How do you stay organized?

[WinoBlues]

My work is part calendar list, unread emails, and piles. All the quotes/accounts I am working on become a file or packet that goes in a pile. I've been using a pile system for about 18 years, and it works. It's definitely not pretty, but it works for me.

That

 

[Life Hawk]

I have a 5 point system to stay organized.

1- Coffee
2- General hysteria
3- Yelling
4- Blaming
5- Occasional crying

I would add 3 more...

6- Piles (as already mentioned)
7- Shredder (not to be confused with a scanner... )
8- Trash bags... (large and numerous, much better than a filing cabinet and very mobile)

Now on a more serious note... take time to look at the technology... take time to understand how you think... then combine the two to create a system that if you called your wife and asked her to look for something for you (as I have done countless times)... she would be able to get it for you about 75% of the time.

My reasoning is, if you can organize (preaching more than practicing here) in such a way that others could sit down at your desk and be verbally instructed on how to retrieve a specific item, say a scanned copy of an app or a quoting sheet, then you are headed in the write direction.

 

[BADTROUT]

I would add 3 more...

6- Piles (as already mentioned)
7- Shredder (not to be confused with a scanner... )
8- Trash bags... (large and numerous, much better than a filing cabinet and very mobile)

Now on a more serious note... take time to look at the technology... take time to understand how you think... then combine the two to create a system that if you called your wife and asked her to look for something for you (as I have done countless times)... she would be able to get it for you about 75% of the time.

My reasoning is, if you can organize (preaching more than practicing here) in such a way that others could sit down at your desk and be verbally instructed on how to retrieve a specific item, say a scanned copy of an app or a quoting sheet, then you are headed in the write direction.

The impossible dream.

 

[Tahoe Ray]

All digital.

If you get paper, touch it once (scan then shred or just shred).

You can link everything together using just a few systems (CRM, VOIP-text and recorded convos, secure cloud storage-adding another cloud or external hard drive for backup).

I hate paper. If you travel for a few weeks and want/need to work, it is tough carrying file cabinets with you.

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

CRM, Computer Files, AND Paper. I have had a CRM "lose" all records/files. I've had a computer crash and wipe out everything. So, the more copies I have, the better. And you can't beat paper for cheap, reliable records. It also barely takes up any space. I know the digital thing is very modern, but I just don't trust it.

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

All digital.

If you get paper, touch it once (scan then shred or just shred).

You can link everything together using just a few systems (CRM, VOIP-text and recorded convos, secure cloud storage-adding another cloud or external hard drive for backup).

I hate paper. If you travel for a few weeks and want/need to work, it is tough carrying file cabinets with you.

Just copy your paper files to a computer, and you can take them anywhere. In my eyes, you need to have a paper back-up. Too much can (and will) go wrong with digital.

 

[BADTROUT]

Just copy your paper files to a computer, and you can take them anywhere. In my eyes, you need to have a paper back-up. Too much can (and will) go wrong with digital.

The problem with paper... it burns .. but so do computers. If the sun explodes or Russia attacks, and the power grid fails I dont want to have to hire a team of sherpas to haul my files to my safe room. Any of my local computers could be stolen, or burn and its if little or no consequence... my data is cloud based meaning multiple backups in multiple locations.

Meanwhile, as your sherpas pack up your files, my digital cloud based multiple location downloadable files will be in my pocket as I run for cover... and in Atanta, and Seattle, and wherever else Google and Amazon Data centers are.

So my data is stored by EZLynx. Its data is stored in Data centers ultimately backed up into AWS. The security layers in place are second to none at the data centers and are used by carriers, banks, government, and agency management systems.

Check this out... Data Centers - Our Controls

Come on guys, you have to adapt and cease the paper file tomfoolery or these whippersnapper new agents will have you in a donnybrook before you know it.

I do regularly back up my AMS meaning all of the good cloud storage is backed up to a thumb drive as well. Paper is an unnecessary burden, and liability.

 

[goillini52]

The problem with paper... it burns .. but so do computers. If the sun explodes or Russia attacks, and the power grid fails I dont want to have to hire a team of sherpas to haul my files to my safe room. Any of my local computers could be stolen, or burn and its if little or no consequence... my data is cloud based meaning multiple backups in multiple locations.

Meanwhile, as your sherpas pack up your files, my digital cloud based multiple location downloadable files will be in my pocket as I run for cover... and in Atanta, and Seattle, and wherever else Google and Amazon Data centers are.

So my data is stored by EZLynx. Its data is stored in Data centers ultimately backed up into AWS. The security layers in place are second to none at the data centers and are used by carriers, banks, government, and agency management systems.

Check this out... Data Centers - Our Controls

Come on guys, you have to adapt and cease the paper file tomfoolery or these whippersnapper new agents will have you in a donnybrook before you know it.

I do regularly back up my AMS to a tiny thumb drive meaning all of the good cloud storage is backed up to a thumb drive as well. Paper is an unnecessary burden, and liability.

None of this will matter after the world ends in 12 years.

 

[BADTROUT]

None of this will matter after the world ends in 12 years.

That's why my soul has a cloud based backup as well, even better than Amazon.

 

[Tahoe Ray]

Just copy your paper files to a computer, and you can take them anywhere. In my eyes, you need to have a paper back-up. Too much can (and will) go wrong with digital.

If something "goes wrong" with digital files, especially those with redundancies/backups, we're all going to have much bigger issues than our businesses.

I won't need my files in my prepper cabin at that point.