Freeing up mental space

One of the most common phrases people with a passel of piles on their desk use to justify said piling system is: "I know where everything is." To me, that actually kinda makes it worse, because that's a hell of a lot of information to be carrying around in your head.

I'll tell you right now: I don't know where everything is in my desk. But I've designed it so I don't have to. I have a simple system for my file cabinet drawers (personal on the left, business on the right) and a printed file index for each drawer. Furthermore, I can check the iPEP to do a quick search for a file location or a bit of info.

I'm not saying that to sound all superior and mega-organized. I want to point out how having a system means I don't have to keep everything in my head. I don't have to know that the paperwork for my student loan is in the third pile on the left from the door, or remember that the red post-it flags sticking out from the side of a particular stack mean that there's a form in there I need to sign and mail in.

I can just stick papers in a hanging file, make a note in the iPEP that they're in that file, and keep on trucking. I'm not being superior at all here; I'm being lazy and saving myself a ton of work.

My client Gail has told me repeatedly about how free she feels, just knowing that there's a system to her files, and that she doesn't have to remember where she put things. She knows just where to look, and there's a handy file index with keywords in case she needs a little prompting. She's cleared out some mental space, and it feels great to her.

As a creative person, your mind is full of enough stuff as it is, and in general, it's very cool stuff. Why weigh down the ideas and inspiration in that noggin of yours with "Oh, and don't forget: next week's bills are tucked under the Pantone chip fan"?

What filing system are you carrying around in your head? Let me know in the comments!

Comments

[Alex Fayle]

I hate having to store too much information in my head and because I hate filing too, my solution is to have as little as possible.

For example I have an important papers drawer. Everything important goes there and if I need it, it takes me maximum five minutes to find it, but in the meantime I don't need hold onto anything in my head and I don't need to worry about maintaining a system.

[Catherine Cantieri]

Alex, if that system works for you, I salute you and say "go for it!" Personally, I have two drawers and a portable file box full of important papers. If it isn't important, I don't keep it. :-)