Tag Archives: Paper Management

End Of The Year – File Purge!

Posted on December 8, 2010 by in Office Organizing, Paper Management, Productivity

I was working in my office the other day and I went to look for a receipt from a file folder and before I knew it I was going through the whole file getting rid of the old receipts!  Remember the “One Year Organizing Rule?”  We just talked about it on Monday.. Well this rule certainly applies to PAPER!

Did you know we only retrieve 20% of the paper we file…… that means 80% of the paper we file just sits there!

We are coming to the end of the year and there is no better time than now to go through file drawers and PURGE!  Take out the legal and tax documents you need for your taxes and start looking at the rest!

Top Three Questions to ask when going through your files:

1)  Is this paper important?  Do you need it anymore?

2)  What’s the worst thing that could happen if I got rid of this paper?

3)  Are there tax or legal reasons to keep the paper?

Extra Tip: Place a paper shredder nearby your file cabinet….. As you purge ….  you shred!

This is the first of many steps in getting your paper organized!

If you would like to learn more about the TCO Paper Management Plan for your home or office, send me an email @ nikki@takecontrolorganizing.com.

Happy Organizing!

Tasks vs. Goals – What’s on your “To Do” List?

Posted on September 30, 2010 by in Office Organizing, Productivity, Time Management

How many of you have a “To Do” list a mile long? When writing it you become very ambitious, thinking, maybe, just maybe you will actually get it all done… But you don’t!

I am guilty!  I do this and I find I do this often!

I’ll get a free day to get some things done around the house, and all the sudden I have a list of 10 things to do, but by lunch time I am tired and only half, if that is done!

Does this sound familiar to anyone?  I really hope it’s not just me!

Time goes by fast, no doubt, and things usually take longer than you expect.  I get interrupted a lot!  I have 2 kids and remember our new puppy?  He takes up a lot of time too!  Potty breaks are a constant around the clock event right now!

In the last week, I signed up for the free trial of OmniFocus.  OmniFocus is a great product, there will probably be a blog post about in the future.  My point for this post is to talk about a revelation I learned as I was watching one of the tutorials.

Is your “To Do” list filled with tasks or goals? If it’s filled with goals, it’s actually going to be almost impossible to get your to do, done!  It becomes unreachable! Uh… I never really thought about it before.

Goals are what we want to achieve, the end result, but they do not clarify the how to do it part… That’s where the tasks come in.  To reach your goal, break it down into tasks. It will certainly make your “To Do” list more organized and hopefully more productive!  We can all tackle something big in small chunks, but to tackle it all at once can be extremely overwhelming!

I am a work in progress, but with this new awareness, I hope to be more effective!

I hope it helps you too!

Happy Organizing!

Mind Mapping!

Posted on September 28, 2010 by in Getting Started, Office Organizing, Productivity

Do you have a lot on your mind? I do!

Between work, clients, family, and home, there is a lot to be done!  It’s not always easy to capture everything in your head.  Yes, “to do” lists certainly help and can effectively organize the tasks for the day, but what about for the whole project you are working on? Are you able to capture your thoughts and ideas effectively with a list?

Have you ever considered Mind Mapping?

What is Mind Mapping?

Mind Mapping is a creative way in putting your ideas, thoughts, and concepts onto paper.  It is a visual thinking tool which helps you organize your thoughts and processes. Mind Mapping is a great alternative to the traditional “to do” list. It’s a closer representation of how your brain actually works.  It’s creative and it’s fun! If you are finding your traditional “to do” is not working well, I highly suggest you try this method in capturing and organizing your thoughts!

You can use mind maps for many reasons. It’s not just limited to project planning.  Say you are having a difficult decision to make, use a mind map to capture your ideas and thoughts, the pros and the cons.  You are planning a trip, this is a great way to capture what needs to be done, what you want to do, and the basic planning of the trip.

There are so many uses and reasons why you may use a mind map.  The options are unlimited and the complexity of each map is up to you!

How does Mind Mapping work?

It’s actually very simple.  You start in the middle of a blank page and write the project or central idea you are developing.  From the edges of the circle you draw lines for your subtopics.  Your subtopics may have branches leading off them too.  Again, it can be as complex or simple as you need it be.

To get started in Mind Mapping, you can just use a simple piece of paper.

I just recently started to explore the different Mind Maps available for your computer, iPhone and iPad. I have been using some of the trials to get a feel of what I like best. Google, “Mind Maps“, and you will be surprised of all the different options!  You can dress up the mind maps to be very colorful or if you prefer, very simple.

I suggest you try a couple and get the one that feels right to you… I just recently bought the iThoughts version for the iPad and iPhone, and I have been really happy with it!

If you are already using mind maps, let us know what you like and recommend! We are always wanting to hear feedback from others!

Happy Organizing!

Back to School – Creating a Homework Station!

Posted on August 20, 2010 by in Back to School, Home Organizing, Office Organizing, Paper Management, Productivity, Time Management

Depending on the grade of our child, there is a good possibly they will have homework from day one!  The best thing you can do is to be prepared and make sure you child has everything they need, when they need it. It will save time and keep them focused on the homework and not trying to find their pencils and erasers!

You can set up a homework station in a variety of ways.  The student could have their own desk in their room or in a common area in the home.  If they like to do their homework in different rooms around the house, a portable desk may be a good option.  The study space should be a place where the student can think, focus, brainstorm, and if set up correctly, should make doing homework a little less painful!

These are the essentials you need no matter how the work station is set up:

  • Kids will not work in a station if it’s not user friendly.  You must get their opinions and thoughts about how to best set up a workspace.
  • You want the station to have storage space and surface space, they need to have enough space to store all of their supplies, printer, computer, paper etc.  You need to have the surface area to write, cut, paste etc.
  • Good lighting- It’s hard to do your best work if you can’t see what you are doing!
  • Make sure the student is comfortable- if they don’t like their desk chair, they will never sit it in.
  • Let me them put personal touches around their workspace – just like if you were working in a cubicle, you want around you the things that make you happy.
  • Include a bulletin board and calendar to the workspace – they need to see deadlines and bulletin boards are a great way to post reminders and other information your student may need. (Teach the child to go through the bulletin board on a weekly basis, so it doesn’t fill up with paper clutter)
  • Make sure the station is stocked with everything they need!  Nothing is worse than finding out you used the last staple.  Keep up on the inventory of supplies!

Happy Organizing!

Back To Campus- The Organized.com Way!

Posted on August 18, 2010 by in Back to School, Home Organizing

 

Back to School!

Ready or not, school is just around the corner!  For some of you around the country, it may have already begun!  If you have any lessons learned this season, please share your wealth of information! We are always looking for tips to make our lives easier!

I will be the first to admit I am not ready to let go of summer.  However, I do know it’s better to be prepared and plan for this upcoming season change.  If you are not organized during this time, it can easily turn into chaos with a lot of frustration and stress!

So what can we do to make this time less stressful?  Organized.com is one way for sure!  The Back to Campus webpage is a great resource for great products and information all of us can learn from…

Here are just a few of my favorite articles and products:

How to Prepare for the First Day of Preschool

How to Pack the Perfect Lunch

Locker Organization

The Dorm Store

The Dorm Checklist

More Back to School Posts our on the way.. Visit our Back to School Central Link… This will take you to all the blog posts related to Back to School plus more products I recommend to get your season off right!

Happy Organizing!