The #1 Organizing Mistake
One of the number mistakes a disorganized person makes is piling vs. filing.
The most obvious places you see this is on your office desk, kitchen counter or bedside table. Less obvious places you will find piles are in bookshelves, drawers and an entry table. Some swear by piling, saying they know where everything is ... all the power to these folks if they can find what they need fast in their piles. I'm here to tell you that piling is the least effective way to use your time and space and here's why ...
Why You Shouldn't Pile
To find anything in a pile you have to unpile which takes more time
The higher the pile the more irritating it is to retrieve something at the bottom
The more piles you have and the less space you have
You can only see what's on the top of the pile
Piles look messy
Why You Should File
Retrieve things faster because you can easily access anything in the file without removing other files
Save horizontal space
Visiblity is enhanced as you can see what you have at a glance
In-depth categorizing or sorting is easier
Files are tidy
3 Exceptions to the File vs. Pile Rule
When you are writing on a piece of paper
When you are laying an outfit out to see how it comes together
When you are being creative and combining ideas
20 Other Things You Can File
Paper is the most obvious choice but there are many other things to file:
Plates (yes there's vertical plate organizers)
Cookie Sheets
Fabrics
Kids games
T-shirts
Shorts
Socks
Bras
Underwear
Books
Scarves
Gloves
Tupperware lids
DVDs / CDS
Lipstick
Napkins
Towels
Sheets
Craft Projects
Purses
