This week on the blog I had clients and friends send me their organizing questions. Great questions! I hope you take the time to read my suggestions. If you have any questions about this Q&A please post them below. And of course you can always email me.
1. When it comes to organizing my time, what is the best approach?
Thanks for asking this question. It’s actually a loaded one from people, including me. Time management is one of those areas that very personal and depends on an individual’s learning style and personality.
We are so busy throughout the day and have many responsibilities. Really creating goals and intentions for each day is vital as well as setting priorities.
I often recommend that my clients use a schedule and a timer. I love using my iCal to schedule events so I can view it on my iPhone and always have my schedule with me. However, I still love using my paper scheduler (www.plannerpad.com).
Time management is actually an area that I struggle with personally. I think people have the perception that professional organizers and productivity consultants have every single area down. For me, it’s easier to help my clients at time management, than myself.
When my clients use a timer, they are amazed by how much it improves their time management. You are going to be amazed… I’m going to commit to using a timer myself for the next month, and report my results to you. Want to join me?
2. How is the best way to maintain organization in a household where one person is neat and another is well, not so neat?
Let’s first note that neat is not the same as being organized. I know people who are messy who can find what they are looking for and a few organized people who don’t always know where certain items are located. The key is communication, along with patience and compromise.
The best result is when you can combine the style of both people into a room. You need to collaborate and then determined who controls and maintains the system created. Also, giving each person their own space or room to be him or herself is a great compromise. Then they have their own space and you control the common areas.
3. How can you avoid going back and forth from organized to chaos, organized to chaos (over the course of a week)?
The best advice is learning to maintain your organizing systems. It could be that the system you are currently using is not the right system for you. It’s in the breakdown of the process. So, let’s change the system.
Improved discipline in following through on the system you do have is ideal. Make notes, ask for help, get your family on board, use a checklist, create post-its for reminders, and use your calendar (and alerts) more frequently.
Discipline in maintaining your system can be pain-free and not take too long during the day, if you have the right system.
4) What is the best way to avoid business card clutter? I’ve tried index card boxes; shoe boxes (the worst) and recently began using plastic 3 binder holders. Though this is better than what I used to do which was stuff them in a manila envelope where I’d forget about them, it always seems to amount to some sort of clutter.
If you are ready to go digital, there are many apps available so you can scan the info on the card: Bizcardreader, Card Munch from LinkedIn, CamCard, and Evernote are a few. (Business Card Scanning Apps)
I personally like the binder option. It holds a great deal of information and its simple to use once you’ve set it up properly. Use tabs to divide cards into categories, such as, banker, lawyer, caterer, insurance, etc. You can always add more sheets to a category and you don’t have to move cards around if you run out of space.
One word of advice: always write on the business card when you meet someone. Add the date and what event you met them at, and also a cool fact you found out about them. This way when you look over your business cards weeks or months from now, you still remember who they are and where you met them.
5) How can I be ruthless with not accumulating papers (bank statements, bills, receipts, etc.)? What can I do to remind myself what I need to keep and for how long and what I can just shred and eliminate immediately or periodically?
If you don’t need financial or confidential material for tax purposes then it’s best to shred the paperwork right away. However, you should consult with your accountant/specialist to make sure before shredding as your situation might have different information directly related to you and your business.
As I mentioned in other blog posts, I use a simple black portable file tote to contain my current files. I open my mail right next to the tote so I can file documents right away.
Many say that you need to keep documents for 7 years for taxes, yet I keep mine for 8 years to be safe. (Again, please check with your accountant.) Once a year has passed I don’t have to do additional work as I just transfer the hanging folder over from the tote to a file box. I use a Watertight File Box (from The Container Store) for storing my older documents. I label the outside of the box and also add what year I should shred these documents.
For example: Tax year 2005, discard in 2012
If I can go online and download a statement, like my bank account, then I don’t keep the paper statement. Many companies these days have the option of paperless statements, so if you want to reduce the amount of mail you receive, then this is a good option for you.
If there is a date that is pressing, an option might be to add a note into your calendar for a reminder.
Another option is to scan paperwork into a program on your computer to maintain receipts and statements. There are many options: http://www.efilecabinet.com/, https://www.neat.com/, Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanners, QuickBooks, etc.
6) As far as organizing learning materials, such as books, templates, binders from coaching programs I have taken and I am currently taking to expand my business, how can I organize them in a way that encourages me to use them and not overwhelm me and do nothing… not sure if this makes sense.
There are two different suggestions that might work depending on your learning habits. However in both cases, you need to have the material in fingertip reach. Proper labeling is a vital component at all times. Organize by category.
Some people are visual learners and need to see what they have in-order for them to return to the material. For these individuals I advise having a bookcase for work material. The items need to be organized. If you don’t have the paperwork already in a binder, then I would suggest purchasing a few of the same binders to maintain visual continuity. (I like the Staples brand, as its easy to use, durable, and have multiple colors.) Make sure the labels on the spine of the binder are clear and consistent.
While others prefer not to see the binders or the paperwork. For this reason, I suggest a filing cabinet. There are so many out there. I just purchased a 3-drawer White Bisley® File Cabinet from The Container Store.
Why do you need to keep the binder? Take the paperwork out and put the material into filing folders and hanging folders with proper labels of each topic. This way if you only need 1 topic (instead of 4 that were in the binder) you don’t need to take all the material out of the files. If you prefer to keep the binder intact, then most will fit straight into the file drawer with the spine up so you can view the label.
I hope this Q&A was helpful for you. Please let me know your thoughts below. If you have organizing questions please send them to me. I’ll be writing another Q&A next quarter.
Thanks!
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
