Buried in Paper? - Paauwerfully Organized

Posted August 13, 2019

In Uncategorized

Are you buried in paper? Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

You’re FRUSTRATED by the sheer amount of clutter and piles of “postponed decisions” accumulating on every horizontal surface.
You’re AFRAID to throw anything away because you just might need it You’re also afraid to file it away for fear of forgetting to follow up or not being able to remember where you filed it.
You’re EMBARRASSED to ask others to reproduce something because you can’t find what you need.
You feel DISAPPOINTED when you think of all the opportunities that have slipped through the cracks because you don’t have the right systems in place to manage everything in your frenetic life.
You’re ANGRY about wasting valuable time and money re-creating important documents you know you have but cannot find.
You feel OVERWHELMED with the concept of organizing your office or other space, so you decide to save the challenge for another day when you’ll have more time and motivation.

Of course, more time and motivation never materialize. That being said, there is an alternative to feeling buried in paper. Having a good system is essential to managing all the paper and electronic information you are bombarded with daily.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Everything is going digital! I really don’t need a system to manage paper.” If that statement is true for you, you may not need a filing or physical reminder system. However, my experience tells me otherwise.

When something is really important, many people print it out. Given that paper is not going away anytime soon, we may as well learn how to manage it.

Two Primary Reasons People Pile

I’ve discovered that there are two primary reasons why papers pile up…and I offer a solution for both.

The #1 reason people pile is a fear of never finding something once it’s filed away. Procrastination is caused by not knowing where to put it or what to call it. Your piles represent postponed decisions.

Imagine being able to find ANYTHING you file or store in just 5 seconds or less. Imagine having systems set up so others can do the same, even when you aren’t around! Since 1996, I’ve been using a system that enables me and thousands of others to do just that, and I’ll show you how it works during my free webinar, Find Anything in 5 Seconds or Less.

The #2 reason people pile is a fear of forgetting to follow up on something that requires action. You may have a fear that if you put it away — out of sight, out of mind — you may forget to take the necessary action or you may not be able to find the support materials you need when you need them.

Imagine knowing what to do with every single piece of paper or information that comes into your busy life, so you no longer feel a need to “just set it here for now.” Are you ready to declutter your schedule, space and mind so you can focus on what’s most important? My Buried in Paper webinar has been in high demand since 2003, offering tips about how to make decisions quickly. Participants will learn how to create a simple and effective reminder system for important follow-up. Click the link above to access my free webinar.

Still not sure if you need help? To calculate the cost of disorganization for you or your company, click here.

I’d love to hear what causes paper to pile up for you. Please comment below. And if you’d like to explore the possibility of getting some help putting systems in place so you can be more productive and less stressed, let’s schedule a no-cost discovery call today.

Next week, we’ll move beyond paper and I’ll provide you with ideas about how to de-clutter any space.