How to lose 10+ pounds during National Organize Your Files Week! - at your fingertips organizing

Did you know that the third full week in April (April 16-22, 2017) is National Organize Your Files Week.  And I’m also willing to bet that you have some files at work and/or home that need organization and possibly purging? 

What makes it even more special is the fact that Earth Day falls on Saturday, April 22  of the same week.  So you’re probably asking yourself “what’s the connection?”.   The connection is this…  you can complete just 1 activity yet cross 2 things off your To Do list.  The activity offers individuals the opportunity to empty file drawers AND fill recycling bins both at work and at home.  THIS is how you can lose 10+ pounds in a week! 🙂

​I started out as a Residential Organizer but then added Workplace Productivity to my portfolio of services. As a result, a large part of my business is paper management. I spend countless hours helping individuals sort through their paper and then figure out what to do with it.  
Most often people let it accumulate for a number of reasons:

• Purging paperwork is not an activity that typically makes it on to someone’s calendar/To Do list 
• People don’t know what to keep and what to get rid of so they do nothing out of fear that they will throw something critical away
• People have so many balls to juggle these days that paperwork management is never on anyone’s radar.

Here are a few easy tips to clean out your file systems at work and/or home:

• Pull out your calendar and schedule time to go through your paperwork… whether it’s 15 minutes a day or 1 hours a week.. just do it!
• Manage your mail. Use tools like catalogchoice.org and DMAchoice.org to stop getting credit card offers and circulars you don’t want. 
• Unsubscribe from Newsletters or Magazines that you don’t read.
• When trying to decide whether to keep a piece of paper with important information, ask yourself the question… can I access this information online or elsewhere? If the answer is yes, you may not have to retain the hardcopy.
• Paperwork that you need to access often should be filed/stored so it’s easily accessible.   Paperwork that doesn’t need to be accessed as often (old taxes, legal, medical, etc.) can be stored further away
• Have you considered digitizing old paperwork (i.e. warranties, etc.)? This solves 2 problems.  It reduces the amount of paper you have to retain and if organized correctly, it should be “At Your Fingertips” if/when you need it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips!  Now stop stalling and start going through your paperwork! 

“Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.”  Barbara Hemphill

Brenda Tringali, HR, Organizing & Productivity Specialist for your Home or Workplace
At YourFingertips Organizing
 Serving MA, NH, or “virtually” anywhere (via phone/video)
​603.490.6062