Note Taking Tips from the Professional Organizer in NYC
One culprit of the never-ending paper pile in your office is note paper. This could be scrap paper, post-it notes, or piles of notebooks that are half full. You need to be able to write down thoughts, tasks, and important details as they come to you, but having various papers scattered around your office containing this information is not helpful. In fact, you are more likely to misplace important notes if you don’t have a consistent note-taking strategy.
Ditch the scrap paper and try out these tips from your Professional Organizer in NYC.
Keep your notes in one place. No matter what method you use for note-taking, multiple pieces of paper scattered around your house won’t work. Utilize one notebook or pad to record phone messages so you’ll have one go to spot when it’s time to return the calls. Avoid using post-it’s as they become attached to whatever papers or surface is closest and then are lost forever. Keep it simple and keep them together.
Schedule time. The key to note taking is accept that the notes are temporary snippets of information. Schedule time at the end of your work day to quickly sort through your notes. Add important dates and times to your calendar. Add projects and tasks that need to be completed to your to-do list. Once the info has been recorded in a more permanent location, you can toss out your notepaper. There’s no need to clutter your space by saving papers once they are no longer needed!
Go digital. There are a wide variety of digital apps that work on all of your devices – laptop, desktop, tablet, and even your smart phone. You can check out Google Drive, which allows you to use documents to take notes that you can then sort into file folders, with the added benefit of being able to share and collaborate with your team. Another great option is Evernote. You can type up notes, sort into separate notebooks by topic, and even store pictures, links, and receipts. It’s a versatile option that you can use anywhere you go. Finally, check out Simplenote. This doesn’t offer as many options for usability as Evernote, but it’s a simple way to just type out notes and keep them in one location, especially when you are on the go.
No matter what method you use for note taking, the key is to stick with it so that you minimize the paper clutter. By keeping your notes in the same place and scheduling time to sort through them (and going digital when it makes sense), you’ll be able to keep the mountain of paper piling up in your office to a minimum. If you need more paper organizing assistance, reach out to your Professional Organizer in NYC.