Five Simple
Techniques for Surviving Information Overload
Local Productivity Consultant Shows You How to
Find
Anything in Your Office in 5 Seconds
Press Release by
Beacon Organizing
In spite of the promise of the “paperless
office,” studies predict there will be 50% more
paper in offices by the end of 2005 than there
was in 1995. Only 10% of the people in a recent
survey by University of Washington School of
Information were happy with the way they handled
electronic information. Research shows the
average worker spends 150 hours per year looking
for misplaced information, but 80% of what we
keep we never use.
Barbara Hemphill, author of Kiplinger’s Taming
the Paper Tiger at Work, says, “One of biggest
stumbling blocks to increased productivity and
decreased stress is information clutter.” If
you’ve tried to organize your desk in the past,
but it didn’t last, consider these tips from
Hemphill to eliminate clutter, reduce stress,
and increase results:
- Take everything off your desk except
what you must do.
Today’s mail is tomorrow’s pile. Put
everything else you can’t throw away in
boxes to deal with later. Create a new
system to eliminate future messes – then you
can deal with the past.
- Clutter is Postponed Decisions®!
Implement The FAT System™.
1. File it in a reference file or electronic
folder in case you need it later.
2. Act on it immediately or in the near
future.
3. Toss, recycle, or shred it.
- Get The Magic 6™ tools for your desk to
implement your decisions and eliminate
unnecessary paper.
1. Wastebasket/recycle bin/shredder
2. Sorting trays on your desk for In, Out,
and File.
3. Rolodex or electronic database for
contact information
4. Calendar/electronic planner for
appointments
5. File drawer or box for Action Files –
things to do
6. File drawers or boxes for Reference Files
– papers you want to keep
- Organize your Action Files to prioritize
your work and manage your time.
Categorize them by date (a “tickler file),
by category of action (“Date Entry), or by
project name.
- Create an Index for your Reference
Files.
A filing software program, such as Taming
the Paper Tiger, creates a file index,
prints labels, and allows you to cross
reference files. You can also do a “Google
search” for the paper files as well as
electronic files in your own office.
An organizing service developed by Hemphill
called The 8-Hour Miracle™ guarantees three
results: (1) you will know what to do with every
piece of information from that day forward, (2)
you will be able to find anything you file in
five seconds, and (3) you will have a game plan
for integrating whatever you didn’t handle
during the eight hours into the new system.
Judy Carlson of Beacon Organizing has recently
completed training as a Productivity Trainer and
Authorized Consultant™ with the Hemphill
Productivity Institute and is certified to
deliver The 8-Hour Miracle™.
Beacon Organizing, located in Marlborough,
Connecticut we specialize in working with
residences and businesses, helping to relieve
the stresses of today’s busy lifestyles; so
priorities are met and family life may be fully
enjoyed.
Unlike other organizers, we are Certified Paper
Tiger Consultants, who look out for you and your
company in the business of life by providing
systems that allow you to find anything in 5
seconds or less even after we’ve gone!!
Come sail with us into a more productive
future!!
CONTACT
Judy Carlson
Beacon Organizing
860.656.7857
JudyCarlson@BeaconOrganizing.com