Very often people say to me, “You’re the organizing professional, what’s the right way to organize my files?”
Here’s the secret: there is no right way. But there is a right way for you.
It’s all about what is going to work best for you, based on your needs, your personality, your workflow and your goals.
I’ve spent the past five years consulting with professional offices in a variety of industries, and I’m here to tell you that no two jobs ever look the same. An effective, successful organizing system that will stick has to take your personal preferences & habits into consideration.
Sure, I often recommend a core set of desktop organizing tools that work well for a variety of clients, but what their labels read, and the boundaries around how to use those files is different for each person.
So this means that if it works for you to always put your unopened mail on the back, right corner of your desk, because you know where it is, yet it’s not taking up your main workspace, that’s fine.
And if you always place your expense receipts upside down in a drawer to your left until it’s time to send in your expense report, that’ll work, too.
If you like to tap your heels together three times before you begin working through your to-do list….well that’s a little weird, but hey, it’s fine too!
As long as you organize in a way that supports you being your most effective self, without added stress or wasted time, I say it’s a good solution, and likely one that will stick.
The objective of organizing is to ensure that you can kick ass in your line of work and avoid drowning in chaotic paperwork or becoming overloaded by the to-do list you’re tempted to keep in your head.
So don’t get bogged down by trying to do it the “right way”. Instead, consider what’s right for you!
