My Case Against Paper Clips
This isn’t the first time I have attacked a familiar office convention. There was the accordion file, the spiral notebook, and the rubberband.Today, I take issue with the apparently harmless paper clip. Let me start by saying I do use paper clips myself. I believe they have their place. It’s just that I find they are grossly over-used.
January 2012, Connecticut Magazine
Professional organizing expert Matt Baier of Stamford beams when asked how to set up an efficient home office; he lives for this.
What’s Making Your Tasks So Difficult
I have found that the number one reason we struggle with tasks is that they are actually projects, that we TREAT like tasks. So what’s the difference between a project and a task? The easiest way to answer that question is with another question: How do you eat an elephant?
How Dedicated Zones Work
How Dedicated Zones Work “Dedicated Zone” is an expression professional organizers (like me) throw aroundRead More
“We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!”
"We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!" So what does Sheriff Brody’s immortal line from JawsRead More
Simple Can Be Harder
"That’s been one of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: YouRead More
What My Headlines Look Like
A while back I described how to organize your to-do’s by comparing them to newspaper headlines. Today I want to share an actual model of what that might look like. To summarize, the front page of a newspaper is made up of a series of short compelling headlines. Each headline may have a short blurb, but it always has a connecter to the full story inside. Much of the time, what piles up on our desks are full stories.
Hey, That’s Important!
To get organized the word “important” needs to be used carefully. If “important” is used too much then there is no distinction and the most important stuff can get buried in the less important stuff. Put another way, if everything is important then nothing is important. If “important” is used too little then important is seen as a small category unto itself.
Getting Your Papers in Shape
Are you flooded with paper in your home? BIG paper challenges require BIG steps. An easy way to be as aggressive with your paper flood as it is with you, is to start by sorting shapes. The biggest deterrent to dealing with paper is making decisions. The vast majority of these decisions are easy, but we tend to tie them to the minority of difficult ones. The best approach, therefore, is to take the majority of easy decisions out of the way first. Here’s how.
Why I Hate Rubber Bands
Why I Hate Rubber Bands I guess it all started in my dear Mom's kitchen. Read More
Don’t Rush To Systems
I hear it all the time. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I organized thisRead More
To Organize Is To Prioritize
Being organized is not about hiding everything in pretty baskets or about buying the latest organizing gadgets. In fact, you stand a better chance of being organized WITHOUT adding the baskets and gadgets. Good organizing is more of a subtractive process. It’s about subtracting barriers. It’s about taking the less important stuff in your life out of your way, so you can get to your priorities.
Why Your Action System Isn’t Working
What action system do you used to get things done? Outlook? A Filofax? Your SmartRead More
Just Say “No” To Notebooks
Bound and spiral notebooks may make sense for taking notes in school or keeping a journal, but they are terrible for keeping you organized. I have seen thousands of (usually) half-used notebooks in my clients homes and not once have I seen one used as an effective organizing tool. I would add notepads to this list and exclude binders, which can be useful for reference material.
