, baskets, etc.  If you declutter, you'll find that you have a lot of empty containers that used to hold and organize stuff that you no longer need. 
• Put your organizing tools in the correct place.  (If you've answered the question, where does this go, you know where the correct place is.)
• Devote 15 minutes every day to putting stuff away.  If you get too involved and get tired pushing yourself to do more than 15 minutes, then set the timer on your smartphone or computer and make sure the volume is turned up high. 

Fifteen minutes may not seem to be enough time to get organized or maintain organization, but this is nearly two hours a week.  Would you rather spend two hours on Saturday putting stuff away?  Although it takes time to get organized and to maintain your system, a little bit of effort every day can remind you of your goals for organization.

Where Does This Go?

I find organizing easy and maintenance hard.  When I stop and ask why I have a more difficult time maintaining organization it usually comes down to having a place to put the things that I otherwise just "dump."

Look around your house and notice what items end up in disorganized piles on tabletops, counters, and the floor of closets as well as things that swirl around inside your drawers. 

Next, ask, where should these items go if they weren't just dumped where you found them.

If you don't have an answer to that question then you've discovered your problem, that you own items that don't really have a proper spot within your home. 

To solve your problem, you need to figure out an answer that may or may not involve some sort of organizational tool.  Before you go out and buy anything, decide where your stuff should go, one item at a time.  Ask, where would I (my partner, my kids) go looking to find this item?  Why isn't this item already there?  What do I need to do or provide so the item goes where we are going to look for it?

If you want shoes by the front door, do you have a shoe rack or a basket for every member of your household to store their shoes by the door?  Also, do you have a chair, bench, or stool where people can sit to take off their shoes without wandering into the kitchen or living room in search of a chair (and then leaving their shoes where they took them off)?

Instead of accusing housemates of slovenly habits, ask them what they need in order to put something away.  You might have to ask a series of questions in order to solve some issues.  Why don't family members hang up their coat ... oh, because there are no empty hangers or hooks where they can hang their coat. 

Although an obvious question, where should this go, it is a question that can reveal clues to maintaining organization in your home or office.