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 Restoring
Order to Your Home
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CBN.com
– There is no more stressful organizing
challenge for my clients than dealing with the
overwhelming and constant flow of incoming paper.
Some people tell me they’d just like to throw a
burning match at their desk and take care of their
paper for good. If you’re overwhelmed by the
capture, processing, and management of paper,
you’re completely normal. Don’t resort to arson;
there is a better way!
I am going to use this column and the next one
to help you deal with that vexing paper you’ve got
covering your desk, stacked on your floor, and
shoved in your junk drawer. By the time we’re
done, you will have a framework to begin tackling
your nemesis. This column will present the nature
of our paper, what our paper mismanagement is
costing us, and the need for systems. The next
column will explain the five paper management
systems everyone needs at home and at work, so be
sure to stay tuned for Part II.
All forms of paper enter our homes and offices
every day. From junk mail, to bills and invoices,
to circulars and advertisements, to catalogs to
coupons, we are drowning in the growing piles of
paper. This new paper just compounds our problems
with our old paper. Our existing piles, stacks,
and outdated files add to our confusion. Our file
cabinet is tightly packed with who-knows-what and
we can barely see the surface of our desk.
A REFLECTION OF OUR ACTIVITIES
I simply believe that all of our resources are
gifts to be managed with purpose. Our resources
include our time, our talents, our space, and our
possessions. But did you know that your paper is a
resource, too? Why? Our paper records and reflects
our activities. Our documents hold up a mirror to
what we’ve been up to and records what we value.
In the personal realm, our receipts, bills,
checkbook, and credit card statements reflect that
into which we are choosing to invest our finances.
Our catalogs and magazines reflect our interests
and how we spend our time. At work, our projects
reflect our current efforts and all that we’re
juggling. Our files contain our resource material
and record our past efforts. In short, our paper
is important because it is an ever-present shadow
of our lives and as such it deserves our
stewardship.
Paper documents our activities. If our life is
out of control, it is going to show up in our
paper record. The good news is we can actually
restore some control to our life by delving into
this fascinating set of records and bringing order
and out chaos. If your paper is managed correctly,
it will bring you great peace of mind. You will
know what to do next instead of wondering what
you’re missing and what has fallen through the
cracks. Effective paper systems will help you
regain power to be proactive instead of putting
out fires and being reactive.
THE COST OF PAPER MISMANAGEMENT
There are costs to our paper problem beyond just
mess and stress. Paper dysfunction costs us in the
pocketbook. At home, paper covers our kitchen
counters and migrates all over the house. We are
incurring late fees on our bills and un-returned
videos. Some of my clients have even had their
lights and water turned off as a result of unpaid
bills missing in action.
The costs of paper mismanagement aren’t just
incurred at home. At work, the average
professional wastes about an hour a day searching
for documents and information, adding up to six
work weeks per year. (For a professional with a
$120,000 annual salary, the cost to the employer
of this search is $15,000 in lost days and
productivity.)
Not only are there direct costs for this
frantic paper search, there are indirect costs as
well. Mismanaged paper produces the following
indirect detrimental costs in our personal and
professional lives:
- Damaged credibility
- Personal stress
- Interpersonal tension
- Diminished competence
- Lack of confidence
- Stymied productivity
At work, we understand that there are costs in
sorting, filing, and locating documents, and an
extra cost if a lost document must be re-created.
Therefore, if you can implement effective paper
management systems, these systems will reduce
confusion, contain administrative costs, and
simplify life. At home, however, the same cost
exists. We may not see a cost in “overhead” as a
business does, but our time is invested looking
for paper, recreating it, and shuffling it instead
of investing in the things that truly matter to
us. Since our time is a limited resource, the way
we spend it is either an asset or a liability.
Stumbling through life burdened by ineffective
paper systems is a liability.
INVEST IN SYSTEMS
Almost every client with whom I work needs help
managing paper, in varying degrees. Some just need
a system to capture their incoming mail and take
action on items requiring attention. Some lack an
effective filing system and need a filing overhaul
because permanent papers have no destination and
just stack up on their surfaces. We pile because
we don’t file. We need some systems to simplify
our paper.
In my work as a professional organizer, I’ve
observed that there are at least five basic paper
management systems my clients universally seem to
need. I’ve titled them all with the letter “P” to
make them easy to remember:
- Processing—a system to deal with incoming
and actionable paper
- Projects—a system to manage current or
pending material
- People—a system for transferring paper and
information to people
- Permanent—a system to store paper you will
reference again and again
- Perpetual—a system to store loose paper that
hangs around
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of
customizing each of these five systems to the
roles, thinking patterns, habits, and work style
of each client. I extensively interview each
client in their unique environment to discover
their individual needs. Systems that are
personalized are intuitive to the individual and
are easy to use and maintain. On the other hand,
systems that are imposed tend to hinder a person’s
productivity, and may eventually be abandoned.
Stay tuned to Part II to learn more about each of
these five systems so you can fit them to your
particular needs and preferences.
The time you will spend figuring out what you
need and setting up effective paper management
systems will be an investment in your sanity. You
will be practicing better stewardship of your
resources and you may even prevent arson!
Some parts adapted from Restoring Order™ to
Your Home a room-by-room household organizing
guide copyright © 2007 by Vicki Norris (available
in bookstores and at www.RestoringOrder.com).
Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR.
About the Author: Vicki Norris is an expert
organizer, business owner, speaker, television
personality, and author who inspires people to
live out their priorities. Norris is a regular on
HGTV’s nationally syndicated Mission:
Organization, and is a recurrent source and
contributor to national lifestyle publications
including Quick & Simple magazine, Better Homes &
Gardens, and Real Simple magazine. Norris’
premiere book Restoring Order : Organizing
Strategies to Reclaim Your Life™ (copyright 2006)
is also published by Harvest House Publishers. |
