Piler of Filer

Are you a piler or a filer?   Keep up or it will heap up!

I’m talking to the pilers today.

 

Some of you would prefer to pile because you feel that it keeps things front of mind, as opposed to filing because that means something is out of sight and out of mind.

Others of you pile because it is just easier and quicker than actually creating a home for the paper that you have in your hand at any given moment.

How many of you fall into this category of piling instead of filing?

When we are afraid we’ll forget about something we often leave it out in plain view.

Sometimes we don’t know how to deal with an item, or where to put an item, so we add it to the pile.

I encourage you to strongly resist the temptation to substitute memory for organizing.  You know what I mean.  We can say to ourselves “I know where everything is in all of these piles”.   It may be more or less true for some people, but it is not a good long-term system even when it works.  It causes stress, wastes time, works poorly, and has limitations because it can’t work when the number of items to remember gets too great. 

In our business we are smart enough to know that we need to work with our clients to come up with systems that work.  It is difficult to turn someone who piles into someone who files.

This is a product that we use with clients on a regular basis.

It is the Rubbermaid – 12 compartment organizer with mesh drawers.  

 

 

The drawers easily slide out so that they are portable.  You can take the drawer with you to the surface where you are working or to a meeting.  It allows you to have 12 piles on the go at any given time.  There is a small name plate on the front of each drawer – just the size of a small post-it note.  You can give each drawer a temporary subject label, or use your label maker to make it more permanent.

It does take up space on your desk or work surface, but in many cases it is worth the space forfeited.   You can use the surface on top for your printer or perhaps line up magazine files to create homes for different categories of incoming information to be dealt with.

 

Here is another unique idea you may want to try if you are a piler.

We call it the HORIZONTAL TO-DO PILE

1. Get a file crate that will hold hanging files.  Each hanging file will contain a paper that would otherwise have been put in a pile.  This method is a temporary deal and is not meant to be pretty or permanent.

2. Put the paper in question into a hanging file.  Use a post-it note, stuck upside down, to create a visible label for the file.  On the note write what needs to be done with the paper some time in the future.  Make it a verb message i.e. “fill in this survey” or “order this book”

Here are some specific examples of papers that might be in the Vertical Pile

  • Pizza Coupons – Use pizza coupons by 4-12
  • Promotional for a conference to attend – decide about attending conference
  • sketch for an idea for a board game – do some research on game producers
  • college catalog – sign up for gardening course
  • receipt for cleaning – pick-up cleaning
  • paint swatches – paint living room

THIS PLAN MIGHT BE JUST THE TICKET FOR YOU!

We do NOT live in a “paperless society” yet . . . so we need to have strategies to deal with our paper clutter!  Commit to dealing with your paper piles on a regular basis.

Set your timer for 15 minutes at least two times a week.  Work hard and fast for those 15 minute intervals and tackle your paper.

 

Make sure you have a recycling bin in your office. Put the recycling into the bin right away instead of starting a “to go to recycling” pile!

 

Keep a portable file folder for those things that you need to read and grab this file the next time you will be waiting in the doctor’s office or waiting to pick up children from their extracurricular activities.

Handle paper once!  The statistic is, on average, we handle paper 9 times before we deal with it!  To help you become aware of how many times you handle paper – do the MEASLES test.  Every time you pick up a piece of paper, put a red dot (with a pen) in the upper right corner.  When the paper accumulates so many dots that it looks like it has the measles – you will realize how many times you have handled it.

Here are a couple of great catch phrases to get stuck in your head 🙂

 Keep up or it will heap up!

 File it, don’t pile it!

Be sure to check out  our Pinterest Boards for more great office and paper management ideas!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Don’t judge someone just because they sin different than you.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top