I’ve noticed that people tend to err on the side of either being too organized or too disorganized. We tend towards a general state of orderliness or messiness. Some people keep detailed records of all their tax returns and receipts while others always spend several minutes trying to figure out where they saved “that file” every hour they use their computer.
Both these situations are flawed. When one creates an organizational scheme, one should make sure (upfront costs of organizing everything + background cost of maintaining organization < amount of time saved by reducing access time). In other words, there is a “sweet spot” with regards to how organized one should be in any given system.
So for tax returns, given the odds of being audited (roughly 1%), the correct organizational scheme would be to toss everything in a (labeled!) garbage bag and bury it in the garage. For something as frequently used as a computer, the correct situation would be to decide on a folder layout and learn a quick access tool.
TBD: I need help brainstorming examples of either “too-organized” or “too-disorganized” schemes to list. My hope is that people encountering the list can pick the low-hanging fruit. E-mail me!
Some example advice: http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/11/11/eleven-myths-of-de-cluttering.aspx Related: http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/11/the-tension-between-getting-it-done-and-getting-it-right.html
I’ve noticed that people tend to err on the side of either being too organized or too disorganized. We tend towards a general state of orderliness or messiness. Some people keep detailed records of all their tax returns and receipts while others always spend several minutes trying to figure out where they saved “that file” every hour they use their computer.
Both these situations are flawed. When one creates an organizational scheme, one should make sure (upfront costs of organizing everything + background cost of maintaining organization < amount of time saved by reducing access time). In other words, there is a “sweet spot” with regards to how organized one should be in any given system.
So for tax returns, given the odds of being audited (roughly 1%), the correct organizational scheme would be to toss everything in a (labeled!) garbage bag and bury it in the garage. For something as frequently used as a computer, the correct situation would be to decide on a folder layout and learn a quick access tool.
TBD: I need help brainstorming examples of either “too-organized” or “too-disorganized” schemes to list. My hope is that people encountering the list can pick the low-hanging fruit. E-mail me!
Some example advice: http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/happinessproject/archive/2009/11/11/eleven-myths-of-de-cluttering.aspx Related: http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/11/the-tension-between-getting-it-done-and-getting-it-right.html