Getting organized, staying organized

Twenty-three years ago Darryl Nelson opened Reno Prospectors Supply, a mining equipment store. His passion has been the people, the product, and the sales. He never focused on any of the "office stuff." Later, Jennifer Nelson became Darryl's wife and inherited his office system. She, too, did not have any prior office experience and was unable to incorporate any further organization in the last 12 years.

In January, Jennifer entered an "Extreme Office Makeover Contest" sponsored by local members of the National Association of Organizers, with the hope that she would win and finally get control of her office space at Reno Prospectors Supply. She won the opportunity to work with us, two professional organizing consultants.

As we approached the Nelsons' office makeover, we identified some of the key principles the Nelsons would need to learn to get and stay organized. About 90 percent of getting organized is mental and 10 percent is physical. Giving an already disorganized person mechanical techniques or gadgets such as special planners or a PDA and expecting that they will stay organized for the long haul isn't very realistic. It's like buying a piano and expecting to play like Mozart the next day.

Instead, the Nelsons used principles from The GO (Get Organized) System, which includes the sequence of getting organized: Gathering, Filtering, Prioritizing, and Doing. The Nelsons used this sequence to focus on handling incoming items, including paper, e-mails, voice mails, verbal requests from others, and even their own thoughts about things they needed to do.

Gathering

During the "Gathering" phase, the Nelsons simply gathered into boxes Post-It notes, papers pinned to the walls or scattered across their desks and any other item that reminded them of something they needed to do.

The Nelsons also sorted items into categories, such as cleaning products, office supplies, shipping supplies and books and magazines. After the items were sorted, they were able to see how much they had in each category and create a space to house these items. Zones assigned within the workspace helped them be more efficient and prevent wasted time in searches. For example, in the mailing station zone, they have all of the materials that assist in shipping a package: tape, scissors, boxes, envelopes, bubble wrap and mailing labels. Other zones include the copy center, office supplies cabinet, product brochures center, donations, eBay goods and the reference library.

Filtering

Next the Nelsons "Filtered" each paper and made one of five decisions: discard, delegate, take immediate action, file for follow-up, or file for reference. This was a key step, as the Nelsons at times were tempted to take the piece of paper and go to work on it, versus making a quick decision about what action the paper required. If it couldn't be done within 60 seconds or less, they placed in their tickler file to be followed up on later.

"Discard," the first decision, was the most important decision. Why? Because 80 percent of what is filed is never referred to again. The Nelsons used The Art of Wastebasketry a program developed by the Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc. and Monticello Corp. to help guide them through whether they should keep or toss the papers. The result: They transformed two jam-packed, four-drawer vertical file cabinets into just one.

Delegate: Because the Nelsons only have each other to run their business, delegating is a step that requires them to be more clever than others who have employees to whom they can delegate work. They may need to look outside for help. When they gathered items to be given away or junked, for instance, they might call to have the items picked up. Many charities schedule pick-ups, and services such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK haul unwanted items. Learn to let go and pass a task to someone who is capable of completing it. As Dr. Meggin McIntosh says, "Do only what only you can do!"

Take immediate action: Rather than take time to file something that can be handled quickly, the Nelsons were encouraged to take immediate action on anything that could be completed in 60 seconds or less. This included items such as a quick signature, a quick "yes/no" response to an e-mail, or putting away a file.

File for follow-up: One of the first paper management systems we implemented was a tickler file for both of the Nelson's workspaces. This is their action center. Everything that goes into these files requires some timely action. These files are not a long-term or reference filing system. We encouraged them to ask themselves questions such as, "What do I have to do with this document"? Do I have to pay, to call or to read this?" A tickler file consists of monthly files (January through December), daily files (1-31), and permanent action files that are frequently used. Permanent action files warrant a separate file such as "call," "errands," "data entry," "waiting for response" and so on. At the end of workday, they can look at the next day's file and prioritize what needs to be done. They are building a habit of going through their tickler file every morning before they start working to see what the priorities are for the day.

Filing for reference became much easier when they implemented the Taming the Paper Tiger software, which enables them to find any file in their office in five seconds or less. Before the Extreme Office Makeover, many papers were left out simply because they were important. Unfortunately the papers eventually took over their office, and became mixed up and difficult to find. Using the Paper Tiger, the Nelsons know that they can now file away the papers and find them within seconds.

Prioritizing

The Nelsons were given the option to prioritize their work the night before or the morning of the day they needed to work on the items. This step became very easy just a matter of grabbing the file for the day, pulling the items out that they had already filtered into it, and quickly deciding which items were the most important to get done.

Doing

The last step was "Doing," which was merely a matter of working on one item at a time.

Like many people, the Nelsons developed the habit of placing papers and items anywhere there is an empty space available. We helped them to determine their "prime real estate" space within arm's reach when they are seated or standing at their desks. Anything in this space has really got to earn its placement! Examples are the phone, computer, writing instruments and items they use multiple times a day. The objective is to keep the desk clear so they can concentrate on working and not be disrupted by any excess clutter. Items that are used on occasion should not be kept within prime real estate.

Because the Nelsons were limited to three days with us, they were given homework to maximize their time and spread out some of the work to keep the makeover from becoming overwhelming. After all, the Nelsons figured they had 23 years worth of clutter and malfunctioning systems to transform in a matter of days. Some of the homework included reading chapters from books, including "Getting Organized" by Chris Crouch, and "The Disease to Please," by Harriet Braiker. Smead, one of the sponsors of the Extreme Office Makeover Contest, donated 500 hanging file folders to support the Nelsons.

At first the Nelsons felt they were making things worse. We were moving things around in their office, creating numerous piles, and setting items aside. When a space is being organized, the first step is to clear the space out. This stuff has to go somewhere and sometimes it creates a mess. Therefore, it does get worse before it gets better. But in the end their workspace was organized and free from clutter. And most importantly, they were taught principles to help them stay that way in the long run.

Christine Kominiak with Sustained Productivity and Judy Ozment with All Together Now are members of the National Association of Organizers.