Cleaning
Off Your Desktop
Probably the biggest challenge in
organizing is keeping the work space on your desktop clear
of clutter. The first step toward achieving this goal is
to set up an inbox system, which was discussed in last
week's column. The next step is to set up a
"permanent action file." The concept of the
permanent action file comes from the Taming the Paper
Tiger software http://www.thepapertiger.com,
created by Monticello Corporation and Barbara Hemphill.
Hemphill is the author of the outstanding organizing books
Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and Taming the Paper Tiger
at Work.
A permanent action file is
intended to organize the activities that you do over and
over again in a normal day or week. These actions usually
include making phone calls, waiting for return calls,
scheduling appointments, updating addresses and phone
numbers, and paying bills. Coincidentally, these same
actions are clutter creators. If you think about the
pieces of paper that are currently scattered about your
desk, you'll quickly realize that these papers came to
rest there because they haven't been assigned a home.
Your permanent action file can
take the form of a portable file box, such as the plastic
ones made by Stockwell (sold by Staples at http://www.staples.com/products/catalog/skuset.asp?skusetid=432286)
or Fellowes® http://www.fellowes.com/products/index.html,
or the mesh tabletop file holder made by Design Ideas™
(sold in Staples stores). Find one that will fit on your
desktop and will harmonize with its surroundings. It needs
to sit on the desktop so it will be within your eyesight
while you're working at your desk. This way, there's a
better chance that you'll check the file folders on a
regular basis to see what actions are pending. Fill the
file box with hanging file folders, preferably a different
color than you're using anywhere else in your filing
system. If you use a unique color, you'll always know
where the folders belong.
Now sit down and make a list of
the activities you do repeatedly. Looking at the papers
already sitting on your desk may give you some ideas, but
here are a few others that may help you focus on how to
label the file folders: address book entries; bills;
calendar entries; call; calls waiting; coupons; discuss;
errands; pending; read; write. If you don't like to
hand-write your labels, an alternative solution is to use
one of the new generation of label makers. My favorite is
the Brother PT-85 P-Touch Home & Hobby III Labeling
System
http://199.170.17.20/us-label/lineup-us/pt-85.html,
which sells for under $50 and can be used to label any
number of items.
Once you have your labels made
and have placed them inside the plastic tabs, insert the
tabs on the inside front of the file folder instead of the
inside back. This makes accessing the files a little more
efficient. And now you're ready to clean off that desktop
by putting the papers into their new homes in your
permanent action file. But remember: the only way this
system will function is if you check the files regularly
(i.e. once a day!) to see what calls you need to make or
what bills need paying. Then make it a goal to keep your
desktop clear of clutter.
Elizabeth Kelley
Kerstens, CGRS,
is the managing editor of Genealogical Computing,
editor of the Board for Certification of Genealogists’
newsletter OnBoard, the creator of Clooz—the
electronic filing cabinet for genealogical records, and a
frequent contributor to Ancestry. She can be
reached via e-mail at liz@ancestordetective.com.
