Are You a Paper Junkie?
The Cost of Paper Clutter in Your Office and Home
When I typically work with businesses and homeowners on their issues around paper clutter, it is a very daunting experience – for them. With permission, I’m writing to you about a current client who is like so many offices and homes that I assist. Her paperwork is out of control. She has become, what I call, a Paper Junkie! There is paperwork in the office, bedroom, living room, basement, notebooks…and the reality of it all is that a lot of it hasn’t even been looked at in forever!
She loves the internet and doing research. There is so much information and so many ways for us to learn about everything and anything we want to know. And while this is great, what happens when you feel the need to print out all of that information? As Emeril would say…. BAM! You can become an instant Paper Junkie! You continue to collect and collect information without the forethought about how you are going to store the information. Boxes, bins, crates, accordion folders and an array of other materials become storage for all of the paperwork that has been printed. Now, however, you have all this great information but can’t locate it because it is all stored somewhere in an abundance of boxes, bins, crates and accordion folders and those unbelievably cumbersome totes, just cluttering up your space – because you just don’t have the storage room!
And, it’s not just the internet that can cause an abundance of paperwork. Daily mail, coupons and medical statements can also take control. So what should you do. You need to have a system to deal with it all at least weekly, if not daily.
What we are working on this week on consolidating the information into what she really, honest and truly, needs to keep and developing a binder for each topic. So far we’ll have a Travel, College, Financial Management and medical expenses binder. She is fortunate enough that she does have an awesome storage space that we can use to organize the binders so that she can find them (and use the information too!) The key is to keep just one binder for the generic topics such as: Travel, College and Financial Management…when it gets full, pull outdated information out so that only the latest information is being held on to. The next step is that she hold herself accountable to no more Boxes, bins, crates, or accordion folders. She is reclaiming her office and home again.
The cost of being a paper junkie in your office or home can be depression, lack of production, loss of business, missed payments, damage to your credit and even missed appointments. Be proactive and get your paper issues under control. Take action today.
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