Are you someone who has lots of sewing supplies? Here’s something you may not know. According to holidayinsights.com, July 25th is Thread the Needle Day. This is a holiday dedicated to devoted sewists, sewers and seamstresses. Whatever name you prefer, on this day, people literally guide thread through a needle or work out difficult issues. Here at Paper Tiger, we’ll stick to the literal meaning and give you a few tips on organizing your sewing materials in preparation for this special occasion.
As you know, Paper Tiger Filing System Software is not just for filing and organizing paper files. You can organize and index various supplies, books, CDs, DVDs, inventory and even collections with Paper Tiger. Here is how Paper Tiger can help you become the most prepared for Thread the Needle Day.
First you’ll need to gather all your supplies. You probably have sewing needles, thread, scissors, pins, fabrics and other items. The easiest way to store the aforementioned craft items is with storage containers, drawers or tubs, depending on the amount and size of your sewing supplies.
After you’ve gathered your supplies and figured out your method of storage for each type of item, you want to sort the supplies and keep track of them by indexing the items into Paper Tiger. Sort the supplies and place them in the various containers. Be sure to label the containers so that you can know where your sewing needles are and where your thread is. Numbering the containers is a good method.
Now you incorporate Paper Tiger. The committed seamstress will have at least one or two containers of each sewing supply. In Paper Tiger, you will have a location named “Sewing Supplies”. Then for the Item Name, you type in the name of the supply or Box #, and then in the keyword section type in the specific item.
You can put your sewing needles in Box #1, which may be a storage drawer box. Your Item Name in Paper Tiger could be named “Sewing Needles” but you could also name this Box #1, and in the keyword section you have the option of inputting Applique, Embroidery, Leather, Beading, Tapestry and Darning for the different sewing needles that you have.
In this example pictured below, your Item Name could be Box # 1 to match how you’ve labeled the box. Then in this box, you could number the drawers 1-6. In the keywords section of Paper Tiger’s Item Name Box #1, type in the type of needles in each drawer and indicate Drawer 1: Applique needles, Drawer 2: Embroidery, Drawer 3 Leather, etc.
You have a plethora of thread, but you want your golden thread instead of the green thread. Paper Tiger can quickly tell you that your golden thread is in Box #2, drawer 1 if that is what you’ve input into the database to match the drawer location.
If you have your “Sewing Fabrics” in Box #3 and 4, in the keyword sections you could input Burlap, Felt, Faux fur, Flannel, Fleece, Quilting and Seasonal for the different fabrics that you have stored in each box.
By organizing these things with Paper Tiger, you’ll have quick and easy access to all your supplies and they are stored away reducing clutter. The beauty of Paper Tiger is that it can be shared. What if your sister wants to make a dress for you while you’re away in Vancouver? She can still surprise you! Paper Tiger can be used by more than one person and she can easily search for what she is looking for and still keep the supplies organized. To maintain this organization, be sure to place everything back where it came from after using it and index all new items to Paper Tiger. If you don’t remember where to replace an item, simply conduct a search in Paper Tiger’s database, and you’ll easily know where to put it back in its place.
Using Paper Tiger Filing System Software as an organization tool for your sewing supplies will guarantee that you are more than ready for Thread the Needle Day. Your sewing supplies will all be organized, clutter will be virtually nonexistent, and you will know exactly where each item is with a quick keyword search in Paper Tiger’s database to help you find what you need at the moment you need it. Happy sewing!
Back at the office we have the Network version of Paper Tiger Filing System Software for document management installed on a Windows 2008 Server. Our Paper Tiger is setup for automatic backups, so that our most recent backups are located at “C:\PaperTiger PTNETWORK41 DBBackups”. See our blog post The Paper Tiger Enhancement with Automatic Archive Option for instructions to configure Paper Tiger for automatic archiving of your database.
Whenever we need to retrieve a backup file, we must physically be in-front of the Windows 2008 Server machine. Suppose our CEO took a month vacation to Japan, and left us at the office. If our boss asks for a backup file of our Paper Tiger Databases, we would have to .zip the file to him via email every time he makes a request. We are a large data information firm and we are constantly updating and moving files. Anything that we send our boss becomes extremely outdated within 30 minutes. What is the ideal solution for this situation? An asynchronous backup folder via Dropbox.
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!
Use Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System to Help You Move!
Moving to a new home is categorized as one of the top five stressors in life. There’s no magic blueprint to follow because everyone is different. Organize as you pack and avoid the risk of overwhelming stress.
I recently moved to a new house and used Paper Tiger Online to help me get everything packed in a methodical way. As I packed each box, I listed the items in the Paper Tiger database.
• I first created a Location name in the Paper Tiger database for each room in the new house. (kitchen, dining room, living room, den, laundry room, basement, etc.)
• Printed several labels for each room to be placed on the boxes. (labels for kitchen, dining room, living room, den, laundry room, basement, etc.)
• When I filled a box, I would list each item in the Keywords section in the ‘location’ where it would go in the new house, placed the label onto the box and wrote the corresponding Item number on the label to match the Item number in Paper Tiger.
• After all boxes were packed and everything listed in Paper Tiger, I printed out a complete Item List Report, and then an Item List Report for each room. (Location)
I used the packing time as the perfect opportunity to do some spring cleaning and get rid of things we no longer needed.
• Shredded old files that needed to be tossed.
• Bagged clothing and other items no longer needed and dropped off to Goodwill.
You’re probably thinking this was quite a hassle while packing up, but actually it didn’t take that much more time. Unpacking was so much easier than any other move I’ve made, because everyone knew where the boxes should be placed. And with the Item List Report in each room, we didn’t have to search through every box to find something before it was unpacked. We just searched Paper Tiger!
Note (things to remember):
If you have help when packing, (whether it be professional movers or family members):
• Set up your Locations (room names) into Paper Tiger Online with a capacity of 20 in each Location,
• Give each member of the family a notepad and pen with instructions to write down everything as they pack and label each box correctly. You decide how the labeling will work so everyone understands and uses the same method. If this doesn’t happen, your system will fail miserably.
• Once everyone is finished, you can enter all of the information into your filing system so that you have a complete list of everything that’s being moved.
• One of the last things to do before packing up your computer and printer is to print off copies of your list for each Location (room name). This will be especially helpful if you don’t have Internet access on moving day.
I was so glad I used Paper Tiger Online! When we needed something that wasn’t unpacked yet, I just searched Paper Tiger and knew exactly what room and box number to find it. I avoided the chaos of having a mountain of boxes and no idea where anything was.
This testimony from Donna T. is just another great way to use Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System.
Paper Tiger, especially the online version, can be very useful to anyone with disability issues or for caretakers. It’s much easier to get a call from a caretaker asking where Mom’s (whatever) is, and being able to say, bottom drawer in the hall cabinet in the blue box, (than to tell the hired aide or relative who is helping, try the cabinet in the hall on the first and second floor, or her bottom drawer in the bedroom or…. ) Instantly (and now even from work), with your < Paper Tiger > system, someone can just pull up Mom’s database and type in “Whatsamadoodle” and the location comes up – at least if you have a system that keeps things where they “go”. Works for Mom’s files too – accountant comes over (if you know one well enough) and asks-Where’s mom’s receipts for last April – and you can tell him “number 25 in the black file cabinet.” (which she named Keep)- he would have thought “receipts” and never found it with her old system.)
You may wish to transfer items from one location to another in your Paper Tiger database. For example, an Action file may no longer be active but you need to keep it as a Reference file. To transfer an item from one location to another, follow these steps:
1. In the Browser, display your locations by selecting the Locations tab.
2. Select the location you wish to transfer from.
3. Select the item you are transferring by clicking on the row selector in the left-most column of the Browser. Click the Transfer button, and the Transfer Wizard is displayed.
4. Select the Summary tab. (Note: The first time you use the Transfer Wizard, you may wish to follow the instructions on the Step by Step tab.
5. Select the type of transfer you are performing:
• Select the Move option button if you are deleting the item from the current location and moving it to a new location.
• Select the Merge option button if you are merging the item from this location into another item. If the Merge option is selected, the Wizard displays an Item Description drop-down menu. This allows you to select the item that you wish to merge into. (option not available in Basic edition)
• Select the Duplicate option button if you wish to leave the item in the current location and copy it to another location. (option not available in Basic edition)
6. Select the location you are transferring the item to from the New Location drop-down list.
7. If you selected the Merge option button, select the Item Description from the drop-down list. If you selected Move or Duplicate, skip to step 8.
8. To add an action date to the new item, select the Action Date field and type the date, or select a time interval from the drop-down list.
9. If you wish to confirm the transfer before it occurs, select the Require Confirmation check box.
10. Click the Transfer button. The file location is listed on the Transfers dialog.
Confirming Transfers
Transfers are items you are transferring from one location to another within the database. To display a list of your transfer items, click on the Confirm button or select Transfers from the View menu. The list shows all pending transfers, and allows you to confirm or cancel the transfer.
From the Transfers view you can:
While The Paper Tiger is a document management system, and is most commonly used for filing paper files, there are many other uses for this amazing, affordable, easy-to-learn and use software. Consider these ideas:
Paper Files and Documents
Of course, The Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System so was designed to keep paper filing in order. With The Paper Tiger software, every file or hanging folder is assigned a number and name, then keywords are added that describe the contents of each file. Filing documents by number rather than names, allows a user to find the needed file with a few simple keystrokes based on any keyword associated with each file. Then, when The Paper Tiger index shows you the file number, you simply go to that file and get what you need. Can’t get any easier than that!
Books and Manuals
Avid readers and book lovers abound, as is evidenced by the number of new and used bookstores, both online and off, that can be found. Ministers keep a multitude of needed books and reference material to help in counseling families, preparing sermons, and administering the church. Students keep reference works, textbooks, and books required for reading. Attorneys keep books to help them assess various legal situations. Individuals who simply love books, probably keep more than all of these combined!
The great thing about The Paper Tiger, is that it lets anyone quickly and easily find exactly the book they’re looking for. Using a numbering system based on The Paper Tiger index, and noting the index numbers on the binding of each book, helps anyone with books to store them in numerical order, and easily locate with a simple keyword search and find. No more scanning bookshelves crammed with volumes and thumbing through pages to locate required information. With The Paper Tiger, it’s efficiently organized to save you hours of search time, and available at a touch of the keyboard based on your input.
Binders, Pamphlets and Booklets
Companies are notorious for storing binders filled with annual reports, stock information, sales figures and just about any other information the company may need at some point. Even labeling the binders makes it difficult to locate the right content, unless the employee remembers exactly which report contained what information. But with The Paper Tiger, employees can create a numbered binder system, entering the appropriate keywords for each binder, pamphlet or booklet in the software including such information as the company name, obscure slogans, advertising themes, and other keywords associated with the documents enclosed. Then, when the boss needs a report “yesterday,” that employee can increase his stature in the executive’s eyes by providing the proper information as quick as a wink.
Journals and Magazines
Oftentimes, doctors, CPAs, and other professionals need to maintain journals and magazines for their potential reference down the road. The problem is how to store them, and locate the information each one contains in a reasonable amount of time! While you can, of course, place journals and magazines in three-ring binders—which do work well for storage—there is still the issue of locating information within an individual publication. Enter The Paper Tiger. By labeling each publication within the binder and including keywords that describe important articles and information contained within each journal, a professional can save literally hours of time locating that needed article, and be able to lay hands on the research, law or techniques in a matter of seconds.
CDs, DVDs and Videos
Music and movie buffs have long sought a way to manage their collections and to easily locate their favorite click quickly and without having to scan through countless titles. The Paper Tiger makes that task a cinch. By numbering the CD, DVD or video, both on the case and on the item itself, you can quickly find just what you’re looking for using a keyword or even category search, and be able to enjoy your movie or music quicker than you can say Johnny B Good!
Storage Boxes and Bins
Almost everyone nowadays has items we aren’t ready to give away or sell, but for which we really just don’t have a place. Using The Paper Tiger to record the contents of each container and then number each box or bin, makes it a simple process to store items in your basement, attic, spare closet, or even a storage shed, and quickly locate them with an easy keyword search in The Paper Tiger database.
As you can see, The Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System is not just for managing paper files and documents. There are so many more uses for this amazing software! Why don’t you download your free trial right now, and put The Paper Tiger to work helping to better organize your life and belongings!
Make sure you always keep your physical files in sync with The Paper Tiger. When you increase the Capacity of a Location, print the corresponding number of new tabs or labels to match. Then go ahead and insert the tabs or labels into hanging folders and put in your filing cabinet so they will be ready when you need to file into them.
To edit the Capacity of a Location:
-You’ll need to click on the Locations button
-Click on the row of the Location that you need to increase capacity
-Click Edit button
-The Location wizard will pop up, click the Summary tab
-You’ll see the box for Capacity, enter the new number you want to increase it to
You can also update the Name, Review Frequency, or Notes for the location.
Welcome to Paper Tiger document management and filing system software — the software designed to help you organize the paper in your life, but also help you get organized in other areas as well, such as books, CDs, DVDs, storage boxes, etc. You will find our approach to dealing with paper not only easier than anything you’ve done before, but also, we predict, life-changing! For a glimpse of what is in store for you, we recommend previewing the video ‘What is Paper Tiger?‘, then take a look at the Getting Started Guides Steps 1-4 and the Tutorials from our Paper Tiger Desktop Video Learning Resource page. The multimedia Tutorial presentations will show you step by step how Paper Tiger file management system works. Listen and watch as the team plans their attack on the paper jungle! They will show you how to reduce your paper pile; how to organize your files; and, how to launch Paper Tiger filing system software so that your document management system will run smoothly and efficiently—not just for now, but forever! Happy paper taming!
Here are a few key terms used in Paper Tiger:
Location is a physical Location for storing Folders, such as a file cabinet or a desk drawer that relates to a Location within Paper Tiger Filing System Software.
Folder is a file folder, containing one or several related items. A hanging file folder may contain other file folders for subdividing papers or for taking files with you. “Folder” is sometimes used interchangeably with “file.”
Item Name is the descriptive name you give a Folder. “Museum Board Directory” might be the Item Name you give a Folder that contains a current phone and address list of museum board members. “Sales Reports 02” might be the Item Name you choose for a Folder containing each regional sales reports for 2002. A Folder or Item Name labeled “Warranties” might include sub-files for “Electronics,” “Major Appliances,” and “Outdoor Equipment.”
Keyword is any word, or words, in addition to the Item Name, which you associate with the contents of a Folder. Key words for your Folder, “Sales Reports 2002” might include: NW region, monthly sales, or Tom Jones. You can find any Folder quickly by entering any of the key words for the Folder, or the Item Name, into The Paper Tiger’s Find function.
Category is a word or words you may use to classify groups of related Folders. For example, you may use the Category “Benefits” to classify the Folders, “401K,” “Stock Options,” and “Day Care.” The Category, “Services,” might include Folders for “Accountant,” “Graphic Artist,” and “Organizing Consultant.”
Action Files are files you use most frequently. There are two categories of Action Files:
Temporary Action Files are files of current projects or events that will come to an end, e.g., files on a new committee assignment or presentation notes for an upcoming meeting.
Permanent Action Files are files for tasks that require ongoing action, e.g., “Call,” “Pay,” and “Write.”
Reference Files are files you need to refer to from time to time. “Auto Insurance,” “Taxes – Current Year,” and “Time Sheets” are examples of reference files.
For a sneak preview of Paper Tiger’s plan of attack, crouch low, keep a keen eye, and follow the trail markers below:
1. Establish a physical Location for your Action Files—Permanent and Temporary—and for your Reference Files. Decide how many Folders you will need, approximately, in each Location. Tiger Tip: Place your Action Files in a file drawer or desktop file holder within hand’s reach!
2. Decide what type of filing system you will use—numerical or alphabetical. We strongly recommend a numerical filing system. Files easily stay in order in your file drawer and you don’t have to create new file tabs each time you add a file folder! And, you never have to move files to make room for a new one. Just put the new file wherever you have space. The Paper Tiger will help you create and maintain either system. You may even want a numerical system in one Location and an alphabetical system in another. It’s up to you; Paper Tiger allows its users to decide!
3. Gather your hanging files and your hanging file plastic tabs. We provide pre-printed, hanging file tab inserts with our software. (See, we knew you were too busy to make them yourself, so we did it for you!) You will find tab inserts for Permanent Action Folders (e.g., Call, Write, Pay); numbered tab inserts for Temporary Action Folders (#1-60), and numbered tab inserts for Reference Folders (#1-320). Insert tabs into plastic tab holders. (If you prefer, you can create and print your own tab inserts with our software—it’s your choice.) Slip each plastic holder, with tab inserted, into the inside front slots of your hanging files. With tabs on the front of the file folder, you can drop in papers easily by pulling the file tab toward you! You can also print custom tabs from within Paper Tiger filing system software.
4. Install Paper Tiger software. Close any open Windows applications, especially anti-virus. Follow the Installation Instructions that comes with your purchase. Insert the CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. Click Start on the taskbar, then click Run to begin the setup. Type d:\setup.exe (if d is not your CD-ROM drive, type in the appropriate letter).
5. After viewing the tutorial, a dialog box will appear. It will ask you if you want Paper Tiger to add a new Location now. Click on Yes. The Location Wizard will appear and will take you step by step through entering your Locations into Paper Tiger. After entering each Location, a Location List window will appear. It will display all Locations entered, the capacity (number of Folders) for each, and any optional information you chose to include.
If you prefer not to view the tutorial first (ouch!), you can go directly to Paper Tiger Main Window. Click on File, then click on New. Click on Create New Location and The Location Wizard will appear.
6. Now enter Item Names for your Folders into Paper Tiger. Click the Browser button on the main toolbar. Click New on the Browser toolbar. The Item Wizard will appear. Step by step, the Item Wizard will prompt you to enter the Item Name for each Folder and any additional information you choose to include—keywords, categories, or action dates.
Each time you enter an Item Name for a Folder, Paper Tiger will automatically assign the Item Name to a numbered Folder. The total number of available Folders for any Location will correspond to the capacity you entered for each Location in the Location Wizard. (You can edit the capacity later, if for example, you want to add more Folders to a Location.)
7. After entering Item Names for your Folders, you will need to print a File Index, a report that lists, alphabetically or numerically, all Folders in a Location. Click Reports on the Main Menu bar and select File Index. A File Index Wizard will appear and will guide you through the process of tailoring this report to your needs. This will be your back-up for when you’re traveling or in the event your computer is down for any reason.
8. Now, begin filing your papers! Refer to the File Index Report to locate appropriate Folders. If you forget a file name, remember, it’s no problem! Just click the Find button on the menu bar, enter any keyword for the file, and the computer will pop up the Item Name and corresponding number for the Folder.
You are now well on your way to using a file system that takes the Aaagh! out of filing and retrieving. We will share more with you along the way, but we know you are eager to tackle the tiger, so… assume your position, and Take Charge!
The Fine Print: Our Company will proudly accept responsibility for our users’ big smiles, free time, salary raises, kudos from the boss, lowered blood pressure, or smug behavior toward those who have yet to discover this wonderful tool.
The Sermonators interview Dr. Brad Whitt from Temple Baptist Church in Simpsonville, SC
If you are a member of the clergy, this audio tells you in detail how to use The Paper Tiger software to better manage content that you use for your sermons. Use The Paper Tiger to create your own personal library. Remove or photocopy articles of interest from magazines or newspapers or print internet articles. File them now, and read them when you have time.
Ultimate Virtual Filing System For Sermon Resources (And Your Entire Office)
Note: interview regarding The Paper Tiger actually starts about 7-9 minutes into the podcast
