When did those small piles of clutter start growing? The pile that contains one article you want to read, a list for the next team meeting, notes from the last meeting with your boss, instructions and multiple other papers that you need to do something with.
\nWhen the clutter gets too big, you tend to ignore it because it becomes too big of a project to quickly clear up. Then every time you ignore that pile your brain sends a little negative message that once again you failed to get that clutter under control. You start to wonder what important paper did you miss in that pile and what happens if you don\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t get to it on time?
\nOr have you tried to look for the missing file that you really need today and hope that it is in the stack waiting to be sorted. How much time and energy does that take away from your energy level for the day?
\nThis applies to your e mail in box too. How many e mails are there that you keep skimming over? How much time does it take to find the one you saved when you really need it?
\nThe hidden cost of clutter at work or home is the time we spend thinking about doing something with it along with the worry that we are missing important things in that pile.
\nThose small worries distract you from working on more important projects.
\nHere are four ideas to help you manage all the information that flows your way.<\/p>\n
One
\nGet a basket that serves as your IN box.
\nEverything goes into that basket first. If you have a lot of loose papers floating around, capture them and place them all into that one basket. No matter how big the pile is, be determined to get them all into one place.<\/p>\n
Two
\nTake one paper at a time from that in box and take the action required to process that paper.
\nYour only choices are:
\nFile it as reference
\nDelegate it by passing to someone else
\nDiscard it as not useful
\nPlace the information on your schedule as a time sensitive event
\nFile it as specific project \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u20ac\u0153you have a project folder set up for it<\/p>\n
Three
\nDevelop a file system that you count on to hold information in a way that you will be able to find it again when you need it. That is the main reason we hate to put things out of sight. Experiment with folders and labels that work for you.
\nI have a file for each day of the week where I place items I need for just the next week ahead. For that system to work; I must open the Monday file every Monday or things get missed.<\/p>\n
Four
\nStart small with spending 20 minutes a day clearing up the paper pile.
\nA good rule is to deal with items that really take 2 minutes as they come across your desk immediately. The lesson is learning what really takes only 2 minutes of time.<\/p>\n
Start with a small area and create a clutter free zone. At first maybe only one part of your desk is clutter free. Keep testing your system. And adjust as needed.
\nThe reward is a clear open space for projects without distractions.<\/p>\n
The secret is to first capture all those loose pieces of information. Second, sort those papers as they come in and file or park them in a place that you trust you will have them when you need to take action. This simple process will allow your brain to relax about things and information that you need in the future.
\nWhen you have a system to manage information, you can stay focused on ideas and projects right in front of you.
\nThere is freedom in knowing that you have captured all the loose information in one place and you now have a system to deal with it.<\/p>\n
Gwen Pettit is a life coach who helps people balance life, work and play. If clutter in your life has you in overwhelm mode, call her for a sample strategy session on organizing your stuff to balance your life.<\/p>\n