We hear it all the time, “I am drowning in paperwork!” The phrase resonates in a variety of ways, but for most of us it relates to unorganized clutter and misuse of paper! Why is it that we come to work dressed in a well organized outfit, shoes, matching earrings or necktie, yet our work space looks more unorganized than an attic. Just about everyone feels their office could be better organized and just about everything employees do at the office involves paper, despite the onset of the “computer age” and the recent push for some offices to go paperless. No matter what size business you have, a home based one-person business or a 500 person company, paper clutter is inevitable and can over-take your business at a rapid speed. Paper use is growing six to eight percent each year and the number of pages printed more than double from 1995 to 2005. Employees are frustrated with employers as it pertains to organizing and vice versa, but what are you doing about it?
According to the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) executives spend more than six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information from messy desks and files. What’s more, 80% of what you file, you never look at again so why are so we so afraid of letting go of paper? Oh, and did I mention employees spend 55 minutes each day looking for misplaced items?
The simple truth is for small and large businesses, it takes some effort on the front end and then daily maintenance to control your paper management system. A small investment of time and energy, but vital to survive today’s paper explosion.
Everyday we, at Savvy Solutions, see businesses struggle with disorganization. Papers, post-it notes, piles, stacks, unused file cabinets, disordered computer files; the list goes on and on. So why are businesses hesitant to organize? Some people feel it will cramp their style, it will stifle creativity and some even believe the time spent getting organized is not cost-effective. While there is no one system that fits all, simply having a paper system in place can contribute greatly to your ability to accomplish a task and protect the bottom line.
Before developing your system (of which we would be happy to assist) you need to reduce your paper. Start by sorting your paper keeping like items together; newspaper, client files, marketing, invoices, etc. Recycle or shred all unneeded paper. Unneeded paper is paper that is not current, paper you can find elsewhere and paper you will not use. It is also handy to transfer information from paper to your calendar, to-do list, contacts or Rolodex. Finally, contain the remaining paper according to your use; active, reference or archive. There are many containers to choose from, but once you’ve selected the right one for your needs, use labels so they are easy for you and others to retrieve. It’s just that simple.
I challenge businesses to get organized today. Stop saying you will get to it when there’s a lull, or over a holiday or a long weekend. Living organized is all about being productive all the time so you can spend your weekends and holidays doing what you love. It’s never going to be the right time and the longer you wait the larger the pile will be. Take action and get organized now; the piles are not getting any smaller.
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