My Favorite Paper Organizing Tips to Make Filing Easier from Professional Organizer in NYC
What do you do when it comes to the paper organizing tasks in your office? Do you tackle them head on or do you avoid the piles until you need to find an important document? For many people, it’s the later. This means stacks of unsorted documents collect on your desk creating a cluttered appearance until you are forced to address the piles. At that point, it’s hard to figure out how to get started! To combat that, here are some tips from this Professional Organizer in NYC to help make the paper organizing process easier.
Get rid of what you don’t need. Filing can feel like a time-consuming task if you have a huge pile of papers waiting to be filed away. As typically only 20% of the paperwork that is filed is really needed, the majority of your piles probably don’t need to be saved. Take some time and sort out what you can recycle or toss before you start filing. Add important dates, tasks, and deadlines to a calendar or project management system and only keep that paperwork which will be needed as reference for a task or meeting. Less paper equals less clutter!
Delegate to your team. As we all need to maximize our time, it is essential to delegate tasks (and their related paperwork) that can be done by others and focus our time on tasks that only we can do. By delegating tasks you are not only clearing your desk of unwanted paperwork, you are providing an opportunity for a coworker or an assistant to become more involved. A definite win-win!
File immediately. Consider filing as soon as you are done with a folder or document. By doing so, you are minimizing the amount of stuff cluttering your workspace which will also reduce the amount of distractions. You’ll save time, too – it’ll take just a few seconds to file away one document today versus several hours sorting through a large stack of paper that has been piling up for weeks. That adds up fast!
Store information electronically. Though going paperless can be a significant task and something you may or may not be ready for today, you can start to take small steps to reduce your paper load. You can store reference information in a file on your computer rather than printing it out and adding it to the paper files. Emails don’t need to be printed, and can easily be stored in their own filing system. Invitations sent electronically can be added to your calendar and to-do list instead of being printed out.
When it comes to reducing the paper load in your office, all it takes is a few strategic steps and you will no longer be overwhelmed. Once you have a system and process in place, you’ll be able to stay ahead of the filing and paper clutter. For more hands on paper organizing tips and strategies, reach out to this Professional Organizer in NYC.