Get your paper managed with the Sorted Seven

This post kicks off several weeks of blogging about the seven tools I used to manage my paper in my office. The "Sorted Seven" is based on my mentor, Barbara Hemphill's, "Magic Six," but I think the SwiftFile is special enough to merit its own number. Here's a breakdown of what we'll be talking about for the rest of the month:

(Yes, I decoupaged my filing cabinets several years ago. Don't judge.) The tools are numbered in the order in which we'll be discussing them:

1. The In/Out/To File sorter. 3/18/09
2. The trash can/recycle bin/shredder. (The shredder is elsewhere in the room. Side note: the computer subwoofer also makes an excellent footrest.) 3/20/09
3. My calendar. (In the "Out" portion of the sorter because I'm going to take it with me this afternoon.) 3/23/09
4. Contact management system. (Outlook in my case, but an address book can work too.) 3/25/09
5. Reference files. 3/27/09
6. Action files. 3/30/09
7. The SwiftFile. (Today's folder is on my desktop, but the glare from the window makes it a bit hard to see.) 4/2/09

And, I'm thrilled to add, my free eBook, "How to Harness a Hobgoblin: The #1 Strategy to Boost Creative Productivity" will also be available on April 2. (I would have released it on the 1st, but I believe in laying low on April Fools Day.)

So if you'd like to learn how to set up a system to help you handle all the paper that comes into your office, stay tuned for the next few weeks, and I'll introduce you to the Sorted Seven!

Comments

[Jaylyn Bergner]

You have me taking a second look at my office organization! Awesome article.

[Catherine Cantieri]

Glad to help, Jaylyn! (Jaylyn is a PR expert in Southeastern Virginia and very, very cool.)