The Purging Process
The Purging Process
“Early in my career I felt that organization would destroy my creativity. Whereas now, I feel the opposite. Discipline is the concrete that allows you to be creative.” – Verna Gibson
The Purging Process also known as The Great Gutting or more commonly: Spring Cleaning The first and most difficult step towards an office reorganization project is the Purging Process. This process eliminates all unneeded, unwanted, and useless paperwork, equipment, and supplies. Ask yourself, “Do I really need to save this?” “If I throw this away, can I get a copy of it elsewhere?” If you haven’t used it with the last year, you don’t need it for reference, and you don’t need it for legal reasons, then you don’t need it. Clean out your filing cabinets. Go through your planner. Tackle the bookshelves. Clean up the corkboard. Remove all unneeded equipment. This includes all pens and markers which do not work. Take paperwork, books, files, etc. to their appropriate locations. Eliminate duplicates. Go through all the things you’ve been ‘meaning to do’ and either do them or throw them away. Call or email all the junk mail you receive and ask to be removed from the lists.
The files, equipment, and supplies that are left are the ones you need and the ones that will be filed or used. Place the remaining paperwork in two piles; one for long term storage and another for easy reference filing. Take all files for long term storage and place in cardboard filing boxes. Take these files to a long term storage location.
The Purging Process is an ongoing one. Each year, you’ll take a look at all your files and get rid of anything that you haven’t used in the last year, which you don’t need for legal reasons, or is outdated. Do the same for your computer files. This is spring cleaning for your office. Choose a time of year that is generally slow for your business, typically in July or August.
This is only the first step toward a more organized office and life, but it is by far the most important. Once you are finished with this process, you will begin to see much more clearly what you need. When the clutter is gone, your mind will be uncluttered too.
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