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Three Piles and a RAFT
I was channel surfing the other evening and ended up on the Fit TV channel; the station that has the perkiest, most energetic aerobic instructors I have ever seen. I never look or act like that when I’m at the gym! Fortunately for me that night’s program was about organization. I found myself engrossed in how this organizer took major rooms of clutter and chaos and turned them into sleek and organized spaces.
I’m not the queen of clutter, but I have to admit I have my fair share. My antennae were up so that I could learn a few tips to help me out, and you. The following are tips and techniques that grabbed my attention.
Does anyone have closets that need an overhaul? The next time you are ready to purge make three piles.
• Pile One is for clothes that will go to the re-sell-it shop, thrift shop, Goodwill, whichever place works for you. Be brutal here. Remember the rule that says if you haven’t worn it in a year, you probably won’t wear it again, so get rid of it. While you are at, get rid of your fat clothes, your skinny clothes, and keep the clothes that fit you now and that you like. (Okay, keep a couple of the former, just in case.)
• Pile Two is for the clothes you want to keep, but they need help. Pile on the pants with a hem unraveling, a shirt missing a button, or clothes with seams that have come apart. I have several items that fall into this category. This pile is also for clothes that need to go to the cleaners (do you really expect that stain to come out after it has been sitting for months?).
• Pile Three is for the clothes you want to keep. Hopefully, you have whittled your closet down to your favorites. Have you noticed that you usually wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time?
Next, take Pile One to the re-sell-it shop and Pile Two to the seamstress or the cleaners. Pile Three goes back into your organized closet – after you have done the same sorting for your shoes, purses (ladies), belts, sweaters, etc. Men, when was the last time you organized your sock drawer? I can’t squish any more into John’s drawer – it needs an overhaul.
The organizer was working with a couple, and each individually cleaned their closets out (while the other was giving input). This organizer took it to the next level when it came time to tidy up common areas. In deciding what to toss both parties had to agree, so there was an element of compromise in this task. They also had to let go of the “baggage” that accompanied some of the items that really needed to be tossed. Painstakingly, they went item by item and made the decision to keep, toss, or donate to charity (three piles again). When was the last time you accomplished that feat for yourself? Sure it’s time consuming, but well worth the uncluttered results.
My eyes popped out when I saw the final room to be tackled – the home office. It was way worse than mine but that’s not to say mine doesn’t need help. Three piles again. But, that’s just the beginning. What do you do with all the “stuff” you want to keep – magazines, receipts, letters, notes, old Balance Beam e-newsletters, etc? You must set yourself up a filing system to organize what you want to keep. Use a filing cabinet with file folders or accordion files. Do not keep the entire magazine, tear out the article that interests you and file it under the appropriate category. Put your bills into slots according to the date they are due. Be creative in your categories and keep them user-friendly.
Your filing system is useless, though, if you never file anything. Remember, you do want to reduce the clutter in your office. Enter the R.A.F.T. system to help you handle all that paper.
• R – Read
Read the letter, the note, the magazine, the bill, etc.
• A – Action
This paper needs action first before it can be filed or tossed.
• F- File
File it.
• T – Toss
Toss it, throw it away, discard it, get rid of it. NOW.
In other words, read whatever it is, and decide then and there if it’s a keeper or needs to be tossed. If it’s a keeper and it needs some action (i.e., cutting an article out of a magazine, or placing phone numbers and addresses into Outlook), then place it into the action basket. When you are ready to empty this basket, just do it or file it. You can also go from read to file if no action is needed. Sitting atop the desk in the newly remodeled office (a gift from the TV program) was a four basket organizer with the labels clearly visible for each basket: read, action, file, and toss (waiting to be shredded). It seems to me that the “toss” basket would never fill up because this should be done swiftly.
These tips are helpful not only in your home, but also in your office or place of employment. A recent news article by Jane Von Bergen of the Philadelphia Enquirer stated that “in 2000, consultants for Gartner Group of Stamford, Connecticut estimated that, by 2003, the average professional would waste 30% to 40% of his or her time on ‘document-related non-value-added tasks’, i.e. paper shuffling. Now some of that wasted time has moved from paper to electronics, with the volume of e-mail projected to rise 30% a year through 2008.” Does this describe you?
Dentists are known for never throwing anything away. How old is that composite in the bottom of the drawer? Do your charts need purging? When was the last time you used those hand instruments tucked away in the corner of the drawer? What else lurks behind those cabinet doors? How many old dental journals are waiting to be read? Those three piles are waiting (there might be someone who wants your old stuff – craftspeople like those dulled explorers).
Now that you have these tips to help you on your way to a better organized home and office, what are you waiting for? Schedule a time and just do it! Clear your space and lighten your life.
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