We hear the term ADHD all the time, but many of us have no idea what it really means. ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and although most of us tend to think of it as something that is most common in children, there are many adults who also have this condition. After all, it is not something that most people outgrow, so any child with ADHD can probably expect to have it as an adult as well. Now, those who have ADHD often have problems keeping their lives organized. Often, those who have ADHD find that they start a lot of things, only to put them aside and never get them finished. They go on to other things, and end up with a lot of unfinished projects. This is usually because they cannot keep up with their very creative minds, therefore lack of focus and attention on any one thing at a time.
Some people with this condition are just too hyper to be able to focus long enough to be able to put things away, and they end up being surrounded by clutter, and unable to find things when they need them. This includes important paperwork and other paper files. If you have ADHD, there are things you can do to simplify your life and make things easier, including setting up a record management system, like Paper Tiger Filing System Software for Document Management, that will help you to keep important papers and documents well organized so that you can get your hands on anything you need at any time, and be able to know where it goes when you need to put it back.
Obviously, the first thing you are going to need to do is start going through all the clutter. A lot of the time, people who have ADHD will hang on to things that they do not really need, because they never get around to getting back to them or throwing them away. This of course, can easily lead to even more chaos and feelings of overwhelm.
First, schedule a few minutes up to an hour each day, depending on how much time you think you can stay on task. Don’t pressure yourself to think you have to finish clearing all the clutter in one day.
Then start going through the piles of papers, one stack at a time, and make a decision for each piece of paper. Which ones are actually important and which can just be tossed in the trash or recycle bin. So the only decision you’re making for each piece of paper in this first step is whether it will require action, and if you will need to refer to it later (personal, tax or legal reasons), or if it can be tossed. Have a trash or recycle bin available so that you can go ahead and toss those that you do not need again. You can also go ahead and divide into stacks what will need action and what will need to be filed. You will probably find that about half of the clutter is gone after you have completed this first step.
Next, you need to find a way to organize what is left. The next decision you need to make is for your actionable papers. A good practice would be to write on the paper itself or on a sticky note what the next action is for each piece of paper, and when that action is due. You can put these actionable documents in a dated file folder, then each day refer to that date to see what needs to be done.
Also, implementing Paper Tiger Filing System Software for Document Management, that is a keyword driven index numbered filing system is a really good idea for your reference files, because you can enter as many keywords as you might think of relating to each document into the software’s database, and then put the papers away in a corresponding hanging file folder that has already been set up. In this case, you’re not limited to the one or two words that you might have put on the hanging file folder tab, so you don’t have to worry whether you’ll find it again or not. So let your creative mind go to work and start typing in keywords. When you need to find certain information right away, all you have to do is conduct a google-like search in the software’s database, and based on the keywords you entered previously, be able to find what you need, when you need it!
Once you have all your paper files organized and have gotten rid of the things you don’t need, you will find that your life is a whole lot easier, and less cluttered. You’ll be so enthusiastic because of what you’ve accomplished, you’ll want to get organized in other areas of your life. The right document management system software will also allow you to organize other physical items as well…not just paper, so you can index anything that you can put a number onto.
Having a great document management system will ensure that no matter how overwhelmed you are with things right now, you will be able to whittle your way through the clutter in no time at all. Paper Tiger Filing System Software for Document Management is a great help, so even if you have ADHD and have been letting things go because you jump from one thing to another and can’t focus, you will still be able to get organized and stay organized!
In this webinar, we conducted basic getting started with Paper Tiger Online functions, such as describing the Dashboard and what is shown there, creating a Database, creating a Location, creating Items, printing labels for your items.
Then Anne McGurty, productivity expert of Strategize and Organize, continues by demonstrating the following:
-How to organize things other than paper files
-How to index items other than paper files, such as CDs and other bulky items
-How to use Categories
-Filing items from her inbox
-Searching items, then editing
-How to Transfer to Move an Item, with an explanation of why and how to use Confirmation
-How to use the Cleanout Report and benefits
-Reminders and Reminders Horizon
-Adding a Location for virtual items, such as your Ideas (thoughts, things to do, vacation spots to check out, find a recipe, etc), then Toss an item when it is no longer valid.
As information, Anne is a professional speaker, productivity expert, and author. If you want to learn more about Anne and her services, please visit her website at www.StrategizeAndOrganize.com. She may be in Colorado, but she’s nationally recognized as an expert and works with people throughout the US in person and virtually. You can contact Anne at amcgurty@strategizeandorganize.com or by phone at 303 881-0174.
See more information here on Paper Tiger Filing System Software for Document Management
Q: What is the best use of “category”? I don’t use it now — is it helpful to use?
A: Categories are best described in our knowledge base article entitled What are Categories?, and is basically is dependent on how you want to file your items and how you think. For some people using Paper Tiger’s indexing method, using Categories are helpful to be able to select a category when they want to get a view of where all of their HR files are or where all of their Tax or Financial files are.
In the example that Anne uses in this webinar, she has a music CD by Van Morrison and she also has a document with the lyrics from one of the songs by the same artist. She could have used the Category of ‘Music’ for both of these. The CD and the document would be in 2 different physical locations, but you could choose the Music category and Paper Tiger would show you all items in the Music category, as shown in the screen shot below:
Q: Why put “music” in the item name rather than in the category?
A: In this case, we were simply inputting an item name, no real logic, and definitely could add a Category of Music in this instance.
Q: What is the “notes” section used for? (the column called “Notes” next to “category”)
A: You can use the Notes section for any addition notes that you do not want to be mixed with the Keywords section, i.e., next action to be taken on this item, physical location, who borrowed a book or other item, who pulled the filed last, etc.
Q: Can that confirmation page be printed?
A: For items that you have required confirmation before the transfer completes, you can print a Transfer report from the Reports function.
Q: Why use “MC” instead of “Media Cabinet” as the name? Is there an advantage to the abbreviation?
A: In this instance, Anne used MC instead of Media Cabinet so that the smallest label could be chosen and the entire label would not be taken with the Location name.
Q: What would be best practices for tracking inventory that changes fairly frequently? Better to use item name for item – rivets and then document quantity and description in notes or key words. I have one drawer with all my rivets in.
A: Yes, Probably best would be to use what the item is for the Item Name in Paper Tiger. Then use the Keywords section for description and quantity. Notes section might be used for when and how much to order.
Q: So you are tracking just random things on your desk that need to be tasks? Then when you’re done, what do you do with it? Move to a file location? If you throw it away because it is done, do you just delete and then that number #2 is used forever?
A: You can index anything with Paper Tiger that you can put a number onto. Filing from your inbox is just one example of what can be tracked with Paper Tiger. In your example here, I believe you are asking about Action files, so when you are done with the action or task, you can move it to a reference file or other named location in Paper Tiger or you can toss it. Then the item number will be empty until you file a new item in this location. When you file a new item in that location, Paper Tiger will choose the first available open item, which in this case would be Item Number 2.
Q: Clearing out old files from the system
A: Anne describes how to use the Cleanout Report to assist us in clearing out old files. Then using the Transfer function to either move them to Archives or using the Toss function to delete the items from the database. Also see our knowledge base article entitled What happens to Items in the Trash?
Q: How to move/merge effectively, such as consolidating files into boxes.
A: Transferring files are best described in our knowledge base articles What is a move transfer? and What is a merge transfer?
In your example for consolidating files into boxes, for instance, you might name your boxes ‘Archives’ Location.
-You would Transfer the items from the original location to Archives in Paper Tiger, require Confirmation
-Then print a Transfer report to check off each item as you physically move them to the box.
-Then confirm the Transfers in the Confirm box in Paper Tiger.
-Tape the Transfer report to the box along with the Item numbers of the items you have just archived.
Q: Paper Tiger could probably be used for folders on the computer too.
A: Yes, absolutely, Paper Tiger will work to organize electronic files by treating your electronic or scanned documents as if they were paper.
Q: Where do you get the reminder? Do you need to login in Paper Tiger in order to get the reminder?
A: You do need to log into Paper Tiger and select a Database in order to get the reminder. Reminders show up in the top of the page as banners as seen in the screen shot below:
Q: Is the description the keywords or search words?
A: The description of a Location is simply describing what the Location is being used for and what type of items will be indexed in the respective Location. You can also input where the items are physically located in the description. The search function of Paper Tiger does not search the wording in the Location Description section.
The Search function searches wording input in the Item Name, Keywords, and Notes sections.
Q: How safe is using the Paper Tiger Online?
A: Our servers at Amazon Web Services are in a highly secure environment that prevents physical access, there is complete redundancy and your data is professionally maintained and backed up. Our network is protected by a state-of-the-art firewall. In addition, even our free accounts provide SSL security (data encryption) to ensure your data gets to and from our servers safely. We ensure that your data is safe with nightly data backups within our data centers.
Q: Can you put a url in the notes section that will execute?
A: You can input a url, but it will not execute or link to the web address.
Q: How to use Paper Tiger to track mental processes, i.e., ideas.
A: Create a new Location for Ideas as shown in the screen shot above. Then your Item Names would be your idea, i.e., ‘vacation spots’, ‘find recipe’, ‘to do’, ‘uses for Paper Tiger’, etc.
Q: How to keep work and home organized, but not together?
A: This would be an example of why you would want separate databases. In this case, you would want to create a Database for ‘Office’ and a Database for ‘Home’. When you want to search for something in your home, you would select the Home Database and search results would only come from this database.
Q: How to create databases for CD’s and movies
A: If you do not want search results for your CD’s and movies from your Home Database, you could create a separate database for these items.
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. Paper Tiger does not search across the different databases.
In this article, Anne McGurty of Strategize and Organize, and a Paper Tiger Expert describes the importance of maintaining your paper filing system especially for such events as tax time, plus she recommends Paper Tiger Filing System Software for Document Management to make it happen.
As I watch people during tax season, I am always amazed how frustrated they are with all the paperwork “they need to gather” and how they complain about all the time involved. It really doesn’t need to be that way. Having an efficient filing system in place now, will make things so much easier later.
While it’s fresh in your mind what a headache it has been, I ask you “isn’t it time to finally create a system?” Use this month’s tips to help you get some ideas on getting started.
Happy filing – paper and taxes!
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Even with all the technology in our offices – computers, PDAs, email, internet – there is more paper being used these days than ever before. In fact, every year, the average U.S. office employee generates nearly 10,000 sheets of paper. We’re on paper overload!
Don’t let it take over your office — keep only that which you truly need. (Remember, 80% of what we file is never looked at again.) Resolve to deal with your paper files on a regular basis. Whether first thing in the morning, at the end of the day, or somewhere in between, set aside 30 minutes each day so you don’t end up with overwhelming piles.
For every piece of paper that you encounter, make an immediate decision to either toss it, file it, or act on it. Then, make time each day to file your “keepers.” Although it may not be your favorite task, filing as you go will probably take only a few minutes and will make your office life much less stressful and more productive. If you can’t act on the simpler papers right away, keep them in a “quick-task to-do” file, and deal with them regularly so they don’t pile up. For larger, long-term projects, put each one into a separate file folder. To minimize future paper clutter, don’t hit “print” unless absolutely necessary. Keep electronic files rather than hard copies.
WANT MORE INTERACTIVE CONVERSATIONS AND TIPS: See Anne’s blog
About Anne:
Anne McGurty is CEO of Strategize & Organize, a company devoted to training individual’s to be more effective with the tools and resources to be productive in their work environment.
If you liked this article, you’ll love Anne’s transforming productivity training and organizing products to help you organize your business — and yourself — ranging from productivity consulting for individuals and executives to small business coaching programs to keynote speaking (note this is a new website!) and corporate training programs to improve efficiencies in the workplace and improve productivity.
While Anne’s best known for her expertise in productivity and expert office organizing, her clients share that her biggest impact comes from her philosophy of “personalizing her programs to fit the needs of her clients so they can streamline more efficiently with existing processes” – ensuring to create a sustainable work environment. This, Anne says, is the most important key to bringing an individual to personal freedom with time and organization.
You can learn more about Anne and her services, programs, and products for small businesses at www.StrategizeAndOrganize.com.
Weekly status reports are summaries that the managers receive from their staff each week. Managers find the reports really useful, as they are often used as a benchmark for improving on current practices, as well as simply keeping the manager informed of the team’s efforts and productivity. The reports can vary depending on the business, as every business will require different information.
Ensuring that your boss is aware of what you have been doing is a major reason for why you need to be sending a project status report to them. Sometimes people feel like they didn’t accomplish anything when they really did. This is why it is so important for them to understand, using status reports, what they have achieved and overall will make for a happier, more efficient workforce. The weekly reporting facilitates looking ahead, so that they can set themselves goals for what they plan to complete in upcoming weeks.
These reports also allow us to silently brag about things that we did via the project management system. Maybe you did more than somebody working next to you and you are proud of being able to do that. You can tell your manager and they can see that without you having to make anybody feel bad.
As a point of reference, weekly status reports are important when it comes to appraisals. It also helps them to see who the most and least quantity of work is coming from and the quality also.
In fact, weekly status reports allow managers to assess the current work situation and decide whether changes are needed. Change may be a sensible move for managers to consider? Staff can get a good overall understanding of where they are as a team for project progress. Project management reports can help teams realize, are they going to be able to finish in the allotted amount of time or do they need to commit more time into it? The status reports will always vary from company to company, as all businesses work in different ways.
This article by Sherry Borsheim of Simply Productive, and a Paper Tiger Expert, is a great step by step approach to getting your desk cleared of clutter to ensure a more productive environment. Sherry always recommends Paper Tiger Filing System software for document management to help you find your paper files and other items again after finding a home for them.
It’s that time of year when we begin to move more outdoors, taking in the crisp fresh air and feeling a sense of renewal. Getting your office and home organized helps to bring that wonderful fresh feeling back into your life. It’s also the perfect time to access where you are with the commitments you made to yourself in January. Did you set out to be more active this year, be on-time for meetings and ahead of deadlines, or maybe you set out to be better organized? Take a close look around your office and honestly ask yourself these 3 questions:
1. “Where are the piles accumulating?”
2. “What items don’t have a home?”
3. “Is your Inbox on your computer overflowing with 100’s or 1000’s of emails?”
Your answers to these questions will give you a clue to where you are to begin your spring cleaning project. Most people only use 20 per cent of what they have 80 per cent of the time. So, let’s get moving and clear command central!
Day 1: Start with the Visible Piles First
To clear command central and to see dramatic visible results immediately, start with the top of your desk first. Most people will start with hidden piles in boxes or items in a drawer and after 2 hours they feel like they have not accomplished anything. Grab a couple of boxes and then take every single piece of paper off your desk and put it into box number one. Use the second box for other desk items, such as pens, CDs, paper clips and whatever else you have on your desk. Now pick up the first piece of paper and use the F.A.S.T. Principle ™ – File it, Act on it, Schedule it, Toss it. Handle each piece of paper in less than 60 seconds. Get rid of any nick-knacks that clutter up your desk.
Action Tip: Play your favorite music and set a timer for 1-2 hours.
Day 2: Always Work in One Area at a Time
When you walked into your office today, how did it feel to have a clear desk? Let’s continue the process by tackling the piles on the floor. Once again, use the F.A.S.T. Principle ™ – File it, Act on it, Schedule it, Toss it. Handle each file or piece of paper in less than 60 seconds. There’s no time for evaluating here. The object of the game is to get this done as fast as possible. Getting organized is a clarifying, cleansing way of connecting to what’s really important to you. You should enjoy the process and reward yourself along the way.
Action Tip: Beware of the cost of clutter – it costs time, money, and space to take care of things you don’t use. Play your favorite music and set a timer for 1-2 hours.
Day 3: Create Zones in Your Office
Think of your work area as different activity zones. Consider how you move things across your desk, what items you use most frequently, and what relationship materials have with different desk activities. Command central zones would be:
1. An In Tray for incoming mail;
2. An Out Tray for outgoing mail
3. To File Tray for papers to be filed
4. Project file zone
5. Reference file zone
6. Resources area
Action Tip: Group like activities together and label for quick and easy access.
Day 4: Conquer the Email Traffic Jam
Incoming email, not managed properly, can become a significant drain on productivity. The more email piles up, the less useful it is to the user & company. An empty Inbox is a delight to look at! It reminds users they are fully caught up. The purpose of an Inbox is a temporary resting ground for information and actions temporarily before they are read. Apply the F.A.S.T. Principle ™ from day one.
Action Tip: My definition of clutter is “Anything you HAVE or DO that does not enhance your life on a regular basis.
Day 5: Organizing is a Process Not a Destination
Congratulate yourself for taking action this week and clearing off your desk! Remember, organizing is a continual process of re-evaluating what your goals are, what activities you enjoy, what you don’t enjoy. Continually ask yourself these questions:
1. “Does it work?”
2. “Do I like it?”
3. “Does it work for others?”
Action Tips: Be willing to adjust your systems as your professional and personal life evolves. In order to clear command central, you start with the visible items first. Also, work in one area at a time and create activity zones in your office to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Don’t worry about mistakes and just keep learning!
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.
Click below to listen to interview with Sherry Borsheim. Play
JANET: Hi, I’m Janet Baker, office manager of The Monticello Corporation, makers of Paper Tiger Filing System Software for document management. We have with us today, Sherry Borsheim of Simply Productive. Sherry is also the founder and past chair of Professional Organizers of Canada, British Columbia Chapter and she’s also an authorized consultant and trainer for Paper Tiger Software System. She is a certified productivity training authorized consultant and as a speaker, trainer and coach, Sherri shares proven strategies and solutions that work in the real world and can be customized to fit with her clients then motivates the audience to take specific action steps. They will leave feeling informed, motivated, and energized. Her clients are individuals whose demanding roles require that they perform at peak efficiency. From corporations to small businesses and homeowners, Sherry’s clients have received maximum results in paper, space, e-mail, and time management. Sherry’s unique approach to organizing provides a seamless integration between technology and the working environment. With a number of unique software programs and her personal touch to organization, Sherry has assisted many in finding what they need, when they need it. Her mission is to streamline and simplify!
Sherry is the author of the books, Conquer Your Chaos, Fast Forward to Office Efficiency and Conquer Your E-Mail Chaos. She has also been a guest on local radio and television programs, including the Makeover Wish on HGTV and The Xpress on Shaw TV.
Sherry, wow that’s some bio you have there! Welcome!
SHERRY: Thanks but more importantly it’s about how clients feel at the end of the day in their office and how the systems work for them.
JANET: Absolutely! We thank you for agreeing to meet with us today. We admire what you do and especially appreciate you helping clients implement Paper Tiger when they need it.
SHERRY: Well I love Paper Tiger and it was actually when I started my business that I found out about Paper Tiger Filing System and it completely revolutionized and my business did a complete turn of events and I love Paper Tiger because of what it does, so I’m a big fan.
JANET: Thank you! Tell us, what is your most favorite thing that Paper Tiger fixes? or your most favorite thing that your clients use Paper Tiger for
SHERRY: Paper Tiger solves a huge issue in offices whether there’s one person or there’s multiple staff and where did I file it? So what happens is people leave paper all over their desk in fear of not being able to find it again, so how you’re able to do that which leads me to my favorite feature is the keyword search, because in companies before for 23 years when I was creating a filing system, I only had so many words that I could get on a file label and I had it all indexed in Excel and files were all numbered, but what was missing was the keyword search. If I had thought of that, it would’ve been a different story because if I wasn’t in the office, a lot of times I’d get a phone call “where is that file?” because the keywords I associated with a particular file will be different than someone else in the office and so the keyword search just allows everyone in the office or those using the filing system to be able to enter in those trigger words or those keywords that they associate to the file or the box or whatever you’re using Paper Tiger for because there are just so many applications. So the keyword search is so powerful and when I showed my clients, they just all of a sudden have an ‘aha! moment’ and they get it and the light bulb goes off. So it just revolutionizes the way people retrieve their information.
JANET: What are the problems that the majority of your clients hope to solve when they hear about Paper Tiger?
SHERRY: The biggest problem that Paper Tiger solves and the reason why people call me in the first place is their paper. Whether it’s in their home or their office. They don’t know where to file things and if they do file it away, they can’t find it. So what it solves is the ability to share their information and it gives them a filing system that now becomes a retrieving system. So when I set up a central file location, most offices have either done away with their central files or if they have a central file, it’s like a black hole and nobody can find anything in the filing cabinet. But when you use the Paper Tiger filing system in a central filing or in a storage room of which I do a lot of those of archiving boxes and maps, annual reports, all this historical information, financial records and stuff, people are able to sit at their desk, type in a keyword and Paper Tiger will tell them whether it’s in a central file or if it’s in someone’s office if you set it up that way or if it’s in a storage room and exactly what blocks of files it’s in, so that’s the problem that it solves and that’s why people call me.
It’s amazing that people will find out about Paper Tiger from the website and I have lots of different industries that call me, and I haven’t even talked to them about it. They call me to try and find out more in Canada about Paper Tiger so it really does speak for itself.
JANET: Do you find Paper Tiger is used mainly by the admins in the offices or managers or a mix of the two?
SHERRY: Everyone in the office from CEO down. It saves administrators a lot of time because a lot of people don’t like to file, but it actually becomes a fun-filing and I had that shift nine years ago. I had this love-hate relationship with filing so when I implement it in an office, it’s from the top down. Everybody uses it, so it’s not just for administrative assistants, or just managers, it’s for everyone.
JANET: That is quite a bit of a difference between the old alphabetical system, isn’t it?
SHERRY: Oh, night and day! You have no idea because the alphabetical breaks down over time and you have to shift everything in the filing cabinet or there’s no space on the shelf for the next box. It just doesn’t work. So if you have more than 75 files, Paper Tiger is definitely going to solve a whole bunch of problems down the road. And the other cool thing is, if you are in an organization where you have turn over of staff in the administrative positions as well, it takes less than 30 minutes to train somebody on how to use Paper Tiger because an 8-year-old can use it. So it solves that problem as well and as to a previous question, it solves that turnover or someone coming in and setting up a system that’s so foreign to everyone else. So when someone takes over a position within an organization, they literally could open up the filing drawer and go ‘hmm, there’s only numbers on here; I wonder what those mean.’ If someone has told them about the software, they just have to type in a keyword and they’re up and running. So they don’t have to revamp a filing system and that’s a huge time-saver for those stepping into new positions.
JANET: Absolutely. I have had a number of new jobs, and it is overwhelming to try find files for a new boss and there is no way of knowing what the past employee thought.
SHERRY: Yeah, believe me I’ve seen everything. I had one filing system where the file folders were labeled on both sides of the file folder and for three years, they would open up the filing cabinet and they didn’t know which way to stand and which side, because the files were all mixed up. So for three years, they couldn’t find anything. It was a black hole. Very stressful.
Yes it is very stressful for something as simple as filing seems to be, it is a very stressful thing, especially if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
SHERRY: No so then you’re probably re-creating it or wasting all this time trying to find it so it’s a huge time waster.
JANET: Can you tell us briefly how you implement Paper Tiger in your clients’ offices most effectively?
SHERRY: I will do a quick little demo and I can do that either live on my laptop or I will take them to the Paper Tiger website and they can see a quick little demo on Paper Tiger and then when they think this could solve their problem. Then what I’ll do is, we will implement it in the office and I love that you have the online version now, because it just makes it so simple and easy. I send you an email and it’s up and running. I will work with the staff person either over the phone who implements the first 20 files into the Paper Tiger filing system or if I’m on-site I’m entering them in, setting it up, attaching the numbers and once we get a few files set up, and then I turn it over to them to give them the hands-on experience, and that’s when they have the ‘aha! moment. So they’re up and running literally so quickly versus any other filing system, the learning curve or the process in figuring out how to set it up, is a lot more and saves a lot of time just getting it up. It really is as quick as just starting with a piece of paper on the desk and asking what are some keywords that you would associate with this piece of paper. If you want to file it away, type them in and in less than 30 seconds you’ve got the file set up, you attach the number and you’re done. So it’s really quick.
JANET: Do you find that your clients’ are easily maintaining Paper Tiger after you leave their office?
SHERRY: Yes, as I mentioned, I’ve been using Paper Tiger for nine years and I have clients that have been using it for nine years. I recently had someone who had moved from one city to another. His first phone call within the first hour of him arriving at his office, was a call to my office asking me to send him a new license of Paper Tiger filing system software. I said, wow you don’t waste any time, and he said I cannot live without it. And I have another client, he’s moved to four different offices and every time he calls me, and tells me I got to have Paper Tiger filing system, because I can’t find anything and so they just want to get up and running as quickly as possible. So yes, they are still using it after all these years.
JANET: Awesome! Tell me, what do your clients have to say when you have helped them get their offices organized versus what they would have been able to do without your help? Basically what benefit do you provide to them?
SHERRY: The overall benefit is the peace of mind that they will find it, but the initial benefit is when I show up in an office or a scheduled time on the phone to help them get set up; the scheduled appointment and our focus is to get them up and running, to get their office, the top of their desk and their system set up as quickly as possible. A lot of people have good intentions, and they are just busy, and so they don’t set aside the time. So when we have a scheduled appointment to set up their Paper Tiger filing system, it just gets done, because I keep it focused and I keep it on track and I’m there for them to ask questions and also just clarity on how to use the software and also what is the best system for them because it is so easy to customize Paper Tiger filing system to any industry or any client I’ve worked with. So the end of the session, it’s like ‘wow a hundred pound weight was lifted off their shoulders’ and you can see it melt away and their body language changes and ‘wow, I can actually open up my filing cabinet and it looks organized and I know I can find something.’ It’s weight and also they love the dramatic result that the top of their desk is finally cleaned off and their papers are safely put away.
JANET: Wow that sounds really awesome! Well Sherry, thanks again for joining us today. I really appreciate your agreeing to interview with us. I know that your insight will be so helpful to those listening today.
SHERRY: My pleasure.
Sherry Borsheim of Simply Productive. Sherry 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.
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Whether you are moving your home office or your small business, it can be a major hassle. Even a move that is within the same building can be time consuming and nerve wracking, especially if there are a lot of files and other items to move and relocate.
If the filing system you have in place before the move is perfect, you of course would want to recreate it in the new location. However, if it needs a little bit of work, it might be worth the consideration to implement a new filing system before your move. Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System is a good choice to consider because it is easy to use and eliminates much of the hassle involved with the move.
Setting Up the Office Before the Move
It is best to use Paper Tiger software system for office organization before you start the move so that setting the office up afterward is nothing more than just putting things where they belong. The process is simple: After creating your database and adding a Location in the software relating to the items you will be indexing, your next step is to print out the corresponding numbered hanging tabs, which are never changed or moved. You input information relating to what is in each hanging folder (item name and keywords) and update them as needed in the database.
Unlike other filing systems that require scanning, this filing system software is not limited to paper files, which is also beneficial to setting up your office quickly and efficiently. Implementing this indexing system prior to your move will not only allow you to index your paper files, but books, training manuals, CDs, DVDs, etc. Another broad category you can list in this indexing system is all office furniture including: desks, chairs, filing cabinets, bookcases and tables. You also have all the electrical equipment such as: computers (and their accessories), printers, photocopiers, fax machines, shredders, microwaves, refrigerators, etc. There’s also the copious quantity of stationery and office supplies to pack as well.
Don’t forget to index all the moving boxes ensuring all contents in each box are input into the keywords section. You should also note where each box or item should be placed in the new location.
You will be able to print out labels for the items that are not paper or hanging files.
After the Move
After you arrive in your new location, it is simply a matter of making sure that each hanging folder is in numerical order and everything is put in its place. You can open your database and follow along as you put everything in place as planned. If you need to consolidate folders, you can do so and then make sure that it is updated in the database as you go. When you move other office items, move it in the database also to correspond to where you’ve put the items in the new location.
Finding Things Will Be Simpler
After a move, most people find themselves in utter chaos because they cannot find anything that’s still in boxes. They may have more or less space than they did before and items are not being stored in the same way. They may be using a totally different configuration. Paper Tiger filing system software will eliminate a great deal of that chaos and annoyance.
If you need to find something before it is unpacked, simply conduct a search in the database to find which box the item is in. If you’ve indexed each box when packing, this will save you a lot of time searching through several boxes for that needed item.
Whether a home office or business office, it’s most likely that you have more than just paper files. There may be binders, books and other items that cannot be easily filed using other systems, especially those systems that require scanning. Because Paper Tiger does not require scanning, there is no limit to what can be indexed and organized. That is one of the biggest benefits and a major reason that it is good for the home office as well as for businesses. Not everyone has an onsite scanner, so a system that does not require scanning is a good choice.
Implement Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System before your move and you’ll be more organized and productive!
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Hi I’m Janet Baker, office manager of The Monticello Corporation, makers of Paper Tiger Filing System Software. We have with us today, Stephanie Calahan.
Stephanie is a dynamic entrepreneur, nationally known speaker, author/publisher and productivity organization consultant, and business coach. She works with intelligent, highly motivated, busy entrepreneurs, executives, producers and other time-pressed professionals and understands that every person is unique and requires systems that work for them.
As the founder and CEO of Calahan Solutions, Inc., she and her consultants focus on helping their clients transform from where they are to where they want to be through personal coaching, assessments and services that focus on time, space, information and thoughts. She frequently delivers presentations and workshops that kick start massive business success through systems and simplification.
Practicing what she preaches, she balances the demands of a business owner with her personal and volunteer schedule by developing systems that work specifically for her family’s needs. As a result, Stephanie has plenty of time for her favorite pastimes: spending time with family and friends, reading, singing, volunteering and photography with her son. Over the years she has had active involvement in national, regional and local professional organizations, and has contributed to her community through volunteer work with numerous organizations. If you are looking for someone that can help take you to the next level, Stephanie is your business transformation go-to gal.
She says: “You don’t have to do it our way, because we help you find your way!”
Stephanie, welcome! And thank you for interviewing with us today.
Janet, I’m so glad to be here.
Janet: Thank you, thank you.
We have worked with you for quite a while now and greatly admire what you do and especially appreciate you helping clients implement Paper Tiger.
Stephanie: It’s one of my favorites, so I’m excited to talk about it some today.
Janet: Ok, I’m going to get right into the questions that we would like to ask.
What are the problems that the majority of your clients hope to solve when they contact you?
Stephanie:
You know, Janet, there are a number of reasons that people contact us. Some common concerns are inability to focus throughout the day, feeling discombobulated or directionless in their day. Challenges actually getting things done – the to-dos seem to be transferred from one day to the next. Bouncing from task to partial task. Working so fast and so much that they are not sure that they are focusing on their priorities or maybe they’re not sure what their current priorities are. Some of them getting home too late and not spending time with their family as much as they would like. No ‘me’ time. Generally feeling unproductive and that the day was not effective as they would like and so they may even go to sleep and sleep poorly because of focusing on what is not done.
Just this week, I started working with a new client who hired us for our enhanced office miracle service, which is a combination of coaching and implementation. During that appointment, I asked him to share what was frustrating him most about his current situation. I thought I’d share a little about what he wrote because I really think it answers that question you were asking:
“Loss of thought – that spinning my wheels feeling. Having to search for things for what seems like endless amounts of time only to find it sitting in front of me in a pile on my desk. I have no time to get organized even though I know I work better when I am organized. Everything is completed at the last minute and I don’t like it. My lack of processes or systems or just plain organization is causing me credibility issues.”
I find it interesting that he wrote all of those things in a very short paragraph when we were initially beginning to work and the #1 reason people call us is because they are tired of searching for lost papers and lost items and that searching ends up equaling lost opportunities and lost money.
Janet: Absolutely, and that customer really summed it up, didn’t he?
Stephanie: Yeah I think he did!
Janet: What is your favorite thing that Paper Tiger fixes? or your most favorite thing that you or your clients use Paper Tiger for?
Stephanie:
Stress relief! Knowing that I’m not going to loose hours looking for something. Or it will be in the first place I look! Paper Tiger Online makes it even better because we can identify the location of things no matter where we are. We don’t necessarily have to be in our office anymore. We can access it from all over the place over the world wide web, which makes it fantastic.
Paper Tiger makes my clients better at what they do and ensures that they don’t miss opportunities or money.
Rather than me talking about this, I thought you might like to hear directly from one of my clients, so I asked Joy Duling to contact me a little earlier and share her thoughts.
Recording of JOY and her lost contract.
Joy Duling – Business Owner
My name is Joy Duling. I am a business strategist and managing director of a professional services firm called A 25 Hour Day in Peoria, Illinois.
My business is about helping people get focused on what they really want and overcome any barriers that are standing in their way. For many of my clients, one of the biggest barriers they deal with hits them in the face every time they walk in their office.
It’s that feeling of being completely out of control over paper, over electronic mail. There’s a real price that’s paid when we don’t feel as productive as we could.
I’ve known Stephanie for almost two years now. It took a moment of sheer desperation before I actually called on her for her professional skills. It was a contract that had seemed very routine. I signed it, and sent it off. But after doing business with the vendor for a while, I found out that they had been significantly overcharging me.
But I couldn’t find the contract that laid out the price that I was supposed to be paying. So I spent two weeks searching every place for this contract. I looked in my files under the vendor’s name, under various clients’ names, under key projects that I had performed.
I just couldn’t find it. That was when I just decided enough was enough and I called on Stephanie. I think that was where I realized there was a financial cost to my business with the way I was managing my paper and managing my filing system and managing my office.
Stephanie was absolutely fabulous. She started with and assessment to pinpoint where my systems were breaking down, and she blocked off an entire day to get me back on track. She called it a miracle and that is exactly what it was. By the end of the day she had restored my sense of control. I had a new system to manage both my paper and the electronic files on my computer. I was absolutely ecstatic! The real test came when I sat down at my computer and gave the new software a run. I typed in a few keywords associated with that contract and poof! up the document popped. Something I had spent two weeks looking for was right there in an instant!
In that moment I knew that I would never be out of control of my office again and I owe it all to Stephanie and Calahan Solutions.
Stephanie:
We worked with Joy on a number of different things, but one of her challenges obviously was paper management and so we helped her implement Paper Tiger.
Janet: Wow! that was a great testimony too, not only for you, but for Paper Tiger as well. Thank you for sharing that.
Stephanie: Sure absolutely!
Janet: Do you find that Paper Tiger is used mainly by the admins in the offices or managers or a mix of the two?
Stephanie:
Every organization or business that I have worked in has implemented Paper Tiger a bit differently. In some environments, the executive team does not touch any of their own paperwork or filing. Their administrative assistants manage it all, so in those instances, the admins are the primary users of the tool. But in today’s economic climate, however, that is not always as common anymore. There are many businesses that I have worked in that don’t have an administrative position on staff! Each employee does their own administrative work. The structure and focus of the business determines the best way to implement the tool. Some organizations have the traditional “master file room” while other businesses have their employees maintaining their own files. I’ve really seen a myriad of combinations in who uses the Paper Tiger tool.
Janet: That’s kind of what I expected because like you said in today’s climate, depending on the type of office that’s what would determine who uses it. That’s a great answer!
Stephanie:
The size of the organization makes a difference too. Sometimes there may be one administrative assistant that’s supporting an entire organization or an entire business and it also depends on the involvement and type of information that’s being stored in Paper Tiger. For some organizations, they are storing their higher-level information and the employee’s specific information maybe handled in another way, although that is not what I would recommend. The best cases are where people are really managing all their physical information within the tools and they really can find anything in 5 seconds or less.
Janet: Right and it doesn’t limit to just one admin when they have the separate files because if one admin goes away the others will not know unless they are all combined, how to find something from that one admin.
So, Stephanie, I have to ask this, do YOU use Paper Tiger?
Stephanie:
Yes! Unequivocally, yes. I have been a happy user of the Paper Tiger for a number of years. First, I started with the desktop version and then moved to the network version as my company grew and now I’m happily using Paper Tiger Online. In fact, not only do I use it at work but I use it at home too and I can tell you I use it for way more than just paper filing. Now I know that we don’t have a lot of time on today’s call to talk about how I specifically use the tool, but listeners, I encourage you to check out the article on the Paper Tiger site that I wrote on the many uses of Paper Tiger. It’s way more than paper and it’s a wonderful tool. I think that it is important to have working knowledge of any system that you help a client to put into place. So what better way to have that knowledge than to use the tool yourself?!
Janet: Absolutely and that article you wrote for us, we actually made a separate webpage just for that ‘Not Just for Filing Paper.’ I refer to it all the time. I really appreciate that Stephanie.
Tell me, what do your clients have to say when you have helped them get their offices organized versus what they would have been able to do without your help?
Stephanie:
Many of the clients that contact us have acknowledged that they would procrastinate on getting a system in place if they did not have someone to help guide them. In fact, once, when I was working with a client and we were filing his papers we found that he had purchased Paper Tiger twice before at conferences, but had forgotten about it when he got back to the office and the real world took over. The accumulation of clutter and piles is a direct result of deciding not to decide. We take obstacles away from our clients by giving them techniques that they can use to easily make decisions. So one thing I absolutely love about Paper Tiger (you asked me about that before but I’ll give you another example) it really is a streamlined tool. There are just the right things built into the tool. There’s not a bunch of the bells & whistles that would make it difficult to learn and so with helping clients implement Paper Tiger, we help them take it one step further in building into their overall system with what they are doing in their environment.
Janet: Right and Paper Tiger is such a paradigm shift from the regular alphabetical filing that I’m sure it is somewhat of an obstacle for some that are not quite ready to take the plunge and kind of overwhelming to transform your files from alphabetical to Paper Tiger, sometimes but for those that are ready, it’s an awesome tool to get implemented.
Stephanie: Well and I’ll say too Janet that I probably have a 50-50 split where that’s concerned. I have some clients that are a little apprehensive about going to that indexing system, going to a numerical system and we can teach them some work-arounds to help them feel more comfortable with that too. There’s always ways to transition into a fully numerical system, but I also have a lot of clients who are apprehensive that say you know what, what I’m doing right now isn’t working, so I might as well try a new strategy that’s been proven.
Absolutely I totally agree with that and Paper Tiger has been proven over and over and over again.
Tell me, how do you implement Paper Tiger in your clients’ offices most effectively?
Stephanie:
Well, I can tell you that I have never implemented the Paper Tiger the same way twice! It goes back to what I was saying earlier. Each organization is different. For example, this week, I worked with a small state-funded organization. They are very limited on staff and have an open door policy. This means that everyone has access to almost everything. We put the business multi-user online version into place. While each person in their office maintains their own files, every user can see each staff member’s PAPER TIGER database. That way, if someone is out ill, someone else can easily pick up the ball and keep things going. Contrast that to a business I was working in last month where confidentiality is very important and no one had access to another staff member’s information. The thing that makes PAPER TIGER fabulous is that it is flexible enough to be implemented in different ways that fit for how the organization functions and how the individual thinks. When we help a client implement Paper Tiger into their organization it is one part to a larger whole. Rather than being this stand-alone product, it has the flexibility to be incorporated into how the organization functions. This makes the learning curve much shorter and sometimes almost non-existent.
Even how we deliver our services varies. So Joy, who you heard from earlier had us physically come over to her office and sometimes sat on the floor and sorted through papers and got everything implemented. We have had clients fly us out to help them physically, however; we work with clients virtually too. But rather than me talking about it, I asked one of my virtual clients Linda Siniscal to share her experiences with me.
Recording of Linda’s testimony.
Linda Siniscal, CB – Business Owner
Hi my name is Linda Siniscal, and I own Third Hand Secretarial Services. Our company offers administrative and bookkeeping services virtually to clients located around the country so I’m accustomed to working virtually. I connected with Stephanie to help me install Paper Tiger system in my filing system and also was a little bit apprehensive because I was wondering how we were going to do this virtually, but I must say that Stephanie spent quite a bit of time with me walking me through the process sheet by sheet and we sat up the filing system and it’s just been amazing. I open the Paper Tiger system in the morning, if I need to find a paper, I just enter it into the find field and it comes up within seconds and I can find what I’m looking for instead of me hunting through files and trying to find what I was looking for. So I must commend Stephanie on a job well done virtually. It would have been nice for her to come into my office to meet her, but she did an outstanding job and I’m thrilled with the Paper Tiger system.
Stephanie:
I wanted to share Linda’s testimony because Linda is somebody who is actually comfortable working virtually because that’s what she does, that’s how she conducts her business, and yet she was still a little apprehensive at first about getting her office systems in place doing it virtually, so I like sharing her story to help people kind of feel that it really is possible.
Because we have so many different ways we can help clients, in order to determine the best approach, we offer our prospective clients a free telephone strategy session where we learn about their challenges and then we make recommendations for next steps. We do not believe in a cookie-cutter approach to systems and organization and we really believe in implementing things that are going to work for the way that you’re going to work and the way that you think. And so that strategy session allows us to strategize with you to figure out the next best approach for where you’re wanting to go with your goals.
Janet: And how long is that phone strategy session?
Stephanie:
The phone strategy session usually last somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes. We keep very focused because our goal is to first listen and understand the individual’s or organization’s challenges and then we answer any questions, of course, and then we also go into making a recommendation for next steps.
Janet: Ok to wind down just a little bit, tell us what do you have going on currently?
Stephanie:
You know me! We currently have a number of different collaborative projects going with colleagues in the productivity community and I am really looking forward to this upcoming year! Right now, we are spending a lot of time fielding calls, coordinating and scheduling my first and second quarter speaking schedule for this coming year. I love what I do and one of the reasons is the variety. Not only do I get to meet some very interesting people and learn about their fields of interest, but about 1/3 of my business is speaking, 1/3 is coaching and 1/3 is consulting and implementation. For a while, my calendar was so full that I was not taking on new clients, but some of my commitments are coming to a close, so we are also scheduling a number of strategy sessions with people and businesses that are interested in possibly working with us. The calls do not obligate you to work with me or me to work with you. It is an opportunity to evaluate the current situation and collectively figure out next steps to get you to where you want to go. If any of your listeners are interested, they can contact us directly from your site and we’d be happy to schedule the call!
Janet: Awesome, and I will be posting your website and phone number information.
Stephanie:
You can reach us at http://www.productiveandorganized.net/ That’s actually my blog and there’s a contact form there, and you can contact our office directly at 309 826-5263. You’ll actually talk to Bruce and let him know that you want a strategy session with Stephanie and he will get it all scheduled for you.
Janet: Good job. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we close?
Stephanie:
I’m honored to be invited to do the call with you and value the collaborative approach The Monticello Corporation has taken in working with productivity and organization professionals, Janet. And I wanted your listeners know that you do that. I think that there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes that Monticello does to make sure that they are incorporating the thoughts and ideas of their consumers and one of the things that you do is really collaborate with the professionals that are working with clients that are using Paper Tiger. And it was also fantastic to be able to contribute feedback early in the alpha development process for the online Paper Tiger and I can’t be more excited to be able to offer it to clients now.
Janet: We really appreciate your insight, as well in the online version and of course, we will be asking for that great input in our future enhancements as well so look forward to that.
Stephanie, thanks again for joining us today. I know that you’re insight will be extremely helpful to all and like I said previously, we greatly admire everything that you do from implementing Paper Tiger to your social networking and you mentor so many simply through your social networking and your blog. We appreciate you very much.
Thanks again!
About Stephanie Calahan:
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
Many companies are starting to realize what a huge savings telecommuting can be and that means more people are going to be starting their own home office. Those people are going to seek out home office organization tips either from the beginning because they want to start right, or they are going to start looking for these tips after they find themselves falling behind in their work because they have to keep stopping to find things or because they just cannot keep track of things that need to be done.
In any office environment, it is estimated that people spend 150 hours per year looking for lost information.
Home office organization is vital because number one, it is still a place of business, where you do your job. You still want to be professional and capable. For many people, the home office may be combined with another room in the home and they would like to keep the mess and clutter to a bare minimum. There is a delicate balance that has to be struck between the home and the office in the home office, no matter how much actual room you have to work with.
The major obstacle to getting and keeping home office organization, as well as for the home itself, is paper. From the time we open our doors to our home office or small business or even just to the home where we live, paper tries to get a foothold, wanting to get in and keep us buried under stacks of paper and clutter.
There are a number of steps you can take for yourself, but if you have already started to lose the paper battle, you might need to call in a professional organizer to get the paper and other clutter under control. The first step is to get rid of the junk mail before it even comes in the door. It is easier to keep control of paper if you minimize it. Eliminate the bulk by getting your name removed from junk mailing lists and be very careful about ordering from catalogs. Before you think that you are perfectly safe because you are ordering online only, consider this: Bulk mailers are culling names from online customers as well. Make sure that you confirm that the company you are ordering from does not sell information. Sign up for the Do Not Mail list here: http://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/
Also as much as possible, you can sign up for digital statements to cut down on the paper entering your home.
Make Home Office Organization Your Top Priority With Paper Tiger Filing System Software
Another tip to consider is Paper Tiger Filing System software for document management, which allows you to organize everything, not just your paper files. Because you do not need to scan anything to use the software system, there is no limitation to what can be indexed into the software’s database, including books and other bulky items. Everything is put into place and then its location is noted by a numbering index system that never changes and never moves. The filing system database works like a search engine for paper files to help you get organized and stay organized. Whether you are using it for home or for a small business, it is easy to use and to learn and virtually impossible to mess up at all.
For example, if you never remember the name of the gas company, simply file it under Gas. If you use the filing system software, you will also be able to add keywords into the database so that any name you think of when you need to find a file, the software will be able to tell you where it is in seconds. So in this case, the Item Name would be “Gas Company”, and in the keywords section, you would input the name of the company, i.e., “Bob’s Natural Gas”, the address, the service person’s name, address, phone number, etc., and you might use “Utilities” in the Category section.
You print out the tabs right from the software system for each ‘Location’ and then use the numbers to correspond to files and locations in which you enter into the software’s database. You can find every item then by accessing the database from any computer or smart phone with internet access, even when you are out and on the go.
Deciding What To Do With Your Paper Files
Take time each day to make a decision on what needs to be done with the paper items or email or any other actionable item that comes through your office. (what to keep and file, what needs action before filing, what can be thrown away, shredded or recycled)
For actionable items, place a note on the paper file for the next action to be taken by what deadline, and any steps that need to be taken before the deadline. This will help you get and stay on track to ensure the deadline is met.
This should be a great start to getting your home office organized. Of course, you can use these simple steps to get organized in your company’s office as well. Get started today with Paper Tiger Filing System software for document management!
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This article by Denise Landers, founder and CEO of Key Organization Systems Inc. and Paper Tiger Expert, discusses 5 easy steps to help you meet deadlines; and 3 of the 5 are directly related to getting organized and how important getting organized is in getting things done and on time. Paper Tiger Filing System software for document management is a great tool to use to ‘clear the decks’ and ‘know exactly what you are working on’ to ‘get organized’ because you can index all your files from your office, and make notes for actions that need to be taken to get the job done, in your Paper Tiger database to help you keep on task.
It is tough to work under the gun, but it’s something we all need to do from time to time, either because we put a project off until the last minute, or because we had a heavy dose of work dumped on our heads.
Regardless of the cause, however, developing the skill to meet tight deadlines can do big things for your career – managers and executives love employees who can finish work on time, and team members who can organize and execute quickly usually rise to the top.
With that in mind, here are five tips to doing great work on a tight deadline:
How do you know when being perfect is too perfect? Since learning to finish projects and then letting go can help you achieve so much more than obsessing over details, here are a few tips for learning when to wrap it up and move on:
Don’t give up perfectionism altogether. Of course, there are going to be some parts of your life where a perfectionist streak is a good thing. For example, if you are a cardiologist, most of your patients would probably approve of you trying to get things just right. But, it is important that you figure out which parts of your personal and professional life require 100% accuracy, and which areas simply need to be finished on time. Learning to tell the difference is perhaps the most important thing you can do for your productivity.
Denise Landers is the author of Destination: Organization, A Week by Week Journey and the owner of Key Organization Systems, Inc. As a national speaker, trainer, consultant, and writer she provides clients and audiences with the time management training tools and techniques that improve daily work flow and increase productivity.
www.twitter.com/@timetrainer
Corporate Training: workshops and consulting to increase daily work flow and reduce stress
Individual Assistance: our onsite and virtual office organizing to bring about changes quickly
On Your Own: books and CDs to work at your own pace
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Getting organized is something that nearly everyone struggles with. In fact, the task can be so difficult, that many people pay hundreds of dollars to a professional organizer to come in and organize their stuff.
The problem is your system. You don’t really know how it works or how to keep up with it. The result is a mess that returns. A professional organizer can help you think through the processes of getting organized and maintaining organization so you can be more productive throughout the year. In addition, Paper Tiger Filing System for document management can help you to get organized and stay organized.
Clutter is a result of poor organization systems, poor organizational skills, and just too much stuff. The first step to getting organized is to get rid of stuff you don’t need. Only you can best determine what these items are. However, if you want to experience organized living, you will have to learn how to part with stuff. Keep only items that you know are important or that you use on a regular basis. Everything else can go to someone that either needs it or could make more use of it.
Once you finish the declutter phase, you need a document management system. Document management can save you from spending countless hours looking for important documents. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or expensive. Just a desk filing system or small filing cabinet will do. However, to make this easy and efficient, you will also need the right document management software.
The Paper Tiger Filing System is the perfect document management software. Unlike paperless filing systems, Paper Tiger does not require you to invest hundreds of dollars in expensive equipment. You also won’t have to spend countless hours performing document scanning and backup. Paper Tiger Filing System, instead, is an indexing system for your physical items.
Indexing may sound like a scary word. However, it is actually very easy to use. It is also very time efficient. You probably use indexing on a daily basis when you use the internet. Indexing is how popular search engines store their files. This is what allows you to access the right information every time, quickly.
Of course, you will need an organization system that does more than just organize your papers. The average home has many items that need organizing. Paper Tiger Filing System can help with that too. Other items can be placed in a digital file. Items such as CDs, DVDs, office supplies, tax documents, collections, and even storage items can easily be indexed with the Paper Tiger Filing System. Simply create a digital folder in the software’s database, label your storage container accordingly, and you know where your items are anytime you need them.
The best part of creating organized living for yourself is that you have a system and know how to maintain the system. This means that once you get organized, you stay organized. The trick is finding the right filing system for your needs. Unlike many other filing systems, Paper Tiger Filing System can meet all of your organization needs. Then if you need additional help, there are professional organizers who are also Paper Tiger Experts that can assist you with putting all the pieces together to create the right system customized just for you.
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As we’re approaching the end of the year, it’s time to take a day and do what is called “the file clean out day”. Once you know what you have, you can make decisions on what to purge, save, and possibly scan or archive.
Are you asking yourself, “what’s going on here?”. Consider what shape your filing system is in? Are your filing drawers stuffed so full that it’s nearly impossible to get another piece of paper into – or out of them? Are you hurting your knuckles every time you pull a file out? This time of year is a great time to review your files and purge as much as possible, creating space for next year’s papers.
If you’re using Paper Tiger Filing System Software for Document Management, it’s pretty easy, as all you need to do is run a “file clean out report” and review it to assist you in the process. Don’t use Paper Tiger? Here’s what you can do to get through all your old papers and prepare yourself for the new year. Then implement Paper Tiger so that this process will be simpler next year!
While you’re in the mood to be cleaning out files, don’t forget your PC. It also has files that you no longer need, slowing down your processing of work.
You can run maintenance programs which can ‘defrag’ your files – in other words clean up and arrange them in a way which makes it easier for your PC to find and the speed for running programs will be improved.
Empty your recycle bin. When you delete a file, you are only moving it to the Recycle Bin. If you do not regularly empty your Bin, the files inside may take up valuable disk space. Oftentimes, people overlook this task. You should empty your Recycle Bin regularly, at least once a week. So if you haven’t been doing it, add it to your file clean out day.
Remove Temporary Files. Temporary or junk files are left over by programs and are usually no longer needed. Internet Explorer stores many of the files used on the web pages you visit so that next time you go to a site it doesn’t have to download the same files again. However, this can build up over time and take up a lot of disk space. They waste space and that may eventually slow your PC down.
Do you clean out your files every year? Let us know your process in the comment section below.
Anne McGurty is the president and CEO of Strategize and Organize, a training and consulting firm specializing in helping people perfect their environments and make better use of their resources – time, paper, and all forms of information management. As a productivity expert, Anne provides extensive customized services including business consulting, productivity training, process implementation, and time management seminars. You can also follow Anne on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/strategizeandorganize
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Whether your business is a small one-person operation or a large company, you are bound to have all kinds of paperwork. Often, you have so much paperwork surrounding you that you don’t have a clue as to what is where, or which file is which. Even the smallest of businesses have this type of problem, and it can often be quite a task to come up with a filing system that actually works. No matter how hard we try, or how much we dream, it is hard to go paperless and we are never going to be able to get rid of all of the paper flow that just keeps coming. So why not find a way to keep it organized so that you can find anything that you want in just a few seconds?
When you use the Paper Tiger Filing System Software for document management, you will be able to organize all of your paper files. Now this does not mean that you will be getting rid of your paperwork and just using your computer. Quite the contrary. Actually, with Paper Tiger Filing System Software, you will keep all of your paper files, so that you always have the original hard copy available, but index these records in the software database, so you can find anything you want at a moment’s notice. Some people just feel scanning is still not the solution. Often in attempts to go paperless, more copies are printed that have been stored electronically than ever would have needed to be printed had the one paper copy been kept. This can be used as your very own professional organizer and will really help when it comes to time management.
Did you know that a lot of business owners spend more than 150 hours each year just searching for lost files? When you use the Paper Tiger Filing System Software, you will be able to put these hours to much better use. So, you are probably wondering how Paper Tiger can help you, and what it is all about. Well, Paper Tiger is not a system that involves document scanning. Instead, Paper Tiger uses an indexing method. This means that you keep all of your physical paper files, and index them by inputting an item name and relating keywords for each file, so you can conduct a google-like search in the database and be able to find whenever you need them, instead of having to sift through a stack of paper files or trying to remember that one or two-word title you input on the hanging folder tab, which can really take up a lot of time that could be used in better ways. This indexing method enables a more flexible filing system, and you don’t have to worry about trying to remember where you’ve filed something.
Some of the advantages to using Paper Tiger Filing System Software include:
Indexing is the lowest priced form of document management. Having been in the market for more than 14 years, Paper Tiger has a proven track record of document management and helping people get organized and be more productive. Implement Paper Tiger Filing System Software for document management today and you’ll be on your way to saving time and money.
The bottom line for me as an entrepreneur is that using the Paper Tiger Filing System Software significantly reduces the amount of stress and anxiety in my life. When I discovered Paper Tiger, I discovered what it was that prevented me from filing papers away in a timely manner. You see, I’m a perfectionist, and every time I would sit down to do some filing, I was faced with the prospect of having to come up with the “right” way to label a file folder. Let’s say I wanted to file sales literature about a CRM company called Salesforce.com. Should I file it under the name of the company? Should I file it under CRM (Customer Relationship Management), which is the category name for this product, as a subject file? Should I file it under Sales and Marketing for my company, which is what I would use the product for, as a subject file? And where was the other information I had collected about this company? Because the real goal of filing is fast retrieval, I worried that the label name I came up with would not be the label name I remembered when it came time to pull this information out of the file to review it. That made me anxious, and it made me dread filing, so I rarely did it. And I lived in the midst of stacks of paper, unable to find what I needed when I needed it. Oh, the time I wasted looking for stuff I needed at the last minute!
Now I don’t feel any pressure to come up with the perfect name for my paper files. First, I can quickly and easily find out if there is any similar information I’ve already filed by using the search bar to look for CRM, Salesforce.com, Sales, Marketing, or other related terms. If there are already files I’d like to file it with, I can quickly do so by entering the any additional keywords relating to the new document going into the file, and then placing it into the hanging folder. If not, all I have to do is create a new file–perhaps with a general term like CRM–and add all of the keywords that I think I’d use to refer to it later, and I’m done. This little software program has had a profound impact on the quality of my life.
Michele Engel
President & CEO
Insightrak
This article by Denise Landers, founder and CEO of Key Organization Systems Inc. and Paper Tiger Expert, will help encourage and empower you to do something about the piles on your desk and get organized! Denise also recommends Paper Tiger Filing System Software and Document Management to help with your filing system and actually be able to find what you need, when you need it.
“Don’t touch my piles! I know where everything is.”
Do you have someone in your business who is accountable to you and who says that? If you do, you should be concerned. Chances are good this person is not nearly as productive as he or she could be because the piles have to keep shifting to locate information. However, there is another factor impacting business accountability. When the only person in a company who can find something needed is that person whose office it is buried in, there is no accountability within a department.
No one ever likes to foresee emergencies and extended absences. Even short, unplanned absences can be problems. While you probably know the general projects a colleague is working on, would you be able to easily fill in during two weeks of unplanned absences, knowing who they needed to call each day, and where they had left off on the current project? Would you be able to find important contracts and reports within seconds, not minutes?
If you are working with someone who looks disorganized to others, but who guards his or her piles of papers with the explanation that he or she knows where everything is, that person may simply have no knowledge of how to create an effective system for handling daily work flow. On another level, it can represent an effort to retain control and maintain job security because no one could take over amid the disorder.
Almost everyone today is working at full capacity in struggling to manage time effectively and get more done. Having to fill in for an employee who is absent without advance planning adds to the strain on colleagues as they strive to cover for that team member.
The next time you hear someone say that he is not disorganized, but that he can find anything amid the stacks in his office, consider the bottom line for your business’ accountability. That disorganization not only slows down an individual’s personal daily productivity, but can directly impact the company’s production efforts.
To achieve accountability, give your staff the training that will develop company-wide processes for handling work flow. While everyone has different duties, creating effective systems and then tailoring them for the individual job functions will allow you to cover for each other as well as increase personal effectiveness.
If you could use ideas on how to create effective systems for your office, our training CDs, The Productivity Series can guide you in setting up easy-to-implement systems for managing time, paper, and email.
Denise Landers @timetrainer
Key Organization Systems, Inc.
