Facing the truth on paper: What you probably suspected but hate to admit it!
Website design By BotEap.comLosing a role can cost you peace of mind, a harmonious relationship, valuable time, an account, a promotion, or even your job! October is National File Cleanup Month, a great time to face the facts on paper.
Website design By BotEap.comAccording to research located by Abigail Sellen and Richard Harper in The Myth of the Paperless Office (MIT Press 2002), by the year 2005 there will be 50% more paper in offices than in 1995. Furthermore, the average person spends more than 150 hours a year looking for misplaced information. It is clear that the concept of the paperless office is a myth, which will not be realized in our lifetime. But let’s be real! Take one look at homes and offices across America and it’s imminently clear that with traditional filing methods, the problem of paper management will never be solved. There just aren’t enough human resources to make file labels and put them in alphabetical order!
Website design By BotEap.comAn international office products company conducted a study that ranked filing as the most hated job in the office. (I hope they didn’t pay too much for that survey!) But the problem is much bigger than that! Here’s the real question: “How do you find information in the filing system about the company car?” Is it “car”, “auto”, “vehicle” or “Ford”? And then, when you want the insurance policy for that car, is it “car insurance,” “auto-insurance,” or “State Farm”? The only person who knows is the person who filed it, and he was fired months ago (or maybe it was your spouse who just can’t figure out why you can’t find anything in the files yourself!)
Website design By BotEap.comThe solution is simple: a numeric filing system. When many people think of a numeric filing system, they think of a hierarchical system, such as the Dewey Decimal system. A hierarchical system presents its own set of problems. If a book is about anthropology and sociology, where does it go in the hierarchy? Taming the Paper Tiger solves this challenge, and many other archival challenges as well, by using a random number system.
Website design By BotEap.comMore importantly, the Paper Tiger system is not just an archiving software program: it is an archiving methodology that can turn any broken archiving system into an effective “search system.”
Website design By BotEap.comThese are three of the most important principles of Paper Tiger:
Website design By BotEap.comToday’s mail is tomorrow’s pile(TM).
Website design By BotEap.comIf you ordered Taming the Paper Tiger, installed it on your computer (or maybe it’s still sitting on your shelf?), you’re missing out on the chance of a lifetime. Research shows that 80% of what we store is never used, so ditch old batteries, broken filing systems, and start over! With The Paper Tiger, you can use the File Cleanup Report to keep your new file system in top shape.
Website design By BotEap.comClutter is postponed decisions®. Do you ever sit at your desk, or look at the kitchen counter and say, “Okay, today is the day, I’m going to clean up this mess!” You take the first sheet of paper and ask yourself, “Should I keep this?” “How long do I have to keep this?” “What should I call this?” “How can I find it when I need it?” – Or the really big, “How am I going to remember I have it?”
Website design By BotEap.comThink FAT: Present, Act or Fold The good news is that you only have three options: Present, Act or Fold. For practical reasons, let’s reverse the order. 1. Pull: Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen if I didn’t have this?” Can you live with your answer, throw it away or recycle it? 2. Take Action: Is the ball in your court to do something? Pay a bill, schedule a meeting, investigate a problem, solve a problem. In Paper Tiger, this is an action file, and you’ll find 60 action tabs in your Paper Tiger kit. (Use the “Category” field to identify your top 10 stocks.) 3. File: You don’t know if you’ll ever need this again, but you just don’t have the nerve to throw it away. It is not a problem. Your Paper Tiger kit comes with 320 reference file tabs. Group items of interest into their largest category first, and use keywords to help you remember what’s there. When the file is too large, start another one.
Website design By BotEap.comIf you’re concerned that a number system in general or The Paper Tiger system in particular won’t work in your home or office, let’s talk! Call us at 800-427-0237 or email [email protected].