My Organized Biz

Instead of waiting until you have time to complete an entire task, tackle small ones when you see them.  They may not seem like much, but they’re one less item on your “to do” list.

File mail as it comes in and toss out junk.
File even one piece that accumulates on your desk; for instance, my husband just opened his mail and handed me an insurance paper.  Instead of leaving it on my desk, I’ll stick it in the correct file. 
Haul a box/file/bag to the next room when you head in that direction.
Clear a counter
Take meal dishes to the sink when …read more

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Do you use a system with an “in” box and “out” box?  Do the papers accumulate there until the inbox, especially is overflowing?
One of My Organized Biz readers commented:
If you can keep track of the papers and not let them get buried or lost, then I think that’s great. Putting them in your inbox is a good way to keep them from getting lost. What do you do with them afterwards? I’m curious as to how you process them when you go through your inbox.
 That can be a problem…letting the papers, notes, letters accumulate in the inbox until it’s overflowing or the …read more

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It seems such a simple practice that it’s not worth mentioning.  But I’ve discovered many people comment, “Why didn’t I think of that!”
Decide upon a color for various topics in your files, then code anything pertaining to each with a particular color…whether it’s the ink you use for writing on the file folder, the color of the label, the paper clips you use (some come in various colors), even the color of the folders themselves.
When I was researching and writing a resource book for writers, my editor set up a filing system for my research by color coding the labels on …read more

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It’s still early enough in the year to be thinking of ways you can be organized for the next 11-12 months. And one great way to do that is getting your computer files in order. As we get busy, it’s easy to just save a file, a receipt, an invoice in whatever folder pops up when you hit save. But is it really convenient when you have to dig for that file later?
Take some time to think about how you use your computer. What items do you save on it? How often do you need to refer back to it? …read more

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When you’re organizing your space, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are a lot of choices out there. Just a quick glance into The Container Store can give you more options than you ever thought were possible.
So how do you decide what to use? There are binders, magazine files, stacking trays, vertical desktop organizers, file cabinets, shoe boxes, regular boxes.
First, you need to look at your needs. What types of items do you plan to store? For how long?
What items do you have on hand? Will they work for your storage needs? Just because a magazine file is made for …read more

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One quick way to group files into easily manageable bites is to use color coding. By grouping categories of files – such as financial, marketing, administration – you’ll better see what you need at a glance.
Visually grouping your files will help when you’re filing. You can quickly see where something needs to go. An invoice? Oh, that goes in green (it’s okay to have more than one green folder, of course). You zero in on the section you need and then you can look at labels and find the correct file.
And those same groupings will help when you need to …read more

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File drawers are nice for organizing your files and keeping things off of your desktop. But sometimes you need a file accessible and easy to grab. If you have a project that you’re constantly working on, looking things up, adding bits of paper to the file, referring to notes, you need that file at hand. If you have to retrieve it from a drawer multiple times a day, it can get irritating and also slow you down.
Yet you don’t necessarily want to leave it lying on your desktop either. It could get covered up. Things could get knocked out of …read more

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Let’s say you have a fabulous idea for a business. It could be a service, or a product, and you just know it’s going to do well. Maybe you’re already in demand, with friends and family encouraging you to strike out on your own. It could be something as simple as selling your artwork, or handmade products on etsy. Or maybe you’re a great assistant, manager, or consultant.
But you don’t have a lot of office experience when it comes to managing your own stuff. Did someone else always do it for you? Was it just not necessary when you weren’t …read more

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(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – I stumbled across an article on Apartment Therapy about creating a table of contents for your filing cabinet. The writer suggested that you make a list of files in the order in which they appear in your cabinet and then attach it to the outside of your cabinet. The theory was that it will help you know where to look for an important file.
Honestly, I think that may be a little bit of overkill. Unless you have a lot of filing cabinets, is this really necessary? Most of us have one or two – maybe even three – …read more

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Image details: Filing System served by picapp.com
(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – When it comes to organizing your files, you want to make sure that you can find what you need when you need it. It sounds simple doesn’t it? If it takes more than a couple of minutes for you to find something in your files, then you may need to update your filing process.
I used to file all of my bills by type: electric, phone, car, water, etc. But when it was time to file, it took a while. I had to look at each bill, decide what category it went …read more

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