Find Anything in 30 Seconds or Less

Do you do the same thing over and over but expect different results? Do you get caught up in the influx of paper and electronic media? Do you find yourself wasting time looking for things?

Learn how to Find Anything in 30 Seconds or Less. When you think about it, 30 seconds can be a pretty long time to find something. It would be great if what you were looking for was always in the first place you looked. 

To Find Anything in 30 Seconds or Less doesn’t mean you have to have a perfect filing system. It just means that you take a moment or two to think about where it might be and then check it out. Hmmm, what if it’s not there? Think about what other place(s) it might be. Try again, and hopefully it’s there. There may be another spot or two, but you should definitely be able to find it within 30 seconds.

By implementing this process, you can get rid of that awful “Why can’t I find it?” feeling. Design a system that works for you. Create an organization structure that supports your day-to-day activities.

Recent Learning Session

Wow! Once you can do this, you can do just about anything. It’s not the 50 yard dash but it’s definitely a timed activity. A perfect example is where I was recently challenged during a class I was teaching for the Entrepreneurial Assistance Program. The plan was to spend 3 hours on Records and Financial Wizardry. While some people actually enjoy this stuff, most people will do just about anything to avoid it; anything has got to be more interesting number crunching.

During this discussion I mentioned the term, “book coach.” The participants of the class had just taken the Power of Personal Productivity assessment, so they were aware that the #1 question was for people to consider where they are today rather than where they want to be. This difference is derived by subtracting the “where I am” from the “where I want to be.”

Typically we work with people who have a difference of 2 (aka gap) between the two choices in a given question.

Using anything to divert the discussion from “overcoming overload”, people were very curious and asked to learn more about what a book coach does. I explained how she keeps me (and the 3 others in my group) on track with my writing, designing, putting together different segments of the publication, and becoming well-versed in the options that are available. The rest of the group acts as a sounding board and provides valuable input. We often encounter similar obstacles and, oftentimes, someone else in the group has already been successful in moving past it – and will share what worked.
The point is that they were interested in seeing whether or not I could find her phone number in less than 30 seconds. It was rather comical they were challenging me on it. 
The good news is that I made it in plenty of time to spare!

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if you could find any document in 30 seconds or less? What would that that feel like?

A True Story

An investment broker found that getting organized actually tripled his productivity! He was “organizationally challenged.”  Faced with a sea of paper, he spent a significant amount of time looking for important papers. Working together to design a system that met his needs and executing that plan resulted in his tripling his productivity!

Many people have a strong need for organization. It enables them to feel in control. Individuals experience a high level of satisfaction they can put their hands on what they need, when they need it. This minimizes daily stress.

There’re a variety of things to organize so that you can find any of them in less than 30 seconds. Over the years, through my own experience and working with others who have reached out for help in organizing, the items most commonly searched for are:

• Keys
• Wallet / purse
• Phone
• Paper documents, files, and folders,
• Electronic documents and folders

Keys

I have spent countless hours searching for keys only to find they’re right where I left them! It is a frustrating experience and I just haven’t been able to get a grip on it myself. Of course, my recommendation is to put them in the same place every time. You might put them on an entry table, a counter, a wall hook, a beautiful ceramic bowl, a special basket, or in a drawer.

It sounds simple, but I often have my hands full when I walk in the door. Although my red wicker basket is just inside the door, sometimes / somehow the keys don’t find their way there. As I drop the packages / bundles in the appropriate rooms where they belong, the keys often get lost in the shuffle. 

Of course, I don’t realize it at the time. It’s not until I’m on my way out the door and reach for my keys that it dawns on me that I didn’t put them where they belong. Then the search begins. They could be just about anywhere. 

At home is not the only place this might happen. Whether you’re at the office, a client, or an event, try to use a place where you’ll be most likely to reach for them when you’re leaving.

Wallet / purse

For me, my wallet’s primary purpose is to hold my PDA (personal digital assistant). I gave up a purse well over a decade ago. It just seemed superfluous and I was able to carry whatever was most important in my planner or other accessory such as a briefcase, portfolio, or pocket. When I made the change of a lifetime, moving from paper to electronic planning, I bought a wallet-type accessory whose primary function was to hold my PDA. It’s highly functional and I would recommend it. There’s a stylus (pseudo pen to write on the electronic surface) available with a pen built into the other end of this implement.

Phone

The phone is a bit easier than the keys and the wallet / purse discussed above. If you’re taking your phone inside you home, you’re probably going to recharge it. Similar to keys, leaving your phone in a regular spot near where you typically enter and leave home, probably near either the garage or front door, makes the most sense.

For me, the phone is for my convenience. I do not give out the number, because I don’t want set an expectation that people can reach me any time / anywhere at that number or that I check my messages and will retrieve voicemail and return calls. I use it to check messages on my landline and return calls as appropriate. I also set up and participate in meetings, make inquiries, and / or let clients know if I might be delayed for any reason.

Although I used to keep my phone charger in what I thought was logical spot, I’ve moved it to just inside the door. Even if my phone doesn’t need to be charged, I put it on the bookcase. It’s always there. That’s what works for me.

Paper documents, files, and folders

Most frequently, this category might include documents, files, and folders. Take these 4 steps to organize your paper.

1. Make the decision. The good news is that since you’re reading this, you’re at least considering getting organized. At some point the pain level reaches a level where you just can’t deal with the frustration any more. This is not necessarily easy. As a matter of fact, I love the quote from one of my clients, “Change is hard.” If you’re willing to take on the challenge and make some changes in how you do things, I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

This is not something that’s going to happen overnight. After all, how long have you been operating in this way – 20, 30 years? Decades of doing things in a haphazard fashion is not going change instantly. Making the decision to do things in a more effective manner will is a huge step. Once you’ve adopted some changes in how you work, you’ll be thankful. You’ll definitely operate with less stress and have more free time.

Taking on the project of getting organized is triggered in a variety of ways. It could be a New Year’s resolution, spring cleaning, acting on a recommendation from a colleague, or just plain frustration.  Whatever the impetus, it’s a relief once the decision to get organized is made.

Take a moment now and answer the question, “Why do you want to get organized?”
I want to get organized because:

2. Dump what’s not needed. If you haven’t used it in the past 12 months, you probably don’t need it.  Tax records and certain business records can be stored where they are accessible but should not take up valuable space. Your home and offices are places to feel comfortable; neither is a warehouse.

There’re really two parts to this phase. One is the initial purging of documents and other belongings in your office. The other is rather extensive, what I refer to as “pensive parting” and goes on during the next phase, #3, Getting Organized.
Low hanging fruit

The initial purging can usually be accomplished within a day. This is the “low hanging fruit” piece of the cleansing phase. Most people are a bit hesitant initially but once they get going they get into the swing of things and wonder why they’ve held onto a lot of things for so long. Of course, many objects and documents bring back memories and we usually have some laughs about them.
Pensive parting

This is part of step #3. As you create the new system that works for you and your style, it’s appropriate to review the documentation as you file your papers in their “new and improved” locations. It may be very similar to where they were before. Take time as the “pensive parting” piece of the project to evaluate whether or not you really need it. Often you don’t need it, it’s obsolete, someone has it, or you can get it online when you need it.

3. Get organized. Planning is key to the success of the project.  Assess your needs before taking the plunge. By spending the time laying the foundation, you will more likely meeting with success down the road. Think about what’s important to you and your business.  Back in Chapter 1, we talked about knowing where you’re going. If you don’t have a clue, it’s difficult to know when you’re making progress.
Group information into broad categories.  As an example, groups may include customers, vendors, marketing, finance, and general business correspondence / info. One or more of your objectives might warrant their own categories. You might use green for customers since they’re a source of income. Red might be for vendors since you pay them money, sometimes creating a shortfall or put you “in the red.” Color coding files / folders facilitates locating important documents.

Key categories for organizing my paper documentation are as follows: You can use inexpensive software to create folder labels which can be viewed from the front, top, and back. I use Smead Viewables© with my clients and recommend them wholeheartedly. Just install the software by loading the CD, and launch (open) the program. Choose the type of label you want, e.g., tab, file folder, etc. Key the name. You can continue this process until you’ve entered all of the folder names in your plan.
There’re a couple of ways you might want to consider filing your documents. Earlier I mentioned using green for customers / income and red for vendors (usually outgoing funds). You can keep vendors separate from customers, using separate drawers.

Another alternative is to just file everything alphabetically. In the case of customers and vendors, you’d have red and green folders intermixed in the same drawer.
My preference is to keep things I refer to frequently in my desk file drawer. Other relatively commonly used information is in my lateral file behind me. Rarely used documentation is in another cabinet that’s not within reach.

As you go through the organizing phase, take the time to review your documents. Evaluate whether or not you really need them. Refer to “pensive parting” discussed in step #2 above.

This is the most time consuming phase of getting organized. It requires extensive effort. Don’t just shift documents from one folder to another and bury them in the massive array of file folders. Even though you’ve color-coded the folders, you’ll still waste time looking for things if you don’t know that what’s in the folders and whether or not it has value.

I really don’t want to give you an out at this point, but if you can’t do it all at once, make a plan on how you’re going get through the paper. Chunking a project down into more manageable pieces is an excellent methodology, however, my experience is that people may do the first couple or few pieces and then quit. Somehow, the currency of the project diminishes in value.

What seemed like a superb idea often goes by the wayside when the demands of day-to-day activities overtake the priority of this project. Since you’ve made the decision to get organized, plan to take the appropriate time to make it work. Don’t shortchange yourself!

Electronic documents and folders

Now that you’ve spent all this time planning and creating a system for paper documents, you can apply much of the same logic to the electronic side of documentation. In Chapter 1, you identified what’s important to you and your business / personal life. In this chapter, we’ve identified a simple but effective way to organize paper documents. Now let’s take a look at what’s out there on your computer (assuming you have one).

First of all, where are these documents? Are they creating some congestion in your email inbox? Are they on your desktop? Might they be lost in the all-too-familiar dumping group “My Documents”? Take a look around on your computer to see what you can find and identify if there is any rhyme or reason to how you’ve been keeping track of your electronic documents.

I can find my important electronic documents in the following locations:
Take a look at the categories you defined back in step #2, Get Organized. You’ve created an organization structure with specific groupings of like items, all important to you in your day-to-day activities. Now it’s time to review the list you’ve just completed which reflects your electronic document organization.

Where are the similarities and the differences? Generally, you’re able to mirror the paper side to fit the electronic documents as well. This is how I suggest my clients implement their electronic organization. Of course, there might be some inconsistencies, but it’s usually not too far off the mark and works well.
In addition, let’s not forget that there are three types of electronic documents:

• Email messages
• My Documents – typically files created in application software
• word processing
• spreadsheet
• presentation
• database
• Internet Favorites - bookmarks

Align paper filing system with electronic documents, Email, My Documents, and Internet Favorites. This will eliminate the discrepancies in overall organization.

4. Stay organized. Every time you receive a message, an email, or a voice mail, it takes a lot of your time to review it, act on it, file it, or dispose of it. Usually, when we can’t decide, we do nothing. We save it. SO the first key to staying organized is to take action. The second key is take action as quickly as you can. Taking a minimal amount of time on a regular basis can keep you on track.

As you review and revise what’s working and what’s not, keep your paper and electronic systems aligned. It’s amazing what energy you’ll derive by being able to Find Anything in 30 Seconds or Less!

Lynette Seawall is a Leadership Development Coach and Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA) DISC. She energizes business leaders to Win the Game of Leadership: Maximize Your Talk, Time, and Tech. For additional information, visit www.PerformancePlusConsulting.com, or contact info@PerformancePlusConsulting.com, (845) 679-4989