Organizing is to productivity as the heart is to the body: a driving force when efficiently maintained, or a source of anxiety and pain when neglected.  Be that what it is, a person isn’t a just a heart.  There is a system of organs, muscles and bones that make vital contributions to a person’s sickness or health.

A good professional organizer looks at the organizing project as part of a whole system, including other areas, tasks, people, and dynamics.

Without knowing this, it’s understandable why clients ask organizers for a quick fix – grant it, sometimes that’s all it takes.  Now that you’re in on the big secret, you understand why I’d ask questions such as:

• how far back do the files date
• what types of files you’re keeping
• how and why they come to you
• how and why you save them
• for how long you should save them
• how many other people use the system, for what and why
• and much more..

I recommend ignoring those details if you are never going to need the files again. Let’s say you want to bury or burn them (not likely, I’m guessing).  Then for sure, don’t waste your time on details.

If you want to grow a well-maintained system with long-lasting results, just like in the human body, success is in the way the details work together efficiently. To stay alive and well, it just makes sense to take care of the entire system, not just the area with the symptoms.

Be well and be productive!