Comments on: Help! I’m buried under paper and I can’t get up!

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:36:21 +0000

Use http://www.xambox.com to automatically file your papers.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:12:35 +0000

I just realised I posted the completely wrong link before… but since you don’t have an iPhone, it is no longer necessary :)

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:11:18 +0000

You could always try the Windows Marketplace and search for “Business card reader” and have a browse through the results – you might find it more expensive than the others, but still probably cheaper than a stand alone card scanner (which would likely come with plastic packaging). As for AT&T, I’m in Australia so we don’t have that issue!

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:37:22 +0000

Hi Dave. Unfortunately, my phone is not iPhone or Android. It’s Windows Mobile. I have it because I wanted to support Credo Mobile rather than AT&T or the other mainstream phone companies.

I don’t know if my MFC will send faxes to email, but I receive so few faxes, it really doesn’t matter. I may get one a year! I use it more often for scanning.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:24:24 +0000

In regards to your comment on OCR for business cards. I believe that if you have either an iPhone or an Android phone you can download an app that will convert business card details into contact details automatically.

iPhone link here: http://lighterfootstep.com/2009/07/chickens-in-suburbia-one-couples-foray-into-urban-homesteading/ – costs money, but not a whole lot

I can’t quickly find one for the Android based phones out there but I’m sure they exist, and they’re probably cheaper than the iPhone version :)

On the whole they won’t be perfect, but it’s a start!

Also – it appears you have a MFC there too… do you know if it came with software to send incoming faxes to email?

By: Bridget

Bridget — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:03:45 +0000

If you need new three ring binders, Naked Binder is great:

http://www.nakedbinder.com/

Also, using thrift store purchases (vases, cups, etc) can make good containers for little things that tend to get lost in desks.

By: blueberries

blueberries — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:43:12 +0000

For business cards (and I also collect ALLOT) I have a binder with dividers labeled by the type of contact (advertising, merchandise, industry, other business contact & personal interests). I staple them to used copy paper (that would otherwise be thrown away. Two columns of five cards and file them in the binder so when I need a contact I just check in the binder. I am in such a habit if I ever meet someone that I think could fit in 2 categories of my binder I automatically ask for 2 cards, lol. Also for organizing rather than buying new plastic bins, I re-use boxes that I saved from packages and just paint or decorate them to look a little more appealing then label whatever I plan to put in them and keep all my boxes on book shelves in my office. Keeps everything easy to toss in bins when cleaning up my desk and looks a little eclectic & unique.

By: Rachael Herron

Rachael Herron — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:29:39 +0000

In terms of bills and important life papers, I finally did a huge purge a few years ago, keeping nothing that was more than a year old except a few things I thought I should (life insurance, medical stuff, tax info, house papers).

Then I started doing this process, which has been AMAZING at keeping me clutter free:

The only thing you need is one of those cardboard accordion file folders with 13 sections. Label each section with a month, and keep the first one label-free.

Every day, I sort the mail into Deal With and Recycle. The Deal With mail gets dumped into a magazine holder on a shelf.

Every two weeks, I pull out the magazine holder. I pay the bills and go through the papers. I shove everything into the appropriate month. I don't look at that file again until the next year, when I need to use that month over again.

So in June of this year, I went through June of last year's papers and shred everything like water and credit card bills. If you haven't needed them in a year, you won't need them again.

Obviously, I keep important things, like taxes and such and file them in the one small paper file box I have, but I rarely have to do that, maybe one page every month or two. (And I don't even file them right away -- I just leave them in that empty pocket in the accordion file, clipped with a note that says FILE. I deal with that every six months or so, filing the few pages I need to.)

It seems so easy, but it has seriously revolutionized my paper process.

By: cristele

cristele — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:13:39 +0000

Hello!
My sister tought me this when I was 18 and I use it still today. first I must say I 'm very messy but somehow I kept that habit through and it really helped me.
Each year, I buy one new folder file cabinets with sub tabs (accordeon style with compartment) and write: rent, taxes, insurance, doctor, utilities, bank. Every time I receive one or the other, i drop it in there. At the end of the year, I write in big marker Year 200X , and then I drop it in a closing folder (one that closes with a zipper). So I know that even if somewhat loosely organized, I have all the important stuff by year on top of my shelf.
For the rest...well there is nothing more important than this for me, so I end up trashing most of "the rest". I dont care about business cards so much, as if I liked it, it's probably in "my favorites" on Firefox, or if I like the person, he/she is porbably in my phone

By: alanna

alanna — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:18:37 +0000

i noticed this has been said, but punching the business cards with a hole and stringing them up somehow would be a great way to organize them and easily accesible, too. Do you craft or have friends that are crafty? if you are done with the cards, donate the cards to artists...

what about using baskets to organize your stuff. Or, for papers, punch holes in them and store them in binders....
good luck!