Monsters in the closet, alligators under the bed, bogeyman down the hall, Of course this was when you were a child. You aren’t a child any longer. Now you are an adult. Not only are you an adult, you are a well rounded, educated adult who owns their own business. Yet there are monsters everywhere you turn. Paper monsters that is.
What is the paper monster?
The paper monster lurks around every corner to turn. The collections, stacks, and filing cabinets of paper collecting in your small business are found everywhere. You don’t notice them at first, but just like the little shop of horrors, they get bigger and bigger as you feed them. No, these monsters didn’t just show up one day. They were created. Created by you.
How does a paper monster get created?
You are constantly creating your own paper monster. Nurturing them, feeding them, even being comforted by them until years of invoices, mail, bills and receipts pile up and become completely overwhelming. These monsters usually come in one or more of the following types:
* Melody the mail pile
* Billy the bill stack
* Roger the receipt box
Each of these monster form in different ways, but will overtake your focus if allowed to grow. Your task is to slay the beast, kill the monsters you find all around you. It is time to become a destroyer of monsters.
Can the monsters really be destroyed?
No, you can’t destroy the monster. Not really anyway. The monster will always appear when you forget about it for a few days. The stacks start to get bigger (and occupy a bigger portion of your thoughts) and the paper monster takes root again. You can’t destroy the monster, however, you can manage the monster. Managing the monster is all about shrinking it from its current state to a smaller state, to one that can be kept under control. Not destroyed but tamed.
How do you tame this monster?
The paper monster can be tamed in a few easy steps. Actually the steps are simple, you will just need to do them daily.
See the monster
You can’t tame a monster you can’t see. Have a look around and spot the trouble areas in your life. What areas do you see paper stacks or filing systems? Those are the starting points for controlling the paper monster.
Create a system
You will need a system for dealing with the daily onslaught of new paper clutter. One of the best methods for dealing with paper monsters of any kind is with a fast scanner and a easy process for scanning, destroying and organizing the resulting digital files. A system that has worked well for many monster slayers includes a fast scanner, paper shredder and organizing software. Your system may be different, but starting with these 3 items is a good idea. As you use this system, you will tweak it to make it your own.
Battle the monster every day.
Each day you will need to spend time keeping your system up to date. Keep all new documents scanned and shredded every day. As something comes into the system, deal with it. For example, when the daily batch of mail arrives sort and scan what is needed, then shred everything as soon as it’s scanned. The organization portion of the system can happen weekly, but you must take care not to allow this to become another monster in your post paper world. Spend the time needed everyday to keep up your system.
But, I don’t have time for all this
Battling the paper monster will take time and focus. You will meet resistance. You will struggle at times. Don’t think that the time you spend slaying the paper monster is time wasted. This time will be paid back tenfold when the time comes to find your records. This alone can repay the time spend daily to manage the system. The end result is life without the paper monster.
What does life after the monster look like?
No more monsters, no more bogeyman, nothing to be afraid of. You just need to follow the three steps we talked about in this article. Find your monster, create a system to deal with it, and keep up with your system every day. You can outgrow the paper monster just like you outgrew the alligators under your bed.
