Share this:

I hope the last post inspired you to get your magazines under control.  Now as promised, let’s talk about all those pages you tear out of the magazines.   Do you have piles of pages.  Have you tried filing them but forget what files you have and make more?

Well lets start with a statistic.  We only look at 20 % of what we file.  That includes even important papers!  So before you do anything, it’s time to be honest.  The things you tear out of magazines, do you really ever look at them again?  Is it out of sight out of mind?  If you do, that’s fine.  But the real point is to be honest.

Look at what you tear out.  What categories do you have?  What is your reason for wanting to keep these pages?  Do you find you have several articles that say the same thing?  You need to first gather all the loose pages you have torn out – I mean all of them.  We never know really how much we have until it is all together.  Now set a date with yourself of quiet time to spend sorting and reviewing what you have.  If you already have some in folders, look at them too.  This will refresh your memory of what you have and haven’t looked at.  Decide if you think you want to make folders for what is important, or do you want to make a binder with category/divider pages.  Have supplies ready before your first sorting day.

As you sort ask yourself the following questions:

Why do I want this?  What does this information do for me?  Can I google it anytime I want and get the information on line?  Is it worth my time to file this?  Will I really use this in the future?

Based on those answers make categories and start sorting what you truly feel you want to keep.  Be sure what you are keeping you label or categorize clearly.  Pick a  designated place to keep the folders or binder so it is handy to access in the future.  Set rules and guidelines for handling magazine pages from now on.  Decide what you will allow yourself to tear out and why.  Be sure you file them immediately so you do not find your self piling again.  But please give yourself a limit.  We all need limits for many things in life.

Lastly an important thing to think about is, when will you look at what you’ve filed?  If you keep articles on such topics as health or exercise, plan time even once a month to review the folders.  Put this information to good use to improve your life, or stop tearing and filing.  Monitor yourself and make sure to be honest.  Is it worth your time?

Keep the control!

Diane Konrath

www.organized-transformations.com

Advertisement