This article by Christie Love is a classic example of another way to use Paper Tiger!
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Okay, raise your hand if you have ever had a great idea or saw on somewhere that you did not want to forget. Now raise your hand if you jotted that idea down or tore it out of a magazine, only to loose it later and wonder what you did with it.
I was afraid of that…
So many of us have great intentions, but because we do not have good systems, we end up with lackluster follow through of intentions and ideas.
A few years ago, I started subscribing to a magazine that was so full of great ideas that I was terrified to throw them away. I would mark pages, dog ear ideas and then stack them; however, when the time came to find one of those great ideas again … I would have to dig through each magazine or try to remember what issue it was in. This dilemma inspired me to create my “Light bulb File”, curious? Let me explain how it works and how you can set up one for yourself so you never again are victim of another lost idea.
How to Create A Light bulb File
Step One: Purchase a three ring binder that is 1″ wide or larger.
Step Two: Purchase a set of tabbed dividers and label them for the different type of ideas, inspiration, clippings, etc… Anything that makes your “light bulb” go off when you see it or think of it. It is that idea that makes you say … “I would love to do this!”
For me some of my categories were: marketing ideas, games with the kids, crafts with the kids, household decor ideas, organizing ideas, quotes, icebreaker ideas, etc…
Everyone’s light bulb has a different trigger so everyone’s labels will be different!
Step Three: Either use clear plastic page protectors or a three-hole punch to slip clippings and papers into the appropriate categories. Also have blank paper in each category so that you can quickly jot down ideas that you think of or mount pictures that you take for inspiration.
The light bulb file is very simplistic by design … but it’s true “wattage” or power lies in the hands of the user. I love the quote that says “Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) So much truth in that statement … it is easy to have or find a great idea … the next step is doing something about it.
I challenge each of you to make an idea file … your “light bulb” file if you will … and use it not as a safe keeping place where thoughts get trapped and not released into great action … but as a springboard to take you to new places in your homes, families, ministries and businesses!
Christie Love is the Director of Marketing for Jennifer Rothschild Ministries. She is passionate about many things including family, her faith, and helping women grow their businesses, ministries, and impact through improved marketing and leadership practices. In October of 2010, Christie will be relaunching the reformatted version of Simple Organized Sanity Online, a site that will offer downloadable planners, checklists, and lists to help you plan and stay organized. Follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/christielove936
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How to Use Your Lightbulb File with Paper Tiger
When you begin inserting your ‘light bulb’ ideas into your binder or file, input the information from the idea or article into Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System such as the idea or title of the article, description of the contents, and what you want to do with it or your desired call to action, and in which category you place it. It would be a great idea to number each page protector or the page that you hole-punch to coincide with the index number that Paper Tiger assigns when you enter the information. Then when you are ready to find the item again, you can conduct a ‘google-like’ search in Paper Tiger and be able to instantly find it!
This article by Judith Kolberg is a great source for tackling the paper clutter if you’re ADD/ADHD … and well, even if you’re not!
Like many of my clients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Sheila can’t seem to get organized and keep up with her clutter at home and at work.
OK, that’s putting it mildly; her apartment is one giant in-box, filled with letters, articles, bills, and receipts.
“Here’s the thing,” says Sheila. “If I clip an interesting magazine article – and they’re all interesting to me – or get a tempting credit card solicitation, it’s here to stay. I can’t act on it right away, so I put it aside, so that I’ll have it when I figure out what to do with it.”
Each month, the average U.S. household receives 80 pieces of junk mail, three magazines, six catalogs, and 10 credit card solicitations. And that’s just snail mail. When you add receipts, articles clipped from magazines, and ATM slips, it’s no wonder that piles of paper are as common in our homes as furniture (and sometimes are the furniture).
Barbara Hemphill, an ADDer and the author of Taming the Paper Tiger, sums up the problem this way: “The stacks represent unmade decisions. It’s difficult to focus long enough to make a decision about each piece of paper. And if a document needs to be filed, an ADDer can think of 17 different ways to file it. Then there’s the fact that managing paper is boring. Our minds wander off task.”
Maybe our children’s children will have their reading material stored in a belly-button-sized nanocomputer. For now, we’re stuck with paper.
Documents represent actions
What’s the solution to your paper problem? Stop treating each piece of paper in your home as something lifeless. Instead, see each as an action to take.
Let’s say you’re digging out from under stacks of paper. Sort everything into three categories. “Toss” papers get discarded. “File” papers get filed. Papers that require more nuanced action go into your “Action” pile; I’m talking about anything that necessitates a phone call or an e-mail, that must be given to someone else, that requires faxing, that requires a signature, that pertains to an ongoing project, and so on.
Sort quickly, and don’t agonize over your decisions. Ask a friend or family member to be your “body double,” working alongside you and mirroring your actions. Or, like Sheila, you can hire a professional organizer.
Recently, I spent four hours helping Sheila sort her papers. She had no trouble figuring out which papers were Toss, File, or Action. The only challenge was figuring out what to do with the papers that wound up in the Action pile. Well, as I told Sheila, I have a system for that, too. It’s called Paper-Action-Next Encounter, or PANEC.
Tackling your “Action” pile
The idea of PANEC is to take each piece of paper in the Action pile and write on it the very next action that is needed. Not the final action, mind you, or all of the actions to take. Just the next action, described with attention-getting words and phrases. Move each annotated Action document to a place you think will prompt you to actually complete the action.
Like most of my clients, Sheila got PANEC right away. On a page ripped from a catalog, she wrote “Order by June 1.” On a credit card offer, she wrote “Apply or Die.” She put both papers on her desk, because that’s where she takes care of financial activities. Grocery coupons? She taped them to the refrigerator. She wrote “Give to Bobby.” on an article about hybrid cars, and then stuck it in her son’s sneaker (the only place he’s sure to see it). And she taped an application she needs to complete to her bathroom mirror, so she’ll see it each morning until it’s done.
Sheila takes about 20 Action papers at a time and distributes them around the house to their Next Encounter locations. She says that makes the process less monotonous, and helps her dissipate pent-up energy. You may prefer to do things a bit differently. That’s OK, as long as you stick with the basic idea.
PANEC works for ADDers because it reduces the uncertainty about what to do with each paper. Everything is either Toss, File, or Action. Just make sure not to cycle papers endlessly. If you move a document more than twice, your call-to-action phrase probably isn’t specific enough – or maybe you need more information to decide what action to take.
Depending on how many papers you have, digging out might take one morning or several days. Once your paper-handling system is in place, you can keep paper clutter to a minimum. What sweet relief!
Fighting Pile-Ups
Once you’ve discarded the papers you don’t need, and filed the papers you may need in the future, you’re left with a stack of papers that calls for some sort of action.
How do you make sure these documents don’t languish for months, mocking your inaction? Take each document in the stack and write on it the next action to take. Not the final outcome of taking action, and not all the actions required to reach that outcome. Just the next action.
Then, place each Action paper in the place that is most likely to get you to follow through.
Judith Kolberg is founder and former Director of the National study Group on Chronic Disorganization, President of FileHeads Professional Organizers, and is a knowledge management consultant in Atlanta. She is co-author of ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life and other books on organization. She can be reached at info@fileheads.net.
Conquering Chronic Disorganization: Practical advice that will help even the messiest ADDer get organized.
More ways to get organized with adult ADD
Every business needs to make lots of profit and cut costs wherever possible. This is especially important in today’s economy situation. Accountants are no different. In fact, they deal in facts and figures all day long. Using an efficient document management system like Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, makes good ‘cents’ for accountants.
Accountants deal with lots of different customers. Some are individuals. Others are small business owners and some are major corporations and government bodies. Regardless of the type of clientele they have, paper filing is always a big issue, because they need easy access to records all the time.
Archaic alphabetical filing systems are cumbersome and difficult to manage, especially when dealing with such high volumes of different documents. Time and money can be wasted searching for documents while clients are on the phone. More time might be spent if you have to call them back because you haven’t been able to locate a document or file quickly.
Professional Image
If you consider your company’s professional image as the public sees it, do you provide excellent customer service? Can you give them the answers to questions easily because you can access information efficiently?
Nowadays, it’s more common for business to be conducted via the telephone or online. If you’re not meeting people face-to-face, they’re more likely to get annoyed because you can’t ask them to have a cup of coffee while you go and search for something.
If your company is looking for new business and you receive a phone call where you can’t answer the questions at that moment, or you seem unorganized, you may lose a potential client. Especially if their next call is to your competitor who just happens to be using an efficient document management system, enabling them to access information more easily.
How much money did that just cost your company in terms of future business? Add the cost of possible negative word-of-mouth advertising and the figure could be pretty high.
Easily Cross-Reference Files
If you use efficient document management software, you can categorize your clients in different ways. The files can be archived if no longer needed. They can be listed to be retrieved at the start of the new financial year if that’s the only time you have to deal with them. You determine how the files are labeled and categorized.
Using a chronological or alphabetical system doesn’t give the flexibility that accountants need because some clients have extremely complex files that need to be handled in different ways. Files can be cross-referenced in the filing software with keywords for easier location and retrieval.
Increased Staff Productivity
Accountants have to follow so many different, ever-changing legal and financial protocols that it can be impossible to keep up with them. If all of that information is also filed correctly, anybody within the company can access it at any time. This single factor alone is probably worth countless thousands of dollars, because it ensures that everything is done correctly.
Statistics reveal that 80% of employees waste approximately 30 minutes per day retrieving information and 60% spend an hour per day duplicating the work of other people simply because of lost or misplaced files.
All staff will be far more productive if they’re not wasting an excessive amount of time filing and retrieving documents. That will enable the company to efficiently handle more clients and increase profits at no additional cost.
Naturally there will always be a cost associated with any document management system and many factors must be considered apart from price.
Any new document management software must be simple to implement and easy to teach all staff, even the ones that may be technically challenged. If not, there isn’t any point in proceeding because every company has staff with different levels of expertise.
Using Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System makes good ‘cents’ for accountants. Implementing this efficient document management system will pay for itself in no time, plus you get the added bonus of saving time and money.
This software has spoken to me regarding a huge speed bump in all businesses, but especially in mine “Clutter & Chaos”. After looking over numerous how-to books and software regarding getting organized, Paper Tiger had the look and ease my company, and more importantly me, were looking for.
I have to admit it really was the turning point in my business. I became more aware of what things that needed to be done on a daily basis to keep and maintain the edge in my industries arena. I was able to set in motion your organizational foot print to achieve the balance I needed for my companies success.
I want to thank you most of all for the personal attention and prompt responses your company has shown me and my team. In this day and age, it is refreshing to know that there still are a few businesses out there that care about customer service as much as our organization does.
I now have referred your company to many of my business partners and friends in hopes that they will utilize your knowledge and skills as we move towards conquering this fictional character called a paperless society. I have to laugh every time I hear those words.
So, to all of us out there who are still living in the real world with desks, tables and floors littered with papers, I say these three easy words that will change your life and business forever “THE PAPER TIGER!”
Thanks for listening,
Randy Jay Bernstein
President
Left Coast Sales/Global Direct Solutions
What are the advantages of having unlimited databases in Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System?
Having different databases is only advantageous if you want to keep different filing systems separate and do not want to search for all files in all databases at one time. For example, if you have an Office database and a Home database, you do not want items to pop up from your Office database when conducting a search for an item in your Home database.
See this Databases knowledge base article for more information.
How do you dance with an octopus? That’s a question I ask myself everyday when I face my freelance public relations business, three children, a husband who’s running for office, volunteer pursuits, a household to run, and a tendency to put information management at the bottom of the list of things to do. Paper Tiger filing system helps choreograph the moves by simplifying the storage and retrieval of information. No missteps caused by vital information lost in mountains of paper. Ginger Rogers I’m not. But I’m much lighter on my feet now, with help from Paper Tiger. Thanks!
Jill Brown
Blaine, MN
In this article ‘Sharing reference files increases morale and efficiency’ by Sherry Borsheim of Simply Productive and a Paper Tiger Expert, Sherry discusses how sharing files in your filing system will make your office more efficient, plus she recommends Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System to make it happen.
Sometimes filing can seem like an overwhelming job. Many people find it complicated and time consuming to find a home for all their files. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Did you know that in actuality there are only three types of files you’ll ever need?
That’s right, in all effective filing systems, there are only three types of files: action, reference and archive.
Action files are projects that you are currently working on – projects that you access frequently. For many people, the information in these files might be something they would pile on their desk out of a fear of misfiling.
Reference Files are files that you access less frequently. It is information that you want to have on hand and are not ready to archive or toss at this time.
Archive Files are exactly what they sound like – archives! These files include all paper based materials that you are required to keep but do not need on a regular basis.
Although all three file types play a crucial role in your business, today I want to focus on the often forgotten reference files.
These files make up the backbone of your company’s resource library. Imagine how much more information would be available if each individual had easily accessible reference files. Files that they could actually share with the entire office! How much more efficient would your office be if everyone shared access to key reference materials?
Sharing reference files not only increases efficiency, but it also unites offices. Suddenly there are no longer individual “camps” within the office, but rather an interconnected office that shares resources in order to benefit every member of the team.
If you are ready to pool your office reference files, there are several ways to get started. Choose a system that works best with your corporate climate and current workspace needs.
For example, since these files are accessed less frequently than action files, one option may be to create a general reference area within the office. This makes it easy for every member of the office to access files, without interrupting the flow of an individual’s workspace. By keeping everything together and indexed with the Paper Tiger filing system software, it is a simple job to find much needed files in only a few seconds.
Better yet, take a team approach to the situation and have a brainstorming session on the best way to access everyone’s reference files within the office. If some people within the group don’t know how to use the Paper Tiger, have a brief training session. Once they see how easy it is to use, they’ll use it constantly and finally make use of important reference files.
To learn more about implementing a filing system that will fast forward your office efficiency, check out my new e-book, “Conquer your Chaos: fast forward to office efficiency” at www.conqueryourchaos.com.
About the Author
Sherry Borsheim, owner of Simply Productive, has been helping people to work smarter, not harder for years. She specializes in resolving paper, time and information management issues. To learn more about eliminating the paper pile-up and in vastly improving your productively, contact Simply Productive at 604-233-7076.
You can visit Sherry, access her free article archive and grab lots of free stuff at http://www.simplyproductive.com. Sherry lives in Vancouver, BC Canada with her husband (her high-school sweetheart).
Also check out Sherry’s Calm Your Choas special that will give you a JUMP-START on ORGANIZING your office, home and life. She will give you her trade secrets and steps to setting up your organizing systems, including recommending Paper Tiger filing system software for document management, to be organized and manage the paper files that you need to keep in hard copy format and other physical stuff in your life.
Published with permission.
With a 40 year marriage, and a 37 year career in residential real estate, to say I have a lot of paper to keep track of is simply an understatement.
Over the many years I attempted many times “to get organized” in my home office and my real estate office, and it simply seemed that would never happen. I was introduced to Paper Tiger by a professional organizer (not the first one I had hired by any means), and it has truly been a lifesaver in every way.
To be able to instantly find birth certificates, kids immunization records, travel schedules, housing records, sales records, keepsakes, etc etc etc – you name it – I have it in Paper Tiger. I cannot imagine living without it, as I continue with my career and accessing 40 years of records throughout my marriage.
Thank you Paper Tiger!
Marsha Sell
marsha@sellteam.com
If You Prefer the Alphabet…
If you like the idea of using Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, but find the concept of numbers impractical — or even frightening — fear not! You can use the software and stay with the age-old alphabetic method of filing. You can still have the advantage of automatic cross-referencing, search your files to find a particular item.
You may have a situation where you want some locations with random numbers and others in a particular alphabetical or numerical order. That’s not a problem!
If you want all your locations in alphabetical order, simply ignore the Item number column, and simply resort the Location.
When you place the cursor on Item Name, a pointer will appear. Click once on the header, and the Item Names will appear in alphabetical order.
To add new files in alphabetical order, just enter the Item Name in any “open” field. Then use your cursor to resort your files in alphabetical order.
When you print out your Item List Report, just ignore the numbers. Should you later decide to use the random numbering system, you can just add the numbered file tab assigned by Paper Tiger Online to each file folder. You may choose to leave your text labels on as well.
Basically, you can continue to use the alphabetic method for filing, but by adding Paper Tiger software, you will be supercharging your work, making it much easier to find your information. When, and if, you become comfortable with the random nature of the Paper Tiger method, you can easily switch to it without losing any of your investment of time.
The best of both worlds!
PS: If you’re using Paper Tiger desktop version, see instructions here.
Our office moved from one location to the other and arrived in disarray from the move. I did a lot of research looking for something user friendly, with flexibility and really prove it’s claims.
Paper Tiger installation was easy enough. Once I put together the building blocks for the entire filing system, the rest was easy. Our office files include everything from maps, to financial records, business records, to personnel files and beyond. We have the system setup on multiple computers throughout the office and found that the system is easy enough for everyone to access the information.
We love Paper Tiger! It has made a daunting task a delight, seriously. I’m glad to have found your system, thank you!
Sally Tomar
Economic Development Corporation of Lea County
Hobbs, NM
There are thousands of actors and actresses looking for work at any one time. Some are registered with more than one agency and many don’t yet have an agent to represent them which means they must do all the work themselves. Why should talent agencies use smart document management software, like Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System?
All talent/casting agencies are inundated with applications from actors seeking representation. It’s impossible to keep track of every single one of them. Therefore a filing system is needed. However, they shouldn’t keep using archaic solely paper-based systems because they’re too time-consuming to manage and simply don’t help the agent in times of urgency.
When you get a call or an email, or hear about an audition, it’s crucial that you can easily locate any suitable people on your books and send them along if they’re available. If you use an older system of filing cabinets which are overflowing with photos and files about every actor you’ve ever met, it can become an impossible challenge to find the right people.
Quite often the casting calls are advertised with little or no warning and you really need to get your people jobs so they earn money and you do too. BUT you also get your name out there every time you send a candidate along and that is vital to the continuing success of your business.
If you use a smart document management system, you can store documents in various formats. If some actors have headshots or video recordings to help sell themselves, you simply add that to their file for future use. It saves a lot of hassle if everything is kept together, regardless of format.
You can label the files in any way you choose. This means that you can cross-reference people who fit into different categories and still locate their files easily and quickly when the need arises. For example, you may have a male actor who is 25 years old. He may also have experience as a stuntman, a juggler, a singer and both stage and screen experience.
If you cross reference his details with keywords representing all his experience, you can conduct a search, using your new document management software, and see that he’s suitable for the job you were just told about.
This is much more efficient than a purely paper-based filing system reliant on alphabetical labels where a lot of this information would simply be overlooked or invisible because you can’t see it instantly and you can’t remember every single talent that everyone on your books possesses.
If you believe that you don’t need to instigate a more efficient and user-friendly filing system for yourself, keep in mind that most other agencies will be using some sort of intelligent, time saving system themselves and so you’re putting yourself into a position where you won’t be able to compete with them simply because you haven’t modernized your approach to filing effectively.
As a talent agent, you need to know about ALL the skills that your people have. Many people believe that a talent agency only provides people for movies, TV shows and commercials. However, there are a LOT more working opportunities out there if you’re resourceful enough to have people with the prerequisite skills.
Such jobs include: singing telegrams, party performers, singers for birthdays and special occasions, clowns, pantomimes, stage actors, performing on cruise ships, magicians, children’s party entertainers, musicians, expos and promotional shows, photo shoots for advertising catalogues, modeling and so much more.
Because this is such an extensive list, it would be impossible to place one person’s file in 20 different categories. However, through the use of an intelligent filing system software, you only need one big file for each person, and simply add the extra categories when entering the details into your computer database.
This information is crucial as generally an agency has more than one person working there and so you can’t know everybody that comes through the door. However, a few clicks of your keyboard should be able to tell you if there are people on your books that meet the criteria currently being sought.
Why should talent agencies use smart document management software? The answer is very simple. If you’re not using such a system, you’re not only losing money for yourself and the people on your books, but you’re losing the competitive edge that your rivals will have because they have been smart enough to implement a very efficient document management system to reap the enormous benefits. Implement Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System today and regain that competitive edge.
Filing must be one of the most tedious parts of any job. The volume will vary from company to company and job to job. The type of filing system also varies, but employees love using a document management software system, like Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, because it makes their jobs much easier.
Filing and retrieval of files is often a very time consuming task. If you’re using an archaic alphabetical filing system, it’s even worse. Experts estimate that people waste 150 hours per year just looking for lost information.
When you arrive at work each morning, is your desk overflowing with files? Do you have numerous in and out trays and even a special one for the “odd” files that you’re not sure where to file? Do you spend two or three hours every day putting files away and trying to locate other file folders so that you can add documents to them.
Perhaps you spend time in dusty basements or storerooms searching through boxes of files? Does your office have lots of filing cabinets with big, bulky files? If this is the case, perhaps you should consider that there’s a much better way. It’s not always easy to locate a particular document that’s two years old or even six months.
Document management software enables staff to become more efficient in everything they do, saving time and money. If such a system is implemented, you’ll no longer be buried up to your neck in files every day.
Imagine modern filing as a concept. Different formatted documents can all be stored in the same physical file, regardless of whether they’re paper, DVDs, CDs. Imagine if that same system can help you easily locate documents and files with just a few strokes of your keyboard, regardless of how long they’ve been in the filing cabinet.
Would you enjoy going to work more if your desk wasn’t completely covered with files every day? Would you feel that you were contributing more towards the company’s goals by working on more productive tasks? This is all very possible if you use filing system software.
Naturally you would expect it to be a huge job to change from an alphabetical filing system to a more user-friendly document management system, however the long-term benefits are enormous in terms of man-hours and money saved. Think of yourself and all your colleagues being more productive because you can find the files you need when you need them. Your job would be more rewarding, and you would have greater job satisfaction.
Getting organized will help you feel renewed energy and a more positive attitude towards your work.
Staff morale is a huge factor in any working environment. Employees love using Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System because it makes their job much easier.
The article below by Stephanie Calahan, of Calahan Solutions and a Paper Tiger Expert, has some great tips in how to manage your magazine subscriptions and the piles of clutter they create. For the articles you tear out to file for future reference, be sure to input the keywords relating to the article in Paper Tiger Filing System and Document Management Software so that you can will know where to find it later! This would work for newspaper articles also!
One of the things that I hear from my clients all of the time is that they desperately want to get to their magazines, but they end up in piles instead. I mean, there is good info in there, right?! I can’t let them go because I might miss something. Does that happen to you too? Today, I’ll share a few techniques to help you manage that reading pile!
Before I go into techniques to help you with your magazines, let’s start with why magazines start to accumulate in your mail box, desk, kitchen counter, etc.
1 – You subscribe to a magazine you love
2 – You subscribe to a magazine you used to love, but maybe not so much anymore
3 – Others subscribe to magazines for you
4 – You get magazines from organizations you are a member or service providers (Heck! We still get “Working Mother” magazine from the daycare that my son has not been to in 6 years!)
5 – You buy them at a news stand or store
OK, so they hit our mail box for many reasons.
Why Don’t They Get Read?
We are so busy today that reading takes a pretty last priority, so the magazines accumulate quickly. Then, because of the sheer number, you never get around to reading most of them. Maybe just looking at the piles is overwhelming.
Tips to Gain Control!
These tips vary in severity and you should pick the tip(s) that speak the most to you. If one does not feel right to you, skip it!
1. Narrow the selection — Pick your ONE FAVORITE magazine and cancel all of the other subscriptions. Choose very carefully and pick something that you know you will really use and enjoy.
2. As soon as a magazine comes in the mail, place it where you know you will have occasion to read a little bit of it (bedroom, bathroom, reading chair, etc.)
3. Realize that you don’t need to read it from cover to cover in one sitting. To remember what you have and have not read, tear off each page you pass. If you get stopped in the middle, you won’t have to waste time flipping back through advertisements. You find your spot instantly.
4. When you come something you want to save, file the torn page(s) in a separate file.
The great benefits of this system are that you can actually see yourself making progress as you read through the magazine, and you will never again be tempted to save a magazine just because of one great article!
Or, an alternative to the system above is the one I use.
1 – The minute the magazine comes in, go through the magazine quickly and identify the articles that you know you will read.
2 – Tear out identified article and file in your mobile “read’ file
3 – Recycle the rest!
When you go anywhere, grab your read file. When you hit a waiting room, or other slow down in your time, you’ll have articles you WANT to read right at your access.
What Do You Do?
What do you do to manage all of your reading? Share your tips because I KNOW you will help another reader!
To your success! Steph
About the Author:
Stephanie Calahan is The Business Vision Catalyst and founder of Calahan Solutions, Inc. She works with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, visionaries, coaches, consultants, health practitioners, authors, speakers and all sorts of remarkable service professionals who are experts in their field, to help them embrace their brilliance, leverage their business and get their message out with power, ease and joy; so that they can make a powerfully positive difference in the world, exponentially grow their income and enjoy a highly-successful and meaningful business… while working less. Learn how you can have more freedom in your life! http://www.StephanieCalahan.com
Most people never have enough time to do everything that they need to do. Whether you’re a full-time worker, a stay at home mom, a university student or even some combination of these activities, life can be very hectic. Are you too busy to get yourself organized?
If you look back into history, even 100 years ago, just about everything had to be done manually. Computers didn’t exist. Televisions didn’t exist. Airplanes, cars, ships and communications were extremely different to what they are today.
Today we have technology in a vast range of forms. Computers can handle a wide variety of tasks that used to be done manually. The Internet has changed the world forever.
The one constant is time. Whether you’re the richest man in the world or the poorest pauper, you only have 24 hours in a day. You can’t change it. Even Bill Gates can’t buy an extra hour. However, you can decide what to do with those 24 hours.
If you break down an average person’s life, they spend eight hours sleeping, another eight hours at work and the last eight hours covers everything else that has to be done. This includes shopping, holidays, building relationships, spending time with your family, playing sports or enjoying hobbies, going to the movies or dinner, socializing and special events including weddings, parties and funerals.
Today’s Technology = More Efficiency
Today’s technology enables people to become a lot more efficient. You can get a lot more things done in the same amount of time. This means your time is free for extra tasks that appear on your “to do” list.
If you worked in a large office 20 years ago, the chances are that one of the most tedious tasks you would ever have would be filing. It was always a job that nobody wanted to do, but it still needed doing and consumed an enormous amount of time.
Technology has improved this aspect of people’s working lives. If you’re fortunate enough to be using a smart document management system, like Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, then filing and retrieval processes will only take a fraction of the time it used to take when using an archaic system.
If this time and money savings was multiplied by every person in every office in every company in the whole world, that would represent an enormous saving in terms of hours and dollars.
Are You Too Busy To Get Yourself Organized?
Despite the fact that people are extremely busy, everyone should realize that it’s vital to be organized. These various forms of technology have been created to make life easier. It’s impossible to get more time, but technology can help you get things done more efficiently. This is the whole key to being organized.
It may be time consuming to set up a smart filing system in the beginning, but imagine how much money and time you can save once it’s done when you’ll be able to find anything in 5 seconds or less.
With Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, you would input the information relating to your physical files, (item name and relating keywords), into the filing system software. Then you would conduct a ‘google-like’ search in the database and be able to locate your file quickly without having to look in several different drawers to figure out what name you had previously filed it under.
The software is a very powerful, yet simple indexing system for paper office files. It works like a search engine for paper files to help you stay organized. People using the software can save over 150 hours per year by eliminating the time-consuming task of looking for lost information.
Paper Tiger does not involve scanning your documents. Rather, the software uses the power of the computer to index the hanging file folders in office file cabinets. This method works much better than old-fashioned alphabetic methods and is a great alternative to costly and time consuming scanning and imaging solutions.
Governments represent a large percentage of the business population. Therefore it’s essential that every department functions at peak capacity or the domino effect can easily happen and massive problems will occur. Governments need an efficient document management system, like Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System, to help ensure that chaos doesn’t happen.
When you consider there are so many departments and different levels such as: local government, state government, federal government and international levels, that’s an enormous number of files that have to be maintained on a daily basis. The only way it can be organized efficiently is if someone takes the initiative and instigates a major change.
Ever changing rules and regulations apply to various local, state and federal government agencies. Then you have the multitude of applicable laws that apply internationally.
There has to be an intelligent, standardized document management system that can streamline the way that files are being maintained and enable every department to work together more efficiently. The positive news is that there is such a system and it’s already being used in many different companies.
Years ago, all records were kept using basic manual systems. Filing and retrieval of documents was costly in terms of both time and money. However, that can now change because employees in all departments can use the same method for naming every file they create.
Documents appear in a range of formats including paper, CDs, DVDs, and faxes. Files are capable of containing them all. This saves space, money and time and avoids duplication. Documents are easy to locate through the use of the filing system software. A few keystrokes and an employee can instantly see where a file is stored. The file can be retrieved or a document can be added and returned to its rightful place.
If someone in a different department or level needs access to a file, they use the same software to locate it. People become instantly more efficient because less time is needed for filing and retrieving documents which means more time can be spent on essential tasks.
If you add every local, state and federal department in each country together, that equals a massive number of departments and employees. Standardization of filing systems is crucial. Otherwise chaos is sure to reign.
Imagine if a prime minister or president couldn’t get their hands on documents urgently. Important decisions would have to be postponed, and that could prove to be difficult, if not dangerous at times. These key figureheads need to have the best possible support from their administrative staff, senior advisers and a reliable, modern document management system that can fulfill every requirement.
Creating a filing system where every file is named according to a certain set of guidelines, no matter where you are or what level of government you’re working in, is a vital part of keeping the governments running. Whether you’re an administrative assistant in a small local government department or the Secretary of State to the president, you should be using the same type of filing system.
Think of the amount of space taken up by physical files. If lots of documents are saved on CDs or DVDs, they take up a lot less room. If your document management software is accurate, files that are no longer active can be archived and stored off site. How to archive is simple with Paper Tiger. You would have a Location named ‘Archives’ in Paper Tiger, then simply conduct a Transfer Move of the file or files being moved to the Archive Location within your database. Paper Tiger will assign a file number in your Archives file to move the file to in the physical location.
Records also have to be easy to retrieve which will save time. It is estimated that people waste 150 hours per year just looking for lost information.
Everyone complains that the government wastes billions of dollars every year. Everyone moans about paying taxes. An absolute fortune would be saved in both money and man-hours through the use of a standardized document management system. Staff could spend more time on vital tasks, rather than looking for files or documents, which is both frustrating and extremely time consuming if an archaic filing system is being used.
Governments need an efficient document management system so that all departments can work well together without wasting billions of dollars on financially unproductive aspects of the job.
Stop Wasting 150 Hours Per Year
Paper Tiger software is a very powerful, yet simple indexing system for paper office files. It works like a search engine for paper files to help you stay organized. People using the software can save over 150 hours per year by eliminating the time-consuming task of looking for lost information.
Paper Tiger does not involve scanning your documents. Rather, the software uses the power of the computer to index the hanging file folders in office file cabinets. This method works much better than old-fashioned alphabetic methods and is a great alternative to costly and time consuming scanning and imaging solutions. You only have 5 options when it comes to paper…see them in our Document Management Decision Guide.
