...Continuation of "Organize your Office" series to get a Fresh Start for 2010! 

A desk can get quickly buried in incoming mail, papers, receipts, business cards, bills, and notes to yourself.  Instead, use an IN box and sort from there.  If you have time, sort out your incoming papers every day.  If not, dump everything into an IN shoebox and sort it once per week.

A. Incoming Sorting System

1. Put a shallow "IN" box or shoebox near your desk.

2. Put trash 3 bins nearby and label with large labels on all sides:

• Trash bin
• Recycle bin
• Shred bin

3. Put 2 plastic/wire sorting systems near your desk - one for Personal and one for Business.  I use a plastic sorter stand (such as Staples item 15846, model 38686) because I can place it on top of stackable side-load letter-size trays, which I use for my IN boxes.

In each filing system, insert the following file folders.  I prefer plastic "box bottom" file jackets (so nothing falls out).  Use colored folders for easy sorting (such as Staples Colored File Jackets item 606616, model 606616).  Label each folder with a label maker for quick reference.

Personal Papers - need 7 file folders

• Incoming / To Sort
• To Do
• Bills Due
• Receipts Paid
• Income Received
• Bank Statements
• To File / Misc.

Business Papers - need 11 file folders

• Incoming / To Sort
• To Do
• Bills Due
• Receipts Paid
• Income Received
• Bank Statements
• Schedules Past
• Events Upcoming
• Contacts - New
• Leads
• To File / Misc.

4. Every day when you get your mail, sort it immediately.  Put the generic junk mail into the recycle bin, and the personalized junk mail (containing your name or other info) into the shred bin.  It's easiest if you sort it right away.  But if you're in a big hurry, you can toss all mail into the IN box and sort later.

5. Every day (or couple of days), stand by the IN box and empty all the papers from your pockets and purse into the IN box.  That includes receipts, bills, mail, business cards, phone numbers, and reminders you've written on scraps of paper.  Remember to bring in your papers from the car also.

6. Then take the papers from the IN box and toss into the appropriate file folder listed above.  It only takes a few minutes.

7. Every week, enter the Receipts Paid and Income Received in your bookkeeping computer system, then file in the filing cabinet (next section).  Also every week, enter New Contacts in contact database, put them on your follow-up schedule, then toss.

8. Each month, balance your bank statements (both personal and business) and then file them in the filing cabinet (refer to next section).

By the way, you don't have to shred paper from the shred bin immediately, except for critical papers.  You can wait until you have a full bin and take it to a professional shredder (or burn it in the fireplace).  That saves hours and hours of shredding (not to mention un-sticking the shredder).

Hint: every day when you get out of your car, take your papers in the office with you.  Don't leave info in your car overnight.

Hope this helps you get a fresh start with your office in 2010.  Stay tuned for Step B, "Daily Working Files". 

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of eBook "Stop Foreclosure Fast: Solutions to Save your House"
Author of forthcoming book, "Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Profit from Home"
Join & post to my NEW ActiveRain group at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

Text copyright © 2010 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved