This post was sponsored by Fellowes as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Spring cleaning is great for taking care of those tedious chores around the house that we often forget about throughout the year. Deep cleaning is essential, but we can’t forget about home organization. Creating new organizational habits can help increase productivity all year long.
With all the technology this day in age, many people and companies have gone ‘paperless’. I am not one of those people. I have a need for pen and paper. Call me old fashion, but I still like to write checks when paying the bills. I have tried numerous times to go paperless, but it isn’t easy for me. I always go back to using folders, binders and needing paper-trails.
I also have a hard time getting rid of old and non-essential paperwork. I have file drawers, binders, paper stacks, and boxes upon boxes filled with paperwork from the last 10+ years.
On most week days, you can find me in my home office. Weekly, I find myself cleaning my desk off and trying to get organized before I can get my work done. Having that clean, organized desk motivates me and helps me stay focused on the task at hand.
During spring cleaning, I decided it’s time to really tackle that massive paper clutter and get back into my organizational habits to boost my productivity the rest of the year. I am talking more than just moving papers around and cleaning my desk off.
I pulled out all my folders, paper stacks and file boxes. Then I put into action my own normal routines with some tips from Laura Stack, aka The Productivity Pro.
- Get into the FIRST habit. Tackling that paper clutter has to be first. Gather all the paperwork that needs to be sorted and examined. Then use the FIRST method:
- File It, Recycle, Shred, or Take Care of It.
Decide how to handle each piece of paper and take action now. I highly recommend not creating a ‘Take Care of Later’ pile. That will lead to more clutter.
A lot of my paperwork I hang onto that isn’t important is mostly for the fact that it contains personal information. I have came to the realization I can just shred those documents with ease.
To shred all my documents containing sensitive information, I used a cross-cut shredder. The Fellowes’ 12Cs shreds up to 12 sheets of paper and has SafeSense® technology that makes it a great choice for at-home use around children and pets. I can use it with ease and I am already brainstorming things to make with the shredded paper.
*You can get the Fellowes’ 12Cs shredder at your local Walmart store.
- Label files logically. Everything that I am working on has a folder that stays on my desk. Decorate folders help spruce up my desk.
- Embrace fun office supplies. Yes, that is over 100 rolls of washi tape and over 100 pens/markers. The variety and colors help me stay organized, while I enjoy filling out my schedules.
- Set routines. Establish a specific time of day where you complete certain tasks. Find what time works best for you to plan out your day. It could be in the morning, before everyone else gets up or maybe before bed you can plan the following day. I have done both ways, and right now it has been working better for me to plan at night after the kids go to bed. I listen to some music, review what I didn’t get accomplished that day, and make my lists for the following day.
- Time yourself on tedious tasks. You can try an hourly planner to set your schedule. The tasks can be as simple as loading the dishwasher. Schedule breaks, too. Another good way to keep track of time is to set timers. That way I am not spending too much time on one little task and lose track of time.
Once my paper clutter is gone and I get back into these simple habits, productivity is on the rise. I am more motivated, focused and can stay on top of my daily tasks.
What helps you boost your productivity at home?