by Sam Brock

Face it—your disorganization is a personal problem! No amount of money, electronic tools, paper forms, or added secretaries can make you become organized. Until you believe that the time it takes to be organized will save you more time and effort than it takes to be disorganized, you will continue to enjoy the fruit of disorganization. The fruit of forgetfulness, the black hole, the could-you-remind-me-again, and the massive piles everywhere are a sure sign that your disorganization is in full bloom. Listed below are a few ideas that must be done personally.

One way of looking at organization: Think of self-organization as a kind of office hygiene . . . kind of like brushing your teeth and putting on deodorant . . . do it everyday!

Two prerequisite beliefs:

1. Believe that organization takes time now so that you can be efficient later.
2. Believe that disorganization is a nice way of saying, “I am lazy.”

Three areas of organization:

1. Time—the most valuable thing that you spend . . . also the hardest hit area when you are disorganized.
2. Information—paper, electronic, and verbal; this one is all about retrieval—finding a bit of information quickly in a few days, weeks, or months.
3. Space—the areas around you and how you set up your tools, supplies, and storage.

Four ways to avoid the “pile method” of filing: When filing, make sure that your goal is not just getting it off your desk but rather putting it where you can find it at a later date. The “pile method” is the fastest known way to get your filing done now and the longest known method for retrieving a specific item later. The following list of four is simple; doing all four things is hard.

1. Only keep what is necessary

– Information that cannot be found elsewhere.
– Information that is essential—toss the extra envelopes and advertisements

2. Have a flexible filing plan

– Know that the plan you have now will need to change very soon. Keep extra file folders on hand for new projects and subjects.
– Split files into multiple categories when a topic gets too large.

3. Cull and archive.

– Cull—occasionally look through your files for items that are out of date or no longer useful; sometimes you will even remove folders that are no longer needed.
– Archive—put files that were once useful into storage; archived folders are valuable for history and reference.

4. Locate by daily, weekly, and yearly.

– The folders that you use on a daily basis can be kept in a vertical file on your desk. I have sixteen plastic folders that I am in and out of constantly.
– The folders that you use weekly should be in your desk. If the desk you use does not have a filing drawer, buy a two-drawer filing cabinet and put it close to your desk.
– Files you access yearly should be considered storage. If your office is small, don’t use it as a storage area. If you have a large office, the storage part of your office should be placed where you would have to get up from your desk to get to it.