Since getting organized is one of the top three New Year’s Resolutions, this is a good time of year to learn some new tools for getting and staying organized so you can have a more productive and fulfilling year. 

I work with a lot of professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs who are very good at what they do and who offer products and services that are of great value to others.  Although very skilled at their trade or profession, many struggle to handle the volume of paper and electronic information they receive daily.  When an office is buried under piles of papers or backlogged e-mail, time is wasted daily in a never-ending search for lost and misplaced information. Your key to increased productivity lies in your ability to quickly find what you need when you need it.

Research shows that the average person spends almost six weeks per year looking for misplaced information. Multiply that time by the number of people in the office, continue calculating for each year, and the true cost of disorganization for a company is staggering.  If you don’t want to do the math, go to http://www.orgcoach.net/consulting.html and use the Cost of Disorganization calculator.  It will do the math for you.  Imagine what it would be worth to you if you could spend that lost time doing something more productive!  Click here to view a list of tangible and intangible costs of disorganization.

According to research sited by Abigail Sellen and Richard Harper in "The Myth of the Paperless Office." by the year 2005 there will be 50 percent more paper in offices than there was in 1995.  Since paper does not seem to be going away, we may as well learn how to effectively manage it.  Implementing a simple and easy-to-access system for handling paper increases productivity by at least 10 percent.  An effective process for dealing with daily paper flow involves a three-step process called trimming the F.A.T. –  File, Act, or Toss .  These are your only choices with paper.  You either file papers away for future reference, act on them (pay, read, write, discuss, etc.), or toss them (recycle, shred, toss to someone else, etc.). 

Not sure how this process works?

I teach a monthly teleclass (a workshop conducted over the telephone) called Buried in Paper.  This free teleconference is open to the public.  You will learn more about this Trim the F.A.T. method when you attend.  Visit www.orgcoach.net/teleclasses.html for more information and to register as my guest. 

Having the right tools is half the battle!

Here are the “must-have” organizing tools I recommend in order to trim the F.A.T.:

Stacking trays:  You will need a place to keep the mail until you have time to open and F.A.T. it.  I recommend trays labeled as follows:

• Incoming (top tray)
• Outgoing (middle tray)
• To File (bottom tray)

Accordion tickler file with 43 tabs: 1-31 and January – December.

Paper Tiger software (a finding system for things in your physical environment, such as paper):  A flexible, easy-to-use filing system eliminates those stacks of paper and brings order to the file cabinet. An effective filing system enables users to find what they need within a few seconds.  I have looked at many systems, and my favorite is Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger.  It is not just a filing system, but a finding system for anything you file or store.  It is a software program that helps you find things in your physical environment (no scanning required) in just seconds.  To view a PDF file I've put together that walks you through some screen shots and describes how it works, click here. I also teach a monthly teleclass called Find Anything in 5 Seconds or Less, and you'll receive a free 30-day download of the software when you attend my teleclass. 

Shredder & Recycling Bin:  For items you choose to toss, the sooner the better!  Have your recycling bin, shredder, and outbox nearby when you go through the contents of your inbox.

Time Techniques

A huge part of getting organized involves prioritizing your use of time.  The average person uses multiple tools and systems to track time, resulting in conflicting appointments and stress from trying to remember too much. The key is to develop one system and have one master calendar with everything on it that you need to be involved in.

A huge time robber comes in the form of interruptions. As a business grows, interruptions increase, but the techniques used at the beginning are never modified to accommodate the increasing demands on time.  While no one will ever achieve 100 percent control of interruptions, it is safe to say that approximately 80 percent of the interruptions can be eliminated and the other 20 percent can be controlled so they consume less time. Limiting daily disruptions can be accomplished by following these simple time management techniques:

• Turn off the sound on an e-mail program.  Either turn your speakers off or turn the ding sound off that alerts you when new email has arrived.
• Schedule blocks of time for returning phone calls and e-mails. Limit the number of times you check email and voice mail daily.  Let people know that they can expect you to check for messages at these specific times each day, and that you will get back to them.
• Group routine activities together.  For example, do your filing and data entry during a designated daily or weekly time rather than interrupting the flow of your work to do it in the moment.  You can create customized files (TO FILE, DATA ENTRY) in your tickler system to store things for routine tasks.
• Arrange your desk to avoid direct eye contact.  Either close your door or turn your desk chair so you are not facing the entrance to your office or cubicle.  Eye contact encourages people to stop and visit.  If you work in a cubicle, check out CubeDoors — these portable, retractable, mesh-weave panels block entry into cubicles, effectively saying "Busy" to those who stop by. 
• Get to the point quickly with drop-in visitors. When someone comes into your office, stand up and say, “How can I help you?”  This adds some formality to the visit, and people are less likely to “shoot the breeze” with you while you are standing.
• Schedule protected time.  In your calendar, block out time to work on projects that require concentration without interruptions.  Perhaps your company can create some strategies for supporting co-workers when they need uninterrupted time. 
• Limit who you give your telephone number to.  If you get telemarketing calls you don't want, add your phone numbers (home, office, cell, etc.) to the national Do Not Call list, which you will find online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222 from the telephone number you wish to register. Registrations become effective within 31 days of signing up and are active for five years. There is no cut-off date or deadline for registrations.
  

These small measures can produce large gains in productive hours.

Organizing is common sense, but it also involves specific tools, training and techniques. Hiring an organizing consultant can be a vital part in helping an office get and stay organized. A good organizing consultant will develop systems that tie into the company's paper and time management routines while still remaining adaptable to individual work styles. Give us a call if you need assistance.  If we cannot help, we will refer you to someone who can.

The biggest obstacle cited for not getting organized is a lack of time. Yet the small time investment required to reorganize is gained back within a few weeks, resulting in better company financials coupled with increased employee and customer satisfaction.

Getting personally organized and getting the company organized is a great New Year’s resolution with long-lasting results. Ring in the New Year with a new outlook and new tools that will increase productivity and decrease stress. There is no better time than now to make positive changes.

New Year's Resolutions

So often we create long lists of New Year's resolutions that leave us feeling overwhelmed. In doing so, we may be setting ourselves to fail at all of them.  This year, instead of creating a long list of improvements or changes you want to make in 2005, ask yourself two questions:

1. What is one thing, that if I did on a consistent basis, would make a huge positive impact on my personal life?

2. What is one thing, that if I did on a consistent basis, would make a huge positive impact on my professional life?

Make sure that the one thing you choose is big enough to make a meaningful positive impact on your life, but not so huge that there's little chance of success. Then make an absolute commitment to following through with your intentions.  Focus on your commitment daily, and before you know it you will have made the change you want. Share your commitment with an accountability partner (someone who will not judge you one way or the other) who can check in on your progress.  Just think...if you improve something 1% a day, in 77 days you will have improved 100%!

Now is a great time to consider working with a Life Coach.  Click here for more information.

January is filled with organizing opportunities…

• New Year’s Day –Block out some time to do the following:
    --List your accomplishments for 2004 and celebrate them.
    --List your “incompletions” for 2004 and decide what you choose to do about it in 2005.
  

• National Get Organized Month – Identify what areas of your life or environment you want to organize.  Then identify what is motivating you to get organized.  Without the motivation behind it, it won’t happen.  What will getting organized enable you to do that you are not doing now?

• Clean Out Your Closet Month -- Identify which closet(s) in your home or office need to be cleaned out, and carve out some time in your schedule to do it.  You may discover a significant tax deduction if you choose to donate things to charity.  Click here to read about an excellent tool that helps you value donations.  We guarantee you will save at least $300 in taxes, or your money back. 

• National “Be On Purpose” Month -- Identify the following:
  --What are your top three personal goals for the year 2005?
  --What are your top three professional goals for the year 2005?
  --What one personal quality do you most want to develop in the year 2005?

• Life Balance Month -- Identify what will build greater balance in your life in 2005:
  --Self care
  --Relationships
  --Hobbies
  --Volunteer work

• Organize Your Home Day (January 3) -- Identify which areas in your home need to be de-cluttered and organized, and carve out some time in your schedule to do it.  Click here for tips on how to do this.  You may discover a significant tax deduction if you choose to donate things to charity.  Click here to read about an excellent tool that helps you value donations.  We guarantee you will save at least $300 in taxes, or your money back.

• National Clean Off Your Desk Day (January 10) -- Plan an office party and have everyone clean out and organize their files, e-mail messages, and electronic documents.  Create a “white elephant” room and ask people to bring their no-longer-needed office equipment and supplies to this central location.  One person’s discarded office tools may be another person’s treasure!
  --For tips on managing paper, click here.
  --For tips on managing e-mail, click here.
  --For tips on organizing your home office, click here.
  Check out information about The Paper Tiger for assistance with managing paper.

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