Reducing Paper Clutter

I just ran across this great article in LifeHacker.org and had to share it. It deals with paper clutter and the author provides a great method for controlling it, with out being overly OCD about it. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/kxC30n

Adding a quick, daily scan of the paper that came in during the day is a great way to keep the stack of paper manageable until your weekly review time. That daily review should be quick and "unfiltered" as you briefly scan items and place into "keep" and "toss" piles. (I bet your "toss" pile ends up the larger of the two!)

In Session 2 of my Time Management seminars we talk about the weekly review process. This article provides a great addition to that review session.

Some additional organizational thoughts for the weekly review process that I might add to this writer's process are:

• Add action items to the proper to-do list or calendar date; then toss that piece of paper.
• Informational items such as phone numbers, addresses and such, add to the proper storage media right then and there; then toss that piece of paper.
• Paper that you need to keep handy, such as bills and forms, can be stacked in an inbox to be addressed that week. Add an action item to your to-do list on the day you intend to do it. If there's anything you didn't address by the next review session, you can reschedule into the next week. Another option, if you have space and are so inclined, is to have file folders for each week day and place the items in their appropriate day. But if you don't truly have room for this, don't do it - it will just add clutter.

How Many Tools in your Toolbox?

If you're like me you have about a gazzillion tools in your toolbox - everything from hammers, to electrical tape, to some strange little tool that measures the diameter of things. But how many do I use on a regular basis? What are the core tools that I just cannot do without?

Well, I'm not an electrician, so the electical tape is out. I'm not a whoever-it-is that needs to know the diameter of things, so that's out. Even the allen wrenches and those coveted channel-lock pliers aren't used that often. No, the basics tools for me are a hammar, a pair of pliers, a flat-head and philips-head screwdriver.

These are the things that go in the top section of my tool box - that part that's the first place you go to for tools, the most accessible, and it usually even has a nice little handle so you can lift it out and take it to where the work is.

Now that's not to say that the other tools aren't useful. I dare say that I bought them special in order to do specific jobs and without them my life would have been very ... well... annoying, to say the least. But they don't sit in the top section - I don't use them all the time.

I learned a long time ago to keep them out of the top section for the simple reason that if they're there, they crowd out those tools that I need most of the time and makes it impossible to find them. I scrape my knuckles looking for them, get frustrated, starting dumping things on the floor and generally waste a lot of time.

The same is true for Time Management tools.

There are a myriad of tools, tips, and tricks out there. And they're all wonderful. They are especially rampant in electronic systems, but even paper systems can begin to overwhelm you with different pages and sections, and if you're not careful, they will crowd out your basic Time Management tools and you will soon get frustrated and stop doing your Time Management all together.

Pare down! I continually focus on the three main tools that will ensure that my day is organized and my time is managed efficiently:

• A Task List
• A Calendar
• A Journal

When I get overwhelmed and Time Management has escaped me, it's usually because I've cluttered up my tool box. When this happens to you, take control - clean out your tool box and get back to the basics. You'll find you're back on track in no time.

The Biggest Enemy

I have found that the biggest enemy to Time Management is that sense you have at the end of the day that you got absolutely nothing accomplished; that your day has just been a waste of time.

You can combat that with one easy exercise: pick a time each day at the end of the day (if you're an office oriented person, that might be around 5:30; if you work at home or freelance, it might be later in the day - closer to supper) to review your day. Make sure it's the same time each day.

Take just 15 minutes to review your task list, calendar and journal for the day. Look over your task list, add those myriad of things that you did do that didn't start out on your list. Check off the things you accomplished, delete the ones that are no longer relevent, and schedule forward the ones that must be relegated to another day.

Now take a fresh look at all that you did accomplish today! Smile! You did a great job! You've gained back control of the day and you can look back with pride in a job well done. Now go get a good night's sleep... you deserve it!