Table of Contents
1. Quick Organizing Tips
2. Sorting – The step before filing
3. Resources You Can Use
4. Shameless Marketing Tip
5. Contact Info / Reprint Permission

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1. Quick Organizing Tips

Here are five quick tips for starting the process of getting your papers under control

1. Purchase a package of 5 white letter/legal boxes. Use the lids as trays when sorting your papers.

2. Sort papers into the following 5 categories (explained in detail below). To-do, To-File, Pending, Financial, For Others.

3. Begin by identifying the surface you want to start with. Perhaps you want to start with your desk, or a counter, or the floor next to your favorite chair.

4. Work in a way so that you always see progress. Every paper you touch needs to go into a lid. Start working from one end to the other, and wipe as you go.

5. Sorting is a separate activity from filing. Sort first. Once your papers are sorted, you can begin the filing process. Trying to do them both at once is too draining.

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2. Article: Sorting – The step before filing

Ultimately, there are only two things you can do with a piece of paper. Either a piece of paper will be FILED away for future reference, or it will be ACTED upon then either filed or discarded. It is important to understand the distinction between the two.

ACTION files, in theory, should be named with a verb. Verbs denote action. Example: A paper that you need to respond to before you can file it goes in your ACTION files. A piece of paper that you have to give to someone else goes in your action file.

REFERENCE files, in theory, should be named with a noun. A noun, as we know, is a person, a place, or a thing. Example: Your warranties, Your birth certificate, your medical file are all examples of things that need to be filed away for future reference. No action is required on these papers before they are put away.

But then there’s all of that other “stuff.” The refrigerator manual is in the stack under the insurance policy which is on top of the box of things to send to Aunt Sally. The paper your son needs signed for his field trip was “right there,” in the 3rd stack, but where is it? There are bills, receipts for items purchased, tickets, and things that just need to be filed. How do we get started? What do we do first?

Then, there are the files that are in the filing cabinet that haven’t been looked at in years. (Don’t worry, that’s normal. 80% of what’s filed is never even looked at again.) The desk is no longer a work surface, it has become a storage surface. The papers are spreading to other parts of the house, and more paper keeps coming in every single day! We want to correct it, but it seems too overwhelming. Is there help?

Where we get confused is when we have large piles of miscellaneous “stuff” all piled up in one place, or worse, spread out all over the place. The answer? Sorting first… then filing. Today I will teach you how to sort all of your papers. Don’t worry, it’s easy. ALL of your papers belong in one of the following five categories. If you can count to 5… you can file!

1. Things to do. These are your action files. If you look at a piece of paper and decide that you need to DO something to it before it gets filed, put it in a to-do pile or file folder. These need to be handled differently than the files you are going to put in your file cabinet. They just need to be put aside for the moment so they are all together.

2. Things to file. These are the papers that need to be filed away for future reference. Don’t get too caught up at this stage about whether you should keep it or not, whether you want it forever, how many of these you have or need, or where the other papers like this are. For this sorting stage, if you think you might want it, put it in the to-file pile. Sorting should be quick. Don’t agonize over it at this stage.

3. Things for others. I used to cut out articles for my sisters and save them, intending to give them to them. They contributed to my piles. If you are holding onto things for other people, for whatever reason, they go in the things-for-others pile. If you have a lot of these things, or just one piece of paper, it still belongs away from the other papers, because it will be handled differently.

4. Pending. Pending items are those items which are tied to a date. They include invitations, notices, lists of classes we might want to take, tickets, etc. Any item which is written on your calendar needs a notation “paper filed in pending.” If you do this consistently, you will never again find yourself frantically searching for important items at the last moment.

5. Financial. Financial items include anything having to do with money, or money consequence. For example, Insurance policies have to do with money consequences. Credit Card information, Bank information, AAA cards, Frequent Flyer cards all have to do with money consequences.

Start by sorting your piles into these 5 areas. If your piles are inches high, use box lids or stacking trays for sorting. If your piles are feet high, use boxes for sorting. If your piles are completely out of control, start with areas at a time (a counter, a room). Don’t make the project overwhelming. Simply decide what surface you want to be able to see, and start there. When the papers are sorted, it’s time to think about setting up your files.

If you have a question that you want answered, or feedback you want to share, please send it to me at: marshasims@aol.com.

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3. Resources

I promised I'd let you know when I was having another full-day hands-on paperflow workshop. Well, we have 3 planned:

Sunday, October 20th from 9:30am – 3:30pm
Sunday, October 27th from 9:30am – 3:30pm
Friday, November 1st from 4:00pm – 10:00pm

All 3 workshops will be held at Centergate at DeerCreek in Deerfield Beach, FL, located 1 1/2 Blocks North of Hillsborough on Powerline. The room will only hold 8 people, so if you are interested you must let me know right away.

Cost? The workshop fee is $159.00 (paid in advance) for the full day. It includes a 40 page customized workbook and $100. Credit towards organizing services in the future.

If you have access to a training room, or if you live in a condo with a conference room and you would like to HOST an all-day workshop in the South Florida area, please let me know. As a host you can attend the workshop, and get the workbook at no charge.

To get a FREE copy of my other newsletter, “Where Did I Put It?” send a Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope (#10) to: Sort-It-Out, Inc., PO Box 5713, Miami Lakes, FL 33014. Write “newsletter” on the envelope.

Do you belong to an organization that needs speakers? If you do, please let me know. As part of my community outreach this year, I am trying to speak to as many groups as possible. Please let me know 305-628-0075.

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4. Shameless Marketing Tip

If you are a client of Sort-It-Out, you may be eligible to participate in our new maintenance program. As humans, we are creatures of habit. The same habits you used to create disorder will return if you don’t do something different. Our maintenance program was created to address this. Once a month, for 4 hours a month, a fully trained organizer-assistant will come to you and help you restore the order we created. He or she will help you get the papers re-filed, or the boxes emptied. The cost is reasonable: $189. for a 4 hour visit (paid in advance either by automatic debit on the first of every month, or quarterly by check or credit card). Call if you are interested. This is an experimental program. If there is not enough demand for it, or if it proves not to be cost-effective we will cancel it. You might want to try it during the experimental stage! Our assistants are trained in both the Paper Tiger system and the Sims Manual system.

Have you been thinking about getting organized… once and for all? Let the professional organizers at Sort-It-Out, Inc. make your dreams come true! We have lots of new programs, and one might be just right for you! Not in South Florida? Call and we can refer you to an organizer in your area. Sort-It-Out, Inc., 305-628-0075.

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5. Contact Info / Reprint Permission

Copyright 2002 by Marsha Sims, all rights reserved.

You may copy or distribute this newsletter in whole or in part, as long as the following information is included: “Marsha Sims is president of Sort-It-Out, Inc., a professional organizing company in South Florida. She can be reached at 305-628-0075, marshasims@aol.com, or visit her website: www.SortItOut.net

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