Beyond Folders : workplace organization, piling tips

Pile in Style

Community Manager — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:27:00 GMT

New Year's resolutions are right around the corner. Hoping for a clean slate in 2011? After the confetti's cleaned up, it's time to tackle those piles.

Fear not, we have no intention of trying to convert you into a label-conscious filer. We know that for every individual who happily labels and files paperwork, there is a counterpart who just as happily piles that paperwork onto a desk. Instead, we want to suggest tips and techniques to bring a little style to your pile.

Every Pile Sometimes Needs a Circular-File: Give every pile in your office an end-of-the-year review. Toss or shred what is no longer needed. If the pile represents a completed project, move the pile to an archival box for storage.

Upgrade Those Piles: Sort piles into organizer trays, bins or stylish boxes. Use thick binder clips or reusable, write-on clips to group like documents.

Prioritize a Pile: Make a "do-today" pile and keep only documents in it that you need for the day. Find a colorful letter holder or attractive, eye-catching tray and check this pile every morning, weeding out documents not needed for the day. The tray should serve as the day's visual to-do list; don't let it fill with clutter.

Corralling Mountains: Sometimes a pile just becomes too big. When a pile threatens to slide over and engulf all that's in its way, it's time for 1) an assessment to make sure all the papers are still needed and 2) a large bin or box.

Pilers, we want to hear from you. How to you keep your stacks manageable? What tricks do you use to keep order among your piles? Share your thoughts here by leaving us a comment!

by Carly Fadako

Happiness is a Clutter Free Desk

Community Manager — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:26:00 GMT

To pile or to file? An age old question with no right answer. In our recent Pile it On! post we offered tips for the nearly half of all American employees who organize paper by piling.

But what of the other half? The 50 percent who need a clean desk and carefully filed papers to achieve maximum productivity and serenity?

You know who you are. You know your way around an accordion folder and can conjure up your tax returns from 1987 or last month's quarterly report within moments. You own a label maker. You are a filer. And you're good at it! But could you be better?

Recent Convert

If you're relatively new to the organization game or if you're filer/piler hybrid seeking to quit piling tendencies, we've assembled some useful resources for quick and simple filing strategies. See how your system stacks up.

Filing Maven

You have your strategy down. Color coding and categorizing is second nature. You find filing fun and organizing cathartic. You are not alone!

The blogosphere is full of talented and informative organizing mavens. Tap into their wisdom and consider sharing your own. We've compiled a short list of some of the best of the breed organizing blogs:

Clean desk devotees, as you maintain your filing systems, keeping clutter successfully at bay, remember the words of humorist Robert Orben, "Happiness is a very small desk and a very big wastebasket."

Do you have special tips for keeping your desk clutter free? Is there a blog that you follow for organizing advice? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Carly Fadako

Pile It On!

Community Manager — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:50:00 GMT

You know who you are.

Piler v. Filer

Just look around your office. On your desk. On the floor. On top of the filing cabinet.

What do you see?

Piles, piles and more piles.

Yes, it is as clear as can be. You, my friend, are a piler.

And you are not alone.

Nearly half of all American employees claim that they organize paper by piling it on their desk. As this Fast Company article on Piles Versus Files highlights, "[s]ome of the world's most productive people are pilers. Al Gore, for example, is a busy guy, with mounds of paper to prove it. [And] many creative workers stay productive by keeping their virtual piles spread out and easy to glance at on multiple screens." One executive is so committed to "managing through piles" that she had an industrial designer build a desk "that acknowledges her stacking habit, yet gives it shape and structure."

There is good evidence that nature, as opposed to nurture, drives people to pile. Typically, pilers are right-brain dominant, creative types who are visually oriented. They crave stimulation and thrive in environments where there is a lot going on. To them, forming and sorting through piles is soothing and constructive. By sharp contrast, filers crave order, ease and calm. To maintain their equilibrium at work, they methodically categorize, label, purge and store papers. They need to organize and clear their workspace before they can begin to focus.

Although they might appear to be swimming in a sea of chaos, pilers usually know exactly where to find what they need at any given moment. But, if your piles seem to be getting the better of you, this WomensMedia post offers some helpful tips:

When you have stacks of paper and files for various projects and purposes, create a spine by wrapping a large piece of paper around each group and labeling it.
Use a clipboard to control loose papers for each project you are working on. Label the clips and hang the clipboards on your office wall or partition.
Set boundaries on your piles by restricting them to a single table or desk top. When a pile starts to spill over, it is time to go through it to streamline and straighten up the papers.
Put your papers in open boxes and mark the outside with a numbering system so you can easily identify the contents.

If you are still on the fence about your identity, you can take a filer vs. piler quiz. If you are a proud piler and you know it, we would love to hear from you. You can share your piling tips and tools here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Carly Fadako