Paper Management Tips
Did you know that 80% of what you save is never used? Look around your office. How much do you have stacked in piles, stored in files and spread around your work area? Just imagine how much more effective you would be with 80% less paper to deal with. So how do you begin?
Let’s start with emails; a fast and often preferred way of communicating. You are deluged with messages every day. The best approach is to schedule specific times during the day to check emails; first thing in the morning, mid-day and towards the end of your workday are typically the best times. Rather than printing each email, read them first and take action on those needing an immediate response. If you need a hard copy for an ongoing project, print out the email and file it right away. Don’t set it in a stack to look at later – that stack will keep growing and chances are you won’t be able to locate the email when you need it. Move less important emails into an electronic folder called “Action” and make a point to review and act on them with 24 hours.
Have post-it notes become a permanent part of your office décor? These little “stickies” are great for serving as page markers and attaching notes to documents but should not be used regularly for writing notes to yourself. Typically the more you have posted, the less you look at them. A steno pad at your desk is perfect for recording incidental notes and keeps everything in one place. Review the notepad throughout the day and cross off items as they are completed; it’s a great feeling of accomplishment!
What about all those solicitations – ads, catalogs, etc. – things marketers tell you that you can’t live without? Here’s an organizing tip: If you’re not going to buy it today toss the solicitation into the recycle bin right away. You’ll be on those mailing lists longer than it takes to get Packer season tickets. Don’t worry: If you miss out on something today, you’ll get another solicitation in a few weeks.
If it’s been longer than six months since you looked at those old magazines or newsletters, it’s time to pitch them in the recycle bin. Information changes so fast that materials quickly become outdated. If there is a specific topic you need for future reference, cut it out and file it in a folder titled “Articles.” You can take this one step further and create an index for the front of the file. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – a handwritten list will work just fine. Each time you add a new article to the file, write the title and date on the index. It just takes a minute and is a real time-saver. Everything is in one file and you’ll have a quick and easy reference at hand.
These are the first steps to help reduce some of the 80% paper overload and become more organized in the process. Give it a try and see what a difference it can make!
Make An Appointment
“I can’t find it!” How many times a day do you say this? It’s probably more than you realize. If you’re wasting time looking for files (electronic and paper), notes, phone numbers, emails, etc., not only are you creating more work for yourself and your co-workers, but you are depriving your clients/customers of your full attention.
The average worker will spend one hour a day searching for something in their office; one minute here, five minutes there, and so on. That adds up to five hours a week lost due to disorganization. Multiply that by 50 weeks (allowing for a two-week vacation) and you’ve lost 250 hours a year just looking for resources! Take it a step further and multiply that by an employee’s salary. At $12 an hour, a firm loses $3,000 a year. If three people working in the same office all spend one hour a day searching for materials, that adds up to 750 hours wasted annually and an $9,000 loss to the company; all due to being disorganized. So how do you turn that around?
Make an appointment with yourself. Put it on your calendar just as you would when making an appointment for others. A daily appointment is ideal; a minimum of 15 minutes is better than nothing. Let co-workers know ahead of time so they can cover phones and make sure you are not interrupted.
Prioritize. What needs to be dealt with first? Where do you waste the most time looking for things? Assess your situation and be realistic. If you can only schedule 15 minutes a day, chances are you won’t complete a project in a day but you might complete it within the week (in 15 minute increments). As an example:
Jean scheduled a daily 15-minute organizing appointment. At the beginning of the week she prioritized her list and decided to organize her electronic files on Monday, update contact information on Tuesday, file a month’s backlog of documents on Wednesday, read several trade magazines on Thursday, and completely rearrange the contents of her desk on Friday. While her intentions were good, her goals were not realistic. She wasn’t able to complete any organizing projects within those daily 15 minutes and by the end of the week she was more disorganized than when she began. Jean got frustrated and decided to drop the whole idea. She would have been successful if she focused on completing one task during the week before starting on the next priority.
Remember time management. When you begin your appointment, set a timer for the scheduled amount of organizing time. It’s easy to keep going once you get started and if you have the time to continue, that’s great. If you’re on a tight schedule, set an alarm (a desk clock with alarm or kitchen timer works great) for a few minutes before the end of your organizing appointment so you can finish up at a good breaking point. Record your progress and move on to your next task.
Stick with it and you’ll begin to see progress in no time. You’ll be more successful if you work in smaller stages. And those cries of “I can’t find it!” will change to “I know exactly where it is!”
GO Month
What better time than the start of the new year to get organized? According to the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), who is sponsoring its second annual Get Organized MonthSM, it’s the best time of year. GO Month is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of getting organized, whether for your business or home.
So what can you do to get organized? For businesses, plan an organizing day (or morning). Take a look around and see where the need is. Do the files need to be purged? When was the last time the storeroom was cleaned out? Do your electronic files need to be organized? How about cleaning out your work area? The possibilities are endless. Have fun with it; staff should dress casually and you can have pizza or sandwiches brought in as a treat. If you can’t devote a whole day to getting organized, how about a half-day or perhaps an hour a day for a week. You will:
- Bring structure, logic and control to the organization, at any level.
- Optimize workflow to increase productivity, reduce stress, and heighten profitability.
- Build companywide systems or define responsibilities for a single employee.
- Motivate the team with real solutions to the everyday or ongoing challenges of too much to do, changing priorities, and information overload.
Getting organized doesn’t stop at the office. This is a great time for you to organize your home; closets, kitchen, garage, basement, kids’ rooms and home office (don’t forget about getting your tax information together). If it’s too much to do alone, involve the whole family or find an “organizing buddy” who will help you tackle those projects. Remember to work in small steps; a couple hours at a time so it is not so overwhelming. Again, make it fun and treat yourself when you are done! You can:
- Bring order, calm and control to home and family life.
- Save money by organizing bills, shopping and clothing.
- Get more done in less time.
- Put the house in order so you can find what you need – and need what you find!
Paper management is a huge problem for both businesses and individuals. If you end up with more than your small paper shredder can handle, there are shredding trucks that come right to your door and shred your documents on the spot.
If you get rid of office equipment, call local charities to see if they have a need for the item(s). And for individuals who are getting rid of toys, clothes, household items; again, contact local charities and/or daycare providers to see if they have a need. It’s a win/win situation for everyone.
Tax Time
"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the Income Tax."
-- Albert Einstein
Yes, it’s tax time. Was that a collective groan I just heard? OK, now that you have that out of your system, let’s work on an action plan. If you are a business owner, filing deadlines vary based on your business structure. Contact your accountant to find out what your deadline is as well as their cut-off date for submitting records. Gather everything prior to meeting with your accountant. Most accountants charge by the hour and the more disorganized your records are, the higher your costs will be.
What about your personal taxes? Even though the filing deadline is not until Monday, April 17 (you get a couple of extra days since April 15 falls on the weekend), now is the perfect time to get your records together. Most tax documents have already arrived; don’t keep them in the ever-growing piles of papers on your kitchen table! Open them immediately and check for accuracy. If the amount differs from what you think it should be, contact the entity who provided the document and ask for a corrected form. Designate one place that all your tax information will be filed. If you don’t have a good filing system in place (we’ll talk about that next column), use something as simple as a shoebox to store the documents in until you’re ready to work on your taxes.
Are you preparing your taxes yourself? If so, tax software is available on CD or you can prepare your taxes online for a fee. In both cases, there is online support (fees may apply) and you can file your returns electronically. Be sure to have all your tax documents and reports ready before you begin. The more organized you are, the smoother the process will be.
If you prefer to do your taxes by paper, filing early is the key. You’ll receive your refund(s) earlier. If you end up owing, you’ll have more time to get your funds together before the filing deadline. Wouldn’t it be nice to have it done early and ready to go?
In closing, here are a few tips to remember:
- Getting started early will help reduce tax-season stress.
- If an accountant prepares your taxes, the later you submit your information the longer it might take to receive your completed returns.
- Filing an extension only extends your time to file; it does not extend your time to pay.
- Don’t spend your refund money before you have the checks from the IRS and/or state – mistakes happen!
- Give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back when you’re done. You accomplished something that Albert Einstein didn’t understand!
Basic Filing System
In the last column we reviewed what you can do to organize, prepare and file your taxes early. What can you do now to prepare for next year? When you gather your information for this year’s taxes keep track of how long it takes to find all the necessary receipts and documents. Are you able to find everything? If you don’t have a good filing system in place, chances are you’ll miss something that could end up saving you money.
While the majority of us don’t like filing and maintaining records, there are several advantages of having a workable filing system. You will:
- Stay on top of your finances; knowing what’s coming in and going out.
- Avoid interest, penalties and late fees by paying bills and taxes on time.
- Find records quickly and easily; saving time, costs and reducing stress.
This is the perfect time to set up a basic filing system for your home. Let’s get started:
- Make an appointment with yourself!
- Organize your filing system on paper first and keep it simple. Create general categories for hanging folders such as Financial, Medical, Insurance, Vehicle, etc.
- Manila file folders should be labeled to fit within each category. As an example: the Financial category could have files labeled Bills to be Paid, Paid Bills, Retirement, Credit Cards. While you shouldn’t create a file folder for every little thing, if you have more than one credit card account you should make a folder for each one.
- Purchase a filing cabinet; avoid cheaper models which tend to be flimsy. Portable filing systems are nice for smaller systems and can be easily moved from one room to another.
- If you have the extra time to type and print labels, great! It’s more important to get your files set up so handwritten labels will work fine.
- Go through the paper piles around your home one at a time. Make a decision right away to file or toss. If in doubt, ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that will happen if I toss this piece of paper?”
- Don’t allow yourself to become distracted. Schedule your time when the house is quiet. Turn off your cell, TV, radio – anything that can cause you to lose focus.
What about those tax files? Keep them in the Financial section and create files labeled Taxes 2006, Taxes 2005, and Receipts. You probably won’t have anything to put into the Taxes 2006 file yet, but you will file receipts for cash and check purchases. Credit card receipts should be stapled to credit card statements and filed accordingly. Depending on your tax situation, you can create other files pertinent to your tax records.
Finally, maintain, maintain, maintain! File documents as you work on them or schedule time once a week. You’ll be saving time and reducing stress; not only next tax season but all year.
“We cannot manage time; we can only manage ourselves in relation to time. We cannot control how much time we have; we can only control how we use it. We cannot choose whether to spend it, but only how. Once we’ve wasted time, it’s gone – and it cannot be replaced.”
Alec Mackenzie, “The Time Trap”
Is your day full of interruptions? Are you working 24/7 and still not getting anything done? Your situation is not uncommon. Today’s working environment is high-speed, high-demand and people expect immediate results. Interruptions and expectations are a real time trap and it is becoming more difficult to get out from the demands of the business world.
One of the best books on time management is called “The Time Trap” by Alec Mackenzie. He provides a list of the top 20 time wasters and writes, “The true cause underlying most of these time wasters is found within the person who allows his or her time to be wasted.”
While we can’t list all 20 in this column, here are the top six reasons why we allow so many interruptions. See if any of these apply to you:
- You don’t want to be discourteous.
- You want to be considered an available manager.
- You assume the call will be significant, and therefore a legitimate interruption.
- You like to stay informed about what’s going on.
- You think you probably know the answer to the caller’s question better than anyone else would.
Mr. Mackenzie continues by noting that chief executives listed their five top biggest time wasters. Note that all are externally generated; i.e. blaming others:
- Incomplete information for solution
Sound familiar? If the answer is yes, you will be interested in the author’s reply to these externally generated time wasters. He says, “The reality is that these items are self-generated as follows:
- Attempting too much at once
- Unrealistic time estimates
This list doesn’t apply only to executives. Most of us have at least one of these characteristics. Here are a few solutions offered by the author:
Attempting too much at once – Analyze tendency to take on things your team and others could be doing. Delegate more and say no when appropriate.
Unrealistic time estimates – Recognize that everything takes longer than you think. Analyze characteristic underestimates, then add appropriate cushion to all critical estimates (20 to 50 percent).
Procrastinating – Recognize danger inherent in putting off key actions: leads to deadline pressures and often to impaired judgment under stress.
Not listening – Get in the habit of repeating the key points of a conversation or meeting so you clearly understand what is needed.
Not saying no – What is the worst thing that will happen if you say no? Be realistic with what you can do and how quickly you can do it. Be upfront about what you can handle.
Time management is personal management. While there is always the unexpected, with careful planning and organizing you can choose how you manage your time.
To Do or Not To Do? Lists, that is.
The advantages to keeping a current To Do list are to set priorities and focus on what is important; helping you control your day, increase productivity and relieve stress. There are many options on how to maintain your list. It’s very important to set up a system that works for you – one size does not fit all!
Putting your list together should be quick and easy; anything over 15 minutes is not time-effective. Daily lists are straight-forward, however, weekly lists are advantageous to save time and provide an “at-a-glance” overview. Your To Do list should be designed to help get you back on track when the unexpected happens (and it will) so be flexible and give yourself plenty of advance time for upcoming projects. Tasks should be listed or numbered in order of importance and include realistic completion times.
Here are some To Do list ideas to help get you started:
- Ruled Pad – Kept daily, this works well for people who are at their desks most of the day. It is easy to update although needs to be rewritten every day. The trap is spending too much time preparing the list and not enough time doing what’s on the list.
- Calendar (paper) - Putting your tasks directly on your calendar works well for people who want to see their day or week at a glance. It’s beneficial for scheduling tasks around your appointments around your tasks. It’s also a time-saver because you enter and view information in one place.
- Planner (paper) – Similar to a calendar, planners include sections for daily and weekly tasks, appointments and activities – all at a glance. Although it takes longer to complete, this works well for people who like to categorize their tasks.
- PDA – Personal Digital Assistants are great tools for tracking your tasks and calendar. Popular for people who out of the office a lot and need instant access to their schedule, the disadvantage is viewing one screen at a time. Cell phones work much the same way but it can take a long time to enter and find information.
- Electronic Programs – Microsoft Outlook, ACT, and DayTimer are just a few ways of electronically tracking your tasks, however, you may need to print out the list(s) for reference if you are out of the office frequently.
- Tickle or tickler file – An 8 ½” x 11” expandable folder, numbered 1 – 31 for each day of the month, this works well for people who like to write their tasks on notes. The notes should be filed in the corresponding date, allowing adequate lead-time for upcoming projects. The tickle file must be checked daily.
For people who are rarely in an office, such as a maintenance person or restaurant worker, keeping a list on a clipboard or entering tasks in a pocket notebook is a great way to track tasks.
The best part of keeping a To Do list? Crossing off tasks when they are complete – what a great sense of accomplishment!
Resort Organization
Mary is a manager at a small, yet busy resort. She is pulled in all directions and frequently works long days. Routine office procedures don’t work for her since she’s barely in the office long enough to establish a routine. On a typical day, she reviews incoming reservations, deals with guest problems, runs to the store for sweet rolls, finds a local repair service to fix a broken dryer, fills in for an absent housekeeper, answers the phone, books an upcoming tour, takes reservations and greets guests in a pleasant manner. Her office is a disaster. Employees are always dropping things off on her desk which then get buried under stacks of papers. She’s continually looking for tour group files and phone numbers.
Prior to the season there isn’t enough help. And during the season the pace is nonstop and the demands can be endless. A high-maintenance guest can take up a great deal of time. Mary sometimes works different shifts; working late one evening and returning early the next morning. Does this sound like you? If so, how can you get organized?
There is generally a lull between Memorial Day and July 4th; a perfect time to get some systems in place to help reduce some of the seasonal stress. Let’s review a few ideas:
- Apply the daily 15-minute rule: Do nothing else but review what’s on your desk for the first 15 minutes of your shift (or come in 15 minutes early, if necessary). Sort through the papers and file as needed. Don’t turn on the computer or check phone messages. You will be amazed at what you can get done with 15 minutes of uninterrupted time!
- Keep an in-tray in an easy-to-access location for staff to leave files, notes, etc. Review the contents a couple times a day and act on priority items. Less important items can be added to your To Do list and filed (or placed in your tickle file) to be dealt with later.
- For messages requiring immediate attention, how about a small bulletin board on your office door or near your work area? Be careful not to let this become cluttered with old messages; remove them and act on them the same day.
- Create one folder for pending groups; information for potential tour groups, etc., should be filed alphabetically. This will keep a multitude of notes off your desk and information will be easy to find when needed. Once the tour is booked, create a folder for that group and file it right away.
- Checklists are a great tool to help keep you organized. It’s worth taking the time to create checklists because they can save so much time later on.
- Delegate! Whenever possible, have front desk personnel return phone calls or assist you with projects.
There are days that are going to get away from you; that can’t be avoided. By having systems in place, you’ll be able to get back on track. You can do it!
Dear Business Organizer
My daughter called me late one night, hysterical because she lost 2/3rds of her term paper. She had highlighted some text to format the font and saved the document, or so she thought. She was in a hurry and didn’t realize that she deleted the highlighted text and saved the changes. When she opened the document up later, she discovered most of it was missing. She had to rewrite the missing text overnight because the term paper was due the next morning. What can she do so this doesn’t happen in the future?
Frantic Mother
Dear Frantic Mother,
I think we’ve all done the same thing at one time or another. Here are a few time-saving and stress-reducing tips:
- Save different drafts of long documents, i.e. Term Paper Draft 1, Term Paper Draft 2, etc. That way she’ll always have a previous draft to refer to. It’s also handy to have the older versions in case she wants to add some old text into the newest version. Once the document is 100% complete, delete the older drafts.
- Back up, back up, back up! If her computer crashes, she could lose everything. Back ups should be done each time she’s done working on something new.
- For shorter documents such as letters, quick reports, etc., it’s a good idea to “save as you go.” Saving the document to the hard drive several times while typing; every couple of paragraphs is a good idea. (Both MS Word and Word Perfect have auto-save features which she can set up in Options.)
- Back up the hard drive on a regular basis. Memory keys hold a lot of information and just plug into a USB port. Otherwise, a floppy or zip disk is all she needs.
I hope she aced that term paper!
Dear Business Organizer,
I need help with my personal bills. It takes forever to get through them sometimes I end up paying late fees because I put it off so long. Help!
Bill Paying Procrastinator
Dear Procrastinator,
It’s more manageable to pay a few bills a week, rather than everything all at once. You’ll have a much better handle on your money; you know how much you have, or don’t have, rather than guessing. It’s usually easier to find a couple hundred dollars than a couple thousand dollars.
Designate one time each week to pay the bills with the earliest due date. Write the checks, record in your computer if you use bookkeeping software, and mark the bills paid (date, check # and amount). File the paid bills in one folder marked “Paid Bills 2006.” In 10 or 15 minutes, you’re done!
If you don’t get paid every week, you could consider paying bills every other week but no longer than that. Otherwise you’re buried underneath the point of no return.
The benefit to this? No more late fees or interest.
Looking Busy
Have you ever felt guilty about spending time organizing your desk or files? Do you feel you’re not really working when you’re organizing; that you should be doing something more productive? If you answered yes to just one of these, you’re not alone.
It’s strange that getting organized can be perceived as wasting time, but spending time looking for things seems to be OK. Looking for things gives the appearance of being busy when, in fact, you’re spinning your wheels and wasting valuable time. Here’s a great example of how my own work was perceived by an employer before I lived in Door County:
My performance review indicated I needed to “show a greater sense of urgency.” “What does that mean?” I asked my boss, whom I’ll call John Smith. John explained that one of the directors commented that I never appeared to be busy. He assumed that I wasn’t really working or I just didn’t have enough to do. John compared me to my co-worker (Mary) who was always rushing around, going from one thing to another, and had a desk that was barely visible due to the amount of clutter.
What John and his boss failed to realize is that Mary was not productive. She frequently misplaced files. When she needed to deliver documents to another office, she often forgot items. This meant returning to the office, wasting time looking for the items, and rushing out the door to make a second or third trip to the other office. She gave the appearance of being busy but didn’t accomplish much.
Then there was me. Being detailed-oriented, mandatory for my job, I would review my list of things to do and plan accordingly. Any jobs that required me to trek to the other office were combined so I only had to make one trip each day. I also made sure I had everything I needed before I left. Save time, save cost. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
I was dumbfounded to say the least and I didn’t hesitate to share my feelings with my boss. Oddly enough, John knew I was more productive than Mary. He just wanted me to give the appearance of being busy – rushing about, etc. – to appease his boss. I told him that I was going to continue to work in the same manner since it was suited my personality and would result in greater productivity.
To this day, I continue to be baffled by his request to “show a greater sense of urgency.” Even though he knew I was extremely productive, I was asked to copy my co-worker’s ineffective work habits for the purpose of looking busier (and being less productive). In essence, he requested that I “be like Mary” for the sake of appearance.
There are people who are productive while working in a disorganized fashion, but they are in the minority. It pays to take the time to stop, think and get organized. Not only does save cost for the employer, but it also greatly reduces stress.
As to my former employer? Well, if there’s a top ten list of stupid statements made by a boss, I believe “show a greater sense of urgency” is the winner. Go figure.
