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My Favorite Organizing Scheme #1

Written by: suzanne rodriguez 778 views

I like being organized because it reduces hassles and saves time. My parents were organized, so I picked up an attitude about that as a child and have kept it ever since. Over the years I’ve developed a few organizational schemes, and from time to time I’d like to share them with you. Here’s the first one:

One day long ago I was setting out to a big party with one of my brothers, Ron, but at the last minute I couldn’t find the invitation (which had the address). It wasn’t in any of the usual places: tacked to my office bulletin board, in my purse, or on my desk. I found it in the end, but not before my brother turned me on to his foolproof method for temporarily storing event-related information.

He keeps a dozen file folders, labeled January through December, in his desk’s hanging file drawer. Any backup data needed for calendared events—invitations, directions, or other info—gets clipped together and placed into the appropriate monthly folder. The current month is always the front-most folder (i.e., right now March is up). At month’s end, that folder is moved to the last position. Keeping the folders in the desk drawer is important because the info can be immediately filed and accessed.

I began using this 12-folder setup as soon as I learned about it, and I’ve been happy with it ever since. At some point I discovered that this method is known as a “tickler system,” and that it comes with a few variations—the most popular of which is to add another 31 folders, labeled 1-31, for each day of the month. That sounds like a great method for someone who has many appointments all week long, but the simpler 12-folder system is all that I require.

This system can be used for other reasons than keeping track of event info. For example, if I want to take action on something at a future time, I’ll stick it in the appropriate month’s folder and then create a popup reminder to myself in Outlook. When it pops up I can instantly retrieve the paperwork from the folder and make a decision.

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© Suzanne Rodriguez
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