So many times I hear "I've started to get organized but I didn't finish". "It just makes things worse because there isn't enough time to get it all done, so why bother"? 
Getting through the entire process can be long and tedious. Getting started is part of the problem. Buyt once you get started, how do you make sure that you finish? When it comes to organizing piles of paperwork, the sorting system is general. You start your categories such as: car, house, bills, warranty and medical, just to name a few. It is easy to remove paperwork from the boxes and sort through everything. What can happen though is that the system easily falls apart because as the sorting becomes more detailed, it becomes more tedious. And now you have multiple piles of paperwork instead of one box. The box is looking pretty good right now!
Taking all of the paperwork and putting it into a system that works is the stressful part - and how big of a space do you need to sort through everything can be deceiving. In order to manage it all you may need quite a large space. Last week we had this issue. We ended up laying out every out on top of a bed. This quickly became back-breaking work. Bending over to pick up paperwork and sort through it quickly became discouraging. So we needed a solution!
The solution to too sorting through boxes of paperwork is to..... Purchase several vertical file systems - the wire kind that hold file folders work very well. These are what I use on my desk to keep my most vital paperwork handy. They take up very little space on your flat surface and will allow you to hold up to 8 files in a very limited space. Simply drop the paperwork into the files. An easy way to identify what type of paperwork is in each file is to simply take a colored sticky note and place it on the side of each file folder. Using a black marker, boldly write the name of the file on the sticky note. To make it even easier, rotate the sticky notes - alternating the sticky notes on the left and right, some lower on the file folder and some higher on the file folder. The key is to be able to look at all eight folders and be able to easily see the file name. To make it even easier, you can alphabetize your stick notes, i.e. auto, bills, house, medical, warranty.
Just about everyone "makes" at least one New Year's Resolution. One of the 
most popular Resolutions is to Get Organized. Every year we have the best of intentions that This Year will be The year that it Really happens! Really...cross your fingers, hope to die! You Will make the necessary changes and do whatever it takes, Right? And you are willing and ready to jump in with both feet! You'll even write it all down, put it on our calendar and make promises to yourself that this IS the year.
The truth is that keeping a New Year Resolution takes more than all of this. You must realize not just what you want to change, but Why you want to change. When you look at your space, office, paperwork or life, does it just drive you nuts? What are you willing to do - besides throwing in the towel and saying, I just can't do it?
You may consciously be self-sabotaging yourself , which is the reason that it hasn't changed....Yet! Ask yourself this question - If my space was organized what would it look like? Close your eyes and visualize your space neat, tidy, organized and filed. Picture yourself sitting at your desk writing contracts, filling orders, talking with clients, paying your bills and smiling at the increase in your bank account.
What I know is that nothing will change until something changes. In other words, until you take specific and methodical action to Keep Your Resolutions, they won't happen and you will stay in the same rut in 2012. And, no matter what plans your plans include and how detailed they are, it takes dedication and a change in your attitude to make it happen.
The words and thoughts that we tell ourselves every day will dictate what we accomplish, how we manage our time and whether or not we reach our goals. So here are some steps to hold yourself accountable to reaching your New Year Resolutions!
This is a great week to take some time to prepare for 2012. We can schedule in a little down-time to catch up on the things that we haven't had a chance to do all year. Maybe that is just taking some time to rest! Many businesses will take this week to catch up on paperwork, de-cluttering the office and closing up the books for the year.
This whole process of closing out one year and beginning a new year can run smooth as clock work when your space is organized and your systems are in place. Before you start preparing for your 2012 goals give your home office a check-up. What paperwork is looming in a file box (or on the floor)?* What systems have worked for you this year - and what systems need to be tweaked or re-vamped totally.
Tweaking a system can be a great option to save time, money and a whole lot of headaches. One of the best changes that I made in 2011 was to begin using my android cell phone to help me track my mileage. I installed the mileage tracker application to my android phone and it has made it extremely easy to manage my car mileage for tax purposes. It takes just a few minutes in my car to document my beginning mileage and a short explanation of where I am going. This is a huge time-saver for me and I'll soon be downloading it into an excel spreadsheet as my documentation for taxes.
I am also finding that a lot of small business owners are in need of tweaking their filing systems. Having the basic files set up the will enable you to manage daily paperwork can be the easiest and simplest way to stay organized. It is so easy to just convince yourself that you will do the filing later. By the time that an inbox is over-flowing and papers are stacked into wonderful neat and tidy piles throughout the office, the whole thought of tackling the paperwork becomes too much to consider. Now, it will take hours of time from you day - and who has hours to dedicate to paperwork (better yet, who really wants to)?
Take some time this week to tweak your systems. Remember to keep the necessary files that you use on a daily basis handy on your desk. I recommend using a vertical filing system that is graduated. Having the graduated slots to store your daily files makes it easier to just drop in your paperwork. This eliminates the need to thumb through files to get to the one that you need. You'll be able to see what you need immediately. This would be used for things like your current client files; a dedicated place to put your paperwork which needs to be filed and generic files for papers that are important to you and your business. It will take less room on your desk and give you the ability to file papers away immediately, vs. stacking them in an "inbox". Of course, keeping paperwork under control takes discipline. It must be handled every day (or at least every week)!
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