1-2-3 Sort

Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain" by Eve Abbott

1 - 2 - 3-SORT!

Every time you start to clean up your office so you can work better instead of harder-that big backlog of information is just too overwhelming. Sorting can actually put you into a better working space in very short time!

The good news is you don't have to do it all at once. Use the first cut to trash, recycle, shred, and archive leaving just the items requiring Action on your part.

Now do the Action sort beginning with your desktop, desk drawers, then, wall mount shelves or cupboards at your desk. You'll have a clean Action zone to put these items back in better working order. Then, it's 1 - 2 - 3-SORT!

Sort and only sort-no reading a newsletter or making one quick call. Also, work for two hours or less, take a break, then, finish it off with another two hours at the most. Otherwise, our stone age brains overload and start putting things in the wrong place. There are three essential Action domains: 1) to Do 2) to Read 3) to File.

TO DO: In the to-Do domain there are some basic categories: Call, Pay, Sign, Schedule, Correspond, Read, Review, Write, Research, etc. Everyone has unique information categories in their work and lives, but, these will get you going and you can add Actions as your piles take on definition and turn into Action files.

When a piece of info is sticking to your fingers, ask yourself: Am I past the due date? Trash or if you need other info from it, file it. Will anyone care if I do or don't do this? If not, why spend time on it? Trash

Do I really need to do this? If no-trash. If yes, into an Action file and calendar it.

TO READ: Set up magazine files to sort your reading material as it arrives. Label these by topic, project or subscription. Do not read anything yet! This the time to decide which articles are really worth your time and energy to read.

First, scan the table of contents for relevant articles and ask these questions: Is this out of date? (If older than 3 months it has to be a classic to be timely) Is this significant in my current work/life? Do I have time to read it? Or, Do I have more important stuff to read that I can't get to?

Once you triage your incoming newsletters, and magazines to decide which are the keepers; cut out and staple only those articles, and discard the rest. This will shrink your reading pile from three feet to three inches!

Keep the trimmed articles in a file you can take with you to read in bits of in-between time. If you decide to keep for further reference, sort them into your magazine files.

TO FILE: Your first choice is to separate out your personal from your business filing. Then, it's 1 - 2 - 3-SORT in filing as well. 1) File in this year's current filing system 2) File into archive file boxes (financial/legal audit trail) 3) Scan into electronic document storage (put it all on CD!)

If you don't have a filing system, check out the cost-effective Home and Small Business File Kits that I use in my own business, which makes it easy for me to guarantee your satisfaction. (www.organize.com)

Current business filing domains:
People: clients, staff, teams, vendors
Things: projects, programs, products, property
Administration: the business of doing business.

Current personal filing domains:

Personal/Family
Household
Finances/Insurance

Place only current years records into your office filing system. Archive filing can be boxed and kept out of your office in a secure dry storage place-you just need to maintain it.

Now, you can manage your information more successfully at work and at home. Just do it, 1 - 2 - 3-SORT!

You'll find more free time-saving tips at http://www.organize.com

---

Organize Your Children & Save Your Sanity

It may be difficult to relate saving money with organization... Read More

Clutters Side Effects: How the State of Your Home Affects Your Life

Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More

10 Common Roadblocks to Getting Organized

1. All or nothing thinking/taking on too much." I'm going... Read More

Are You Stuck In The Clutter Trap?

You arrived on earth without clutter. Your parents and doting... Read More

Family Management Tip #3: Getting Ready for the New School Year

Clothes. Check. School supplies. Check. No doubt you've got to... Read More

Lightening The Load

When I tell people what a FREEING experience moving is,... Read More

Balance - And Other Things

The Mexican VillagerThe American investment banker was at the pier... Read More

Home Organizing Tips & Gizmos

Staying organized can be a constant battle. The following organizing... Read More

The Love It Or Lose It Principle: One Simple Key to Living Clutter-Free Forever

It wasn't long ago that you spent an entire weekend... Read More

Saying Goodbye to Stacks of Paper and Distractions

A daily journal will save you time, reduce stress and... Read More

Be More Productive - Books to Help You Be More and Do More!

How many of us have enough time to do everything... Read More

Clutter Control

Remember when you charged into the office that first day,... Read More

7 Little Things That You Can Do to Organize the Kids Rooms

1. Sink to their level. Get on your knees in... Read More

5 Reasons to Organize Your Home Today

Home organization isn't just for neat-nicks or those drawn toward... Read More

Declutter Your Home in 11 Easy Steps

Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of organizing your home? Start... Read More

Common Clutter Culprits- How to Bust Through Clutter

Paper1. You may already be in the habit of filing... Read More

Calendars and Personality Type

I recently conducted a survey to look at the relationship... Read More

Addiction to Clutter

Clutter is a big problem for many people. At a... Read More

Do You Have Scatter-Brain-Itis?

In your quest to get 'up and running' so to... Read More

The 4-Keys to Clutter Free Living - Design a Space that Nurtures Your Soul

Decluttering is a simple-to-learn process, once you break it down... Read More

After the Clutter: 5 Steps to a New Daily Routine

I've noticed that in the two years since the major... Read More

Organizing for Today, Tomorrow and the Next Day

Getting organized is hard. If it weren't, we wouldn't put... Read More

Thinking Outside the Box

Much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent... Read More

Digging out of Paper Clutter - part 2

We previously noted that papers must be sorted before they... Read More

Can You Make a ?Torpedo? Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have

"Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts... Read More

1-2-3 Sort

Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space... Read More

Its Time To Clear Out! Clutter Busting For Every Aspect Of Your Life

'A well-ordered life is like climbing a tower; the view... Read More

Clutter Crisis?

Clutter costs you time, money, space, and peace of mind.... Read More

Feng Shui Guidlines for Storage Spaces

Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such... Read More

10 Tips on Color Coding Your Paper: From Chaos to Coherence

Color-There Is No SubstituteIn anatomical illustrations you see the brain's... Read More

10 Tips for a More Organized Morning

1. Teach your children to use an alarm clock or... Read More

Five Simple Tips to Get Organized Today!

Take time to declutter this summer...Writing can certainly consume the... Read More

How Can I Deal With It All?

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Have a to-do list a mile... Read More