Before
we begin, let me please say this to those of you who would
rather pile than file your papers—it's okay. No,
I'm serious. There is nothing wrong with leaving papers
in piles as long as you can find what you need when you
need it. See, getting organized isn't going to be as bad
as you thought. The truth is, there is no right or wrong
way to deal with paper. There isn't a Paper Police that
will issue you a citation (yikes, more paper) if your
papers aren't nice and tidy, filed away in alphabetical
order and cross referenced chronologically. Right-brainers
are much more likely to want to leave paper out where
it can be seen. The problem is we live and work in a left-brain
world where papers MUST be filed or else. Or else what?
I know a lot of people who have everything—and I
mean everything—put away and they can’t find
a thing. So stop apologizing for having your papers organized
in an unorthodox manner. “Excuse the sticky notes
and piles of papers, I'm gonna get to it soon,”
we say meekly to those who ridicule and reprimand us for
our unique way of working. Well, I'm here to tell you
that it's okay to be who you are. There is no shame in
being a right-brainer who by nature is visually oriented
and likes papers out where they can be seen. What this
article will do is show you how to make sure that the
paper in your life keeps flowing and when it does come
to rest, you can find it again—whether that means
it’s in a pile or a file.
Check
off the ideas you will try on your piles of paper.
Focus on the positive
A pile of papers on your desk can be a distraction as
it gathers dust (especially when unfinished or unresolved).
Here's a great idea. Put some kind of positive reinforcements
on the top of each pile.
Get a spine
When you have stacks of paper and files for various projects
and purposes, wrap a large piece of paper around each
grouping and create a spine. Now you can label each area
of your pile and with a quick glance get a clue of what's
in the stack.
Clipped
For a lot of loose pieces of paper, use a clip board.
You can have one for each area of your life or each project
you are working on. Label the clip so you know which is
which and hang them on the wall. Underneath the various
(but related) scraps of paper clipped together can be
a pad of paper which acts like a master list of things
to do and remember.
In the zone
Divide your desk into quadrants and pile by zones. For
example, a pile on top of a filing cabinet are folders
and papers waiting to be filed. This way the pile is in
a place that makes sense and they are moved closer to
their final resting place. You may also want to designate
different drawers to throw papers in. Label and limit
each to one topic or type of information. You can control
the chaos by setting some parameters for height and space
designated for each pile.
Maybe
you keep piles limited to one table, for example. When
it starts to spill over, go through and thin out, throw
out and straighten up the piles. Designate one space for
unfinished projects and the papers that go with them.
Everything that goes there isn't hanging over your head
this way.
I can see clearly now
Put piles in clear containers. This works because you
can see what's inside, they are portable (take papers
with you to tackle at home or at the beach or park) and
piles don't topple over when you put the lid on. With
containers you can sort papers by action, project, priority
or whatever you want, and left-brainers honestly believe
we are neat and clean. Ha! A clear plastic rack on the
wall puts papers up where you can see them and clears
off counters and other surfaces. You can also achieve
similar results by placing wicker baskets on top of your
desk or on the floor.
Think inside the box
Author J.K. Rowling (Think: Harry Potter) puts her papers
in open boxes and marks the outside (with a numbering
system) so she knows basically what's inside. Rowling
likes this system because she still has to shuffle through
the papers in each box to find what she's looking for,
which will usually trigger an inspiration or idea. Anyone
can use boxes for managing overflowing papers. Put projects
in progress in a series of bins and boxes, do the same
for things that are completed and need to be archived—just
be sure to label the outside. For current papers an open
box close at hand is best. For long-term papers create
a dead storage like the police have for old case files.
The papers are still there if you want to "reopen
a case," but they are not taking up valuable space
"in the precinct." Only "open cases"
are kept in your office. If you want even less paper in
your life, enter this information on a sticky note inside
your computer.
Undecided
In publishing editors create what is known as a "slush
pile". This consists of unsolicited manuscripts (those
not sent in by literary agents). Every once in a great
while these manuscripts are read and a bestselling book
is discovered. Anyone can create a "slush" pile.
This is where you throw papers you don't think you will
want again, but aren't absolutely sure yet. Keep a box
near the door—which is one step closer to the trash.
Go through it from time to time and pull out anything
of value, but basically this is where your junk papers
go to die.
The pending pile
Here's how to have a clutter-free desk, the right-brain
way. Using a box or a big drawer, drag everything on your
desk into it at the end of the day. Put the most important
stuff on top to begin the day with. If that seems too
crazy, leave papers out on your desk but keep them in
file folders so that you appear to be living with less
clutter.
The basics
Apply the basic rules to each pile. For instance, when
making a pile put the larger stuff on the bottom (book
or binder) with the smaller stuff (disk or sticky note)
on top. Group like things together with everything related
to a person, project or thing in one place (a pile or
file). If you are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of paper
piled up around you, tackle it one pile at a time.
Get
Organized: PILE, Don’t File