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de-clutter your inbox:
in today's business world, our lives and our workdays are filled with what we like to call "electronic paper clutter" or all the e-mails, files, pictures and other documents that clutter your computer and your inbox. Although electronic clutter may not take up space on your desk, it will still clutter your work day and make it more difficult for you to find what you need on your computer or in your e-mail.

Just as organizing your physical papers is important, both for your sanity and your productivity, organizing your electronic papers might be even more important because you aren't able to quickly flip through a big pile of papers...you have to search through each file on your computer and hope to find what you need.

Below you will find a list of helpful tips to help you get your electronic paper clutter under control. Keep reading!

de-clutter you inbox in 5 SIMPLE steps:
To begin, create files for your inbox relative to your life or your job (family, friends, coworkers, advertising, bills, receipts, subscriptions, etc) anything that you feel you need to properly file your e-mails.

1. scan your inbox and delete junk mail and any SPAM immediately
2. go through and skim e-mails you are not sure about. Delete the junk or take action if it is required...then delete the e-mail
3. read e-mails that require your attention and prioritize them. Reply to any with short, simple requests and delete or file them when they have been completed
**by now, you should only have a few e-mail left in your inbox so you won't feel overwhelmed if the requests are time consuming.
4. deal with the remaining e-mails in your inbox and delete or file them as necessary. It's OK if they sit in your inbox for a couple of day but try to deal with them as soon as possible
5. each week, or even each day, delete all the messages in your trash bin, SPAM folder, and any other e-mails that don't need to be saved.

if you keep up proper maintenance and regularly delete your junk mail, your cluttered inbox will be a thing of the past!

computer filing 101:
this can be more overwhelming than physical paper clutter but it is essential to maintain organized computer files if you want to accurately account for all your information...and be able to find it again!

1. to begin, create a file for every area of your job or your life. These should be major categories.
2. with in each major category, create several folders for sub-categories. These should be clearly labeled so you will easily be able to navigate your way through the folders. You can even create another group of sub categories within the first group of sub categories!
3. go through all your existing documents and file them into the appropriate folders. Create new folders as needed and delete any documents that are not needed.
4. If files are time sensitive, name each main folder by the year and each sub category as a month or week.
5. Try not to group too many documents in one folder as it is much more time consuming to look through 50 document in one folder than to look through 10 documents. The more detailed you can be when labeling your folders, the better off you will be.

Whenever you get new electronic clutter, create a corresponding folder or file it in a current folder. You will save valuable time and your sanity the next time you have to search for a document!

For more organizing tips, visit our 365 day organizer blog
Click her for tips to organize your physical paper clutter
Click here for article about paper management