I have been talking lately about how I have been consciously clearing clutter in my office and in my business, in order to make way for the new things coming my way.
Organization is something I teach in my ‘Getting Started’ VA course, and I am happy and proud to be implementing some of the ideas that maybe I haven’t stuck close enough to over the years. I have a great filing system – I have a paper folder for each client, an email folder for each client, and an electronic folder for each client. I file all of their items in their respective folders. When I work on a client’s tasks, I take out their paper folder, I open their email and electronic folder, and then I have everything I need in front of me. Great system right? Right! The system is not my problem.
My problem is that I keep too much stuff. I am a paper junkie, and I am afraid to delete emails and electronic files in case I need them. Email saving is actually the worst thing for me – I keep thinking I’m going to need them at some point so I just keep making folders and backing them up. I know I won’t need them, but I still have this fear about deleting them.
Last weekend I make a conscious decision – NO MORE CLUTTER. I went through all of my paper files and kept only the pages that I definitely need (shredded the rest). I went through all of my emails (almost 20,000 eek!) , kept only what I really needed and deleted the rest (took a DEEP breath before emptying my trash!). Now I am going through my computer to address the electronic files (I’m actually pretty good in this area – I delete things on a regular basis, but I’m sure there is stuff I’ll still find that I don’t need).
The relief I feel from doing this is unbelievable. All this week I have been so happy to sit down at my desk. When I go to reach for that paper file, it’s sooo much lighter than it was last week, and I can find exactly what I need in it in a moment. When I open that email folder, there is only current information in it. It keeps my mind clear and focused and I find that I can get through my task list so easily, just because there is no clutter around me. It’s a wonderful feeling.
I recommend that my students try to get organized like this from the start. If you have a really busy couple of weeks, or if your business suddenly grows, it’s very easy to let things stack up, but if you start with a great system it’s really easy to pull it all back together when you need to.
If you don’t already have a system like this in place, I highly recommend you put it in place! If you do have one, take a look at it and make sure it’s working for you. Productivity will go way up when the clutter is out of the way!