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Organize Your Files 
Piles & Piles of Paper: Real Life Case Study by Barb Friedman 'My papers are out of control' is a universal mantra today. Statistics show that each one of us receives 2700 pieces of junk mail per year. That is a lot of extra paper. No wonder we feel like we're drowning in it...we are. Let's take a look at a client that I have been working with. She is bright, loves to be busy, and is a true leader. Diane is a very involved and active part of the community she lives in. She is a volunteer member on several different boards, all of which deal with emerging women related issues. In addition, she chairs two of the boards. Diane is a well-respected, hard working person who has placed the welfare of others as her main goal. She is very ‘together’ on the outside and from all appearances, you think she is perfect! Alas, once I started working with Diane, the papers began to overwhelm us! Literally, papers were everywhere: in the kitchen, in several briefcases, next to the computer, on a desk, and in her bedroom night stand. She couldn’t find information when she needed it and spent countless hours re-tracing her steps looking for it. Diane was frustrated and realized that she needed help. We decided that she was in ‘crisis’ mode and her stress level was off the charts. Diane’s main obstacle was that her paper was so out of control that she didn’t even know how or where to begin. Drum roll: enter a professional organizer! It was important to teach Diane the skills and process so she could learn to maintain the system by herself. The techniques Diane learned are: 1. How to prioritize. It is important to understand how to determine the priorities in your life. Once you are aware of what they are, you can begin to plan for them to happen. 2. How to generalize and sort - to begin streamlining papers, start sorting into ‘general’ categories. The topics will begin to create themselves. This will help you to know what files and binders you will need. 3. Containerize: use hanging files, interior file folders and binders to create paper systems that are easy to use and easy to maintain. (We used lots of binders: one for each of her board positions; one for the history of the project, etc.) Diane applied these principles to organizing her paper files, computer files, and projects. She understood the importance of creating a plan and sticking to it. Recently I called to check up on Diane. She was so relaxed and upbeat. She said that while at a board meeting, a discussion took place regarding a past decision. She was the only board member to find the necessary information in her binder. What a coup! Admiration for her skills definitely went up a few notches. Not only did she know she was a success, she felt it too! © 2005 - Barb Friedman - Organize IT Get organizing tips, ideas articles and more at the Organized IT web site. http://www.organizeitbiz.com Editors and publishers may reprint this article as long as it's reprinted in its entirety and the signature line remains intact. Please direct a courtesy copy to 
or snail mail it to: Barb Friedman Organize IT 9411 North Waverly Drive Milwaukee WI 53217
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