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 Restoring
Order to Your Home
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CBN.com –
Paper comes at us at mach speed. It comes in junk
mail, snail mail, and e-mail (because we love to
push the “print” button). We haul it around in our
briefcases, back packs, handbags, and purses. From
receipts to advertisements to file folders to take
out menus, very few of us know what to do with the
variety and scope of paper we receive on a daily
basis.
In my last column, I shared with you the nature
of our paper, what our paper mismanagement is
costing us, and the need for good organizational
systems. Here I want to share with you the five
paper management systems everyone needs at home
and at work. In my work as a professional
organizer, I’ve named them all to start with the
letter “p” so that you can remember and practice
them more easily. Below are the five “P’s” of
paper management:
Processing
The traditional “inbox” doesn’t work. People just
stack all their incoming (and current) papers into
it, and it just becomes a receptacle. The
processing system is the most important system you
will establish in your home or office and it will
change the way you deal with paper.
Your processing system will provide a place to
pre-sort your mail and incoming paper. This system
is the first point of contact paper should have
with your home or office. At home, you can locate
this system in your kitchen (if the mail lands
here first) or the home office. At work, every
individual should have a processing system within
easy reach at his or her desk.
The paper processing system should be located
on the desktop, very close to the user. I like
using trays to capture paper in most processing
centers I establish. This way, the user can see
right into the system and note that there are
still items there to be dealt with.
In your processing system, you will sort
paper—not by what it is—but instead by
what needs to happen to it. In other
words, you will ask yourself “what do I need to do
with this piece of paper?” Do you need to read it,
pay it, do it, file it, or take some other type of
action? Once you see some common types of action
needed, you can make labels accordingly. (TO DO,
TO READ, TO FILE, TO DECIDE, TO CALL, etc.). The
types of paper to be processed (and the
corresponding label) will differ greatly at work
from home papers. Work categories will be tailored
to each person’s job description.
I call this system the “runway” because as I
like to joke with my clients, “there ain’t no
parkin’ on the runway…only landing and taking
off!” The point is: paper should land here only
temporarily and then be quickly moved on to
action.
For more information on how to process paper,
you can see the “Action
Center®” description on
my website.
Projects
The processing center “runway” is best for
managing quick-turn-over incoming paper. But what
about the paper that has a shelf life? Paper that
you can’t just pay and toss or speedily deal with?
You need “short term parking”!
It doesn’t make sense to put your current
papers into a filing system, where they will
reside among reference papers. We often forget
about paper we stick in a file drawer, and there
are certain pending projects that we need to keep
in our radar. We all need a system to manage those
projects.
I like to use file folders to store projects,
and I think it’s important to keep them upright in
a system on your desktop within your view so that
you can see them.
Project papers may include current items that
must go into a holding pattern until a decision is
reached (like a file on options for summer camps
for your kids). The upcoming trip to Disneyland or
a client task are also examples of projects.
Project papers are distinct from actionable
processing paper because a project usually
incorporates several steps and multiple pieces of
paper.
For more information on how to store projects,
you can see the “Project
Center®” description on
my website.
People
At home and at work we need a way to transfer
paper to others with whom we live and work.
At home, each family member might need a mail
slot to capture incoming mail and papers. I’ve
used trays, file folders, and mail slots for this
purpose, depending on preferences. Each file or
section can be labeled with each family member’s
name. A people paper management system must work
for the unique needs of each family. This system
can help teens learn how to manage paper, like
permission slips, church camp materials, etc.
Organizational systems equip kids with better
self-management skills.
At work, we need to communicate with
management, peers, and subordinates. A people
system is needed to capture information and paper
related to co-workers and any collaborative work.
Rather than constantly self-interrupting and
shuttling paper to our co-workers, we can capture
meeting notes, articles, and other paper in one
place for each person. On my desk, I have a file
for each employee so that I can store items I want
to discuss with them.
A people system is also excellent for capturing
meeting information, particularly for recurring
staff or departmental meetings.
Permanent
None of the systems above will last if you don’t
have a good filing system. Everyone needs “long
term parking” for their permanent paper. One of
the great mistakes people make is to neglect this
part of paper management, probably because it
takes the longest to set up, and requires many
decisions.
A proper filing system should only have 3-6
categories and be simple to maintain. Common
categories for home filing systems to manage
permanent paper include: “Personal”, “Household,”
“Financial”, and “Health.” Common professional
categories may include “Financial,” “Sales,”
“Marketing,” “HR,” and so on. It is essential not
to impose, but instead to discover these
categories by going through all the paper in your
home or office and seeing which categories emerge.
Name your categories something that make sense to
you (“Interests” might make more sense to you than
“Personal”.)
Filing usually is set up in file folders and
hanging files, but it doesn’t have to be. It can
be housed in binders, on vertical desktop files,
in accordion files, in portable containers, or a
myriad of other possibilities.
Perpetual
The last “P” of paper management is the paper that
hangs around forever. Perpetual paper is stuck in
your junk drawer, tacked to your fridge, taped
inside your cabinets, and stacked up on your
surfaces. It’s the take-out menus, business cards,
school information, and team rosters. It is the
paper that you frequently reference, but doesn’t
necessarily relate to each other. I’ve created a
Household Reference Binder that I use with my
clients to help people gather and organize all
this perpetual paper.
Hopefully these five “P’s” of paper management
will give you a place to start tackling your piles
and stacks. Remember, organizing your paper isn’t
just about making it look better; it’s about
creating systems to run your life more smoothly.
Some parts adapted fromRestoring
Order™ to Your Home a room-by-room household
organizing guidecopyright © 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. |
