Simplicity
Simplicity Newsletter
 May 2009
Paper Management

Your taxes are filed.  The school year is nearly complete.  Organized sports and extracurricular activities are drawing to a close.  What better time to get a grip on those piles of papers and stacks of catalogues and magazines!
 
Paper Management: Retrieval is the Name of the Game

File FoldersWhen most people think of managing important papers, they immediately picture a filing system.  But filing is just a means to an end- the ultimate goal is a retrieval system. Being able to access information quickly and easily is what it’s all about. Many people get bogged down in cabinet configuration, color of folders and means of labeling.  Those things are important, but only after you’ve asked yourself the following question: “What comes to mind FIRST when I see this particular piece of paper?” That word or phrase is your file label. 

Paper management is by necessity very individualized.  For the exact same soccer schedule, you might think “Soccer” and your neighbor might think “John’s Sports”.  Neither is right or wrong, better or worse.  It’s all a matter of what works for you. 

Setting up an information retrieval system that is functional and easy to maintain takes time.  But it’s time well spent. 
•  Imagine being able to find any important household paper in a few seconds. 
•  Imagine those paper piles that clog your desk and kitchen counter having an appropriate home. 
•  Imagine a quick daily encounter with your shredder and recycling bin that eliminates the majority of the paper that comes into your house.

Sound good?  Simplicity can help make it happen.

• Buy a good quality shredder and use it.  Make sure your shredder slices through multiple sheets of paper, staples, disks, and credit cards.  Shredders with tops that come completely off are ideal.  Shredders with drawers that pull out often create a snow flurry-and a small vacuum is necessary.
• Don’t ever let the junk mail land on your countertop.  When you pick up your mail, spend a minute or two heaving the junk. Or better yet, stop the junk before it arrives.  Visit our Resources page to learn ways to remove yourself from the junk mailing lists.
• Shred anything that contains personal information. 
• Toss unwanted circulars, catalogues, marketing pieces, etc. into recycling. 
 
Voila!  A big chunk of your mail is gone.
 
Top 10 Retrieval System Tips

For things that need to be retained and retrieved, you’ll need a good retrieval system.  Here are our top 10 tips.

1. You can't have too many files. If the categories are too general, the file becomes a disorganized "catch-all" and your good intentions will be sabotaged.
2. Use sturdy hanging file folders with clear tabs.  The colored tabs are harder to read.  For the cleanest look, use a labeler, but neatly handwritten tabs are fine too.
3. For big files, use box bottom hanging files that accommodate multiple interior file folders.
4. Leave 1/4 of file cabinet drawer space empty to allow for additions to existing files.  An overly full file cabinet is hard to use.  Better to buy another cabinet than try to stuff more papers into the exiting one.
5. If there is flexibility in space, consider your hand dominance when placing file cabinet or boxes in relation to your desk or work space.  What’s accessible for a right-handed person might be awkward for a left-handed person.
6. Center all labels rather than staggering them laterally. This seems counter-intuitive, but it really does make for easier viewing.
7. Try to avoid a "to file" box on desk or kitchen counter. The need for this intermediate holding area is really is an indication that your filing system is too complicated or inaccessible.  Figure out what’s not working and correct it.
8. Year end is good time to purge files and create new ones for the upcoming year. Begin to get financial information ready for tax preparation and purge on-going files.
9. Keep tax files in a separate file box- clearly labeled by year.  You probably won’t need to frequently access them, but when you do, it’s a relief to be able to find what you need, quickly.  
10.  Remember that it’s much easier to keep up than to catch up.
 
For great retrieval system supplies, visit Carolina Pad and Levenger websites.
   
 
 
Time Management: Does Your SCHEDULE Need Culling?
Take a look at your calendar. Are you managing your time or are others doing it for you?
 
 1. Do the entries address a current need or one that is obsolete? 
 2. Are the activities mostly obligation/command performances or are they things you’re looking forward to?
 3. Do your commitments portend personal insecurity? Are you staying excessively busy or always being the go-to person to boost your self esteem?
 
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then some schedule culling is in order. You may find that the amount of time you expend on a particular activity in no way reflects your real commitment to it.  Try to avoid adding calendar entries that you just want to "check off the list".
 
It's important to identify what's working with your scheduling and what's not working-then you will be able to use this information to address your time management challenges.
 
For some great suggestions for re-gaining control over your schedule, your time, your life, visit:  topten.org/public/BI/BI346.html.
 
 • Simplicity’s favorite is “Simplify Your Life”. 
 • Learn how to ask for help. 
 • Learn how to delegate.
 • Learn how to say no.
Procrastination
Barbara Hemphill, author of Taming the Paper Tiger, sums it up best. “Clutter is postponed decisions.”
 
But not far behind is William James.  “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”  We all can relate.
 
Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task which needs to be accomplished. This can lead to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, depression and self-doubt.  Procrastinators are actively looking for a distraction, particularly one that doesn’t demand much personal commitment (wiling away hours online, being a couch potato...). Procrastination is thief of your time, your money, and your achievement of personal or professional goals.

Procrastinators:

• Are generally "poor time managers".
 
• May be uncertain of their priorities, goals and objectives.
 
 • May be overwhelmed with the task. 
 
• May not even understand the difference between a  “to do” (task) and a full-fledged project.

Types of Procrastinators:
1. Thrill-seekers who crave the euphoria rush when they finish something just under the wire. They’re also known as “urgency addicts”.
2. Avoiders, whether because of unrealistic expectations and perfectionism. Plagued with fear and anxiety, they may be overwhelmed with the task and afraid of failing. As a result, they spend a great deal of time worrying about the upcoming project rather than starting it.
3. Decisional procrastinators are paralyzed with indecision. They feel not making a decision absolves them of responsibility for the outcome.

Steps to Overcome Procrastination:
1. Decide:  “This is a project I CHOOSE to do, not one I HAVE to do."
 2. Take the first step and START the project.  Don’t obsess over finishing it.  Often people find that with the first step, momentum becomes their ally.
 3. Don’t worry about being perfect- just do your best.
 4. Break large assignments/projects into small tasks.
 5. Set realistic time goals.  If you’ve only got 30 minutes, work efficiently for 30 minutes and give yourself credit for time well-spent.
 6. Keep a reminder schedule and checklist to stay on track. 
 
 
 
 
Understanding the difference between the “To Do” list and a "project" is critical to overcoming procrastination.  Picking up dry cleaning is a to-do taks. As are, returning library books or booking a flight.
 
 
  
Keep your “to do“ list honest. Don’t include regularly recurring activities you’re going to do even if they aren’t on the list (going to gym, reading the paper, walking the dog). Putting things on the list, just so you can check them off is just another way to avoid doing things you don’t want to do. 
 
Organizing photos, cleaning out the garage or launching a new product line for your company are projects.  Projects that masquerade as ‘to dos” are doomed to failure.  They must be broken down into sequential components to increase odds of even starting the project, much less successfully completing it.
Procrastination is costly in terms of time, health and finances.  It’s also very insidious.  Procrastination has become a way of life of coping with our over-booked, hectic lives, but it really is counterproductive. 

A Few Examples:
1. How much time do you waste checking email vs. dealing with email?  Just like paper, try to handle electronic messages only once.
 2. How much money do you waste buying duplicates of groceries and toiletries you already own, because you were too lazy to check your stock and make a shopping list?
 3. How much time to do you spend finding your keys, checkbook, dog leash... because you dump stuff in the first random location you see rather than taking time to put it in its place?
 4. How much money do you waste on billing late fees, overdue books and DVDs, and expired coupons?
 5. How much professional and social capital do you squander by procrastinating?  Your boss knows you’re not the go-to on the big new project because you didn’t come through last time.  The big gala or concert will go on without you because you failed to respond or to buy a ticket and now the event is sold-out.
 

The Good News:
You can break the procrastination habit. It takes about four weeks to form a new habit.  Start with the ways you procrastinate. It might as simple as vowing to return the call, respond to an invitation, or pay the bill the FIRST time you think of it so you can quit thinking about it.  Maybe you’ll train yourself to get gas when the tank is about half empty rather than running on fumes, so you can refuel when you’re not late for an appointment.
 
Remember the quote from William James: “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” So get those simple tasks off your to-do list so you can concentrate on the worthwhile projects that will enrich your personal life and advance your professional life.
 
 
Congratulations to Tiffany Hinson!
 Congratulations!
 
Congratulation to our client and friend, Tiffany Hinson (Charlotte, NC). Tiffany is our first Client Referral Program participant to win two hours of organizing services for referring Simplicity to her friends and family. Thank you, Tiffany, for your help in promoting our services! 
 
For details on how you too can win time with a Simplicity organizer, visit our Events page. 
 
 
Upcoming Events
 
"Spring Cleaning from the Inside and Out" Workshop
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
6:30 - 8:30 PM
 Location: The Art of Living Center
1201 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203
Click here for directions.
 Cost: $150 per person, includes workshop and workbook.
Registration Deadline: May 13, 2009
 
Spring Cleaning From the Inside OutAre you tired of spending all of your time thinking about all you have to get done? Tired of looking at cluttered closets and messy counter tops? Are you ready to spring clean your home AND your mind? If this sounds like you, then join Life Coach, Katie Mattson, and Certified Professional Organizer, Carson Tate, for an interactive, hands-on seminar to help you clean out all the areas of your life – internal and external – that are holding you back from becoming the happiest, most effective person you know you can be. Our simple system can be applied to any area of your environment or life to experience dramatic results in organization and personal growth. Join us for a life-changing evening of experiential learning on how to SIMPLIFY your life – inside and out. At the conclusion of the course you will have completed your 40+ page Spring Cleaning from the Inside and Out workbook. 
 
To register online for the workshop, go to http://energizeyourmoment.com/services/retreats. For more details, e-mail carson@simplicity-organizers.com.
 
Stress Management through Organization
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
11:30 AM - 1 PM and 5 - 8 PM
Location: Gateway Village YMCA
900 W. Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
 
 
Gift Certificates For Mother's Day

Gift Certificates are available for all Simplicity services. Give the gift of organization to someone special in your life.  For more details visit the Simplicity website or contact Simplicity today. 
 
Simplicity gift certificates make great Mother's Day presents! Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10th.
 
 
Warmest regards!
Your Simplicity Team of Organizers
 
Simplicity is...
We are a professional organizing company dedicated to helping you make your life easier — simple. How? Our company believes Simplicity is about making life easier — more balanced, more peaceful.

We evaluate your current situation, develop customized organizational solutions and systems — tailored specifically for you and your individual needs — teach you how to maintain your new systems and offer on-going support services as needed.

We have a team of professionals who can help you find your balance again and live the life you want to live. After we complete your Organizational Needs Assessment, we will match your specific needs to the skills and expertise of one of our organizing consultants. Then you are on your way to Simplicity.
 
Our Mission
Simplicity is committed to changing homes and lives by creating customized and maintainable organizational systems.

Our Values
Confidential. Professional. Committed. Knowledgeable. Trustworthy. Methodical. Hard-working. Informative. Respectful. Punctual.
 
Simplicity Services
• Home Organizing
• Home Office Organizing
• Organizing Moves & Relocation
• Rightsizing Your Life Program
• A Year of Simplicity Program
• Organizing Your Memories
• Simplicity Kids
• Organizing for Guest Arrivals and Parties
• Post-event and Holiday Decorating Wrap-up
• Garage, Attic & Storage Unit Organization (Spring and Fall months)
• Virtual (Telephone/Email) Coaching
• Motivational Speaker
In This Month's Newsletter
Paper Management
Congrats Tiffany Hinson!
Upcoming Events
Gift Certificates Available
 
Sign-up for our Newsletter 
 
 
 



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