Organize Your Paperwork

Don't waste time searching for things on your messy desk--get organized instead.

In the long run, many people begin to believe that they are asinefficient as their messy desks. In other words, organization andtime are quite closely linked.

Solutions to the problem of office organization have filledvolumes. Here are a few tips:

  • Handle each piece of paper once.
  • After you have looked at it, don't add it to the growingpiles; do something with it.
  • If you think you will need it for information, file it withother background information (and make sure you go through thisfile and weed out what you don't need every month or so).
  • If it requires immediate action, place it in one of thestackable letter trays on your desk. They should be labeled"To Read," "To Do," "To Pay" and"To File," or given similar tags.

You'll find that these are the four main filing categoriesof papers. All the other papers should sail right into the mostefficient receptacles ever created for paper: the wastebasket.

Excerpted from Starting a Home-based Business

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