Piles and Piles...

[Life Hawk]

pile1
pīl/
noun

1. 1.
   a heap of things laid or lying one on top of another.

Had two appointments cancel on me today, so... I am attacking the paper work in my office (once again).

Been on this forum long enough to know there is some well weathered synergy out there, what are somethings that ya'll do to beat back the paper stacks, organizational ideas, work flow options... mess control!?!

 

[rousemark]

pile1
pīl/
noun

1. 1.
   a heap of things laid or lying one on top of another.

Had two appointments cancel on me today, so... I am attacking the paper work in my office (once again).

Been on this forum long enough to know there is some well weathered synergy out there, what are somethings that ya'll do to beat back the paper stacks, organizational ideas, work flow options... mess control!?!

Throw everything away.. Wish I could make myself do it!..

 

[PA Bill]

Well, if you live out in the sticks you can always burn that shit in the fire pit.

 

[Life Hawk]

Well, if you live out in the sticks you can always burn that shit in the fire pit.

I don't live in the sticks, and I burned a full box of stuff this morning. Any organizational tips?

Throw everything away.. Wish I could make myself do it!..

Yeah, some days I wish I could.

 

[shonceman]

I'm basically attention deficit, so I've got the typical piles going, too. I have this fear that if I toss this or shred that, I might need it later. But I don't always know where to put it!

The best thing that's happened to me in this business is paperless apps. Once I've completed an e-app or tele-app, I'm pretty much done with it. I especially like e-apps or iPad apps (fillable PDF type) because there's not even a paper worksheet hanging about begging me to file it.

An organizational tip I learned for supplies is to keep a 3-ring notebook fitted with multi-sheet page protectors. Each pocket has apps, brochures & related documents for my primary carriers. (You have to be careful about the temptation to cram too much stuff in it, though, if you're anything like me!) The stuff I use only occasionally sits in 2 portable file boxes in the trunk of my car.

 

[rousemark]

I'm basically attention deficit, so I've got the typical piles going, too. I have this fear that if I toss this or shred that, I might need it later. But I don't always know where to put it!

The best thing that's happened to me in this business is paperless apps. Once I've completed an e-app or tele-app, I'm pretty much done with it. I especially like e-apps or iPad apps (fillable PDF type) because there's not even a paper worksheet hanging about begging me to file it.

An organizational tip I learned for supplies is to keep a 3-ring notebook fitted with multi-sheet page protectors. Each pocket has apps, brochures & related documents for my primary carriers. (You have to be careful about the temptation to cram too much stuff in it, though, if you're anything like me!) The stuff I use only occasionally sits in 2 portable file boxes in the trunk of my car.

When a do an eApp, I print a copy of the application so I can have it in the file...

 

[HoosierLife]

When a do an eApp, I print a copy of the application so I can have it in the file...

Don’t print it. Just save a pdf copy of it to a folder on your computer/tablet.

 

[somarco]

When a do an eApp, I print a copy of the application so I can have it in the file..

This response brought to you by the letters O C D

 

[LostDollar]

Don’t print it. Just save a pdf copy of it to a folder on your computer/tablet.

That takes one to another organizational nightmare, creating order and structure in your computer archives. That is something I haven't figured out how to do-do you have suggestions for that?

 

[LostDollar]

I'm basically attention deficit, so I've got the typical piles going, too. I have this fear that if I toss this or shred that, I might need it later. But I don't always know where to put it!

I wonder, could you make just a few very broad categories and devote a file drawer section to each?

For example: Carriers: carrier specific literature, contracts, trip files etc; Clients: separate files for each client-not sure if that would go further to each policy type for each client; Background information for each selling market such as Final Expense, MedSupps, Term Insurance and so on; and general selling/marketing techniques such as door knocking, f2f presentations, closing-and so on.

One of the problems I had with "all those papers" was that things would get stuck together and I would loose something. I started putting binder clips on each "project" that was out on my desk, whether it was 1 page or 15.

Just for perspective, around 5 years ago I threw away box after box after box of (literally) mouldering paper items from my basement. Most were books, but among them were two boxes of carefully filed magazine articles I had saved from assorted free business magazines of the 80's. Most of the articles were never used. From the perspective of my 60s they were not worth the effort they took to save in my 30s.

A book called Clutter Busting by Brooks Palmer helped me to start dealing with some of my saving problems.