On Being A File Sherpa
Organzing Your Files Is Easier
Than You Think
So a year ago you went out, bought manila folders, hanging folders and a label gun, planning on organizing the growing pile of paperwork on your desk. But you have been too busy to start your organized file system but you know you have to soon. You realized that the invoice you are looking for is lost in the pile and your tower of paperwork is preciously threatening to topple over. You’ve already pushed it over once and some of the paperwork ended up in your coffee. But that can be in the past. There’s a way to get that eyesore of chaos off your desk and into neat files. It’s really not that hard and I’m going to share with you the best way to go about doing that.
When your files are disorganized, it’s difficult to manage your business. Having a folder for each client makes it easier for you to get the information you need at your fingertips. Working from a home office? Those homeowners’ insurance policies should be together in order to be easily accessed so when the pipes burst in the bathroom, you’ll be able to look up your account number even before your boyfriend gets off the phone with the plumber.
The secret to creating your own file system? LIKE WITH LIKE. You are going to be putting all your individual bills in the same but separate folders. For example, all your Chase Credit Card statements will be in one folder and your Mortgage payments in another.
By buying all your filing supplies you’ve taken the first step in creating a system that works with your needs. But the real work comes from looking at that monster of paperwork you’ve got in front of you. You are going to put “like with like”. You need to separate each paper into specific piles and put them into folders you label with your trusty label gun. Your DWP bills will have their own folder. Same with a particular doctor you see. Next you’ll grab your box of hanging folders and reapply the system of “like with like”. All the folders that have to do with medical will be put together into a hanging file. Etc. Before you know it, you’ll be able to run your fingers through your file cabinet and everything will be neat and tidy and most of all organized.
Setting up a paper file system can be very time consuming so hiring Free Your Space Professional Organizers to give you a helping hand will save you time and aggravation. You’ll instantly feel at ease when you open that filing cabinet and see that whatever you need or might need is right there at your fingertips.
Buried In Books? The Breakthrough Beckons
Organizing Books – Doesn’t have to be a mystery.
You don’t have to have majored in English Lit to have a small library in your house. Hardback, paperback; you’ve got them both and have been carrying them around since you can remember. There’s the book your nephew’s girlfriend gave you for your birthday and the Gideon Bible you picked up in your hotel room on a business trip. (They are for taking, right?) But before you realized it, your bookcase exploded and suddenly what could have been a accent piece to your living room is now a disaster area. But there’s a way to control the torrential mass of bound treasures and finally organize those books! And I’m going to share with you exactly how to do it.
When you first look at it, your mushroom cloud of a bookcase can be intimating. There are books haphazardly stacked on top of the spines of other books; and when you couldn’t cram anymore onto the bookshelves, there was the floor. Not only is this unappealing esthetically, if you’ve got enough of books shoved onto your bookcase it could fall forward and hurt someone. Even with the earthquake straps those of us in California use, over wrought bookcases can be dangerous.
How do you salvage your bookcase and bring safety to your home? It’s simple; GET RID OF SOME BOOKS! If your bookcase can only handle 100 of the 200 books you’ve got jammed in there, it’s time to pare down your library. Don’t worry, we’d never suggest a crime to literature by throwing books away. No way! But if you really want a clean, organized space to showcase the books you love, you’re going to have to get rid of some. And by get rid of, I mean DONATE. Your local library or favorite charity will love to have the books you no longer need. They will pass them on to someone who can really benefit from them. And on top of it, you’ll get a tax write-off.
Try it and if you still need a little more direction, we at Free Your Space Professional Organizing, can assist you. We know that the wine stained compilation of an e.e. cummings collection that you re-read a hundred times needs to stay in your library and we’ll help you find the perfect place for it.