Paauwerfully Organized - Does Paper Tiger take a long time to set up or convert?

The whole concept of the Paper Tiger sounds really interesting, and I know that you guarantee that it works. I've read some of the glowing remarks that others have made about this method of filing. My greatest concern is not the cost of the software, but the cost in terms of how much time it will take me to convert my existing piles and files into the Paper Tiger System. I just can't imagine spending the time it would take to enter all that information into the computer. How do you get past the hurdle of that upfront investment of time to get this system up and running?

The Paper Tiger actually makes filing easier and quicker to do once you have it set up. The reason...the hanging files are pre-created (a file labeled with a number can be labeled ahead of time) and are waiting empty in the file drawer to receive paper. No searching for a file and a label and having to create a nice printed label at the time you create a new file.

I do my filing once a week. Here's how I do it. I pull out all of my To File papers from my stacking tray and I look up an appropriate keyword for each one. Usually the file already exists. If it is Reference 27, I write "R-27" in the upper right corner in light pencil and set it aside. Then I move onto the next file (Archive 62 -- I write A-62 in the corner, etc.). If I need to add any keywords, I add them after I have found the appropriate file in the database. If I need to create a new file, I decide which location to put it in, click on NEW, and the Paper Tiger finds the lowest available numbered file that is empty in that location in the database. Then I can type in a file name and any keywords I want to associate with that file. Then I write the number in the upper corner of the document and move on to the next one. When I am done with the computer part, I either have my daughter to do the filing, or I do it myself. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes when I do my filing weekly.

Yes, there is up-front time involved in getting the Paper Tiger set up. But when you consider that the average person wastes 150 hours per year looking for lost and misplaced papers, even if it took me three solid days to convert my system...that would be 24 hours vs. 150 hours. The investment of time is well worth it because I gain so much in productivity for years to come. If you don't have solid blocks of time to do the conversion, there are other ways to do it. Also, you don't have to add keywords for every piece of paper in a file. In some cases, I may not add any keywords -- if the file name contains the only word(s) I would ever look up to find it.

Here are a few different plans of attack for implementing the software. Select the one that works best for you:

Blitz all of your files in a few long working sessions and get it over with. The file conversion will go much more quickly if you have an assistant. The person most familiar with the papers should be with the piles or files of paper to be converted. Someone who has reasonable keyboard skills can assist by doing the data entry. You tell your assistant which words to enter into the database for Item Name, Keywords, and Category. As the assistant is doing the data entry, you can put the papers into the appropriate numbered file. Without an assistant, there is a lot of back-and-forth between the papers, the computer keyboard, and the prepared files. It slows the process down considerably. (If you want my assistance in getting you started, I can either come to your office or I can do this remotely by phone and send you the database at the end of each working session.) This is the method I recommend, because you will have the instant benefit of being able to find ANYTHING you filed in 5 seconds or less!
Commit to doing a certain number of files per day or per week until it is all done. So if you had 200 files to convert and you said you would do 10 a day, in 20 days you would have it done. Most of my clients who have tried this method have not had the discipline to stick with the schedule. If you do this, you need to carve out time in your calendar by scheduling working sessions to do the conversion and then be disciplined about keeping these appointments with yourself.

Incorporate files into the Paper Tiger as you use them. As you access files in your A-Z system, rather than putting them back in the old AZ filing system, you create Paper Tiger files as you use them. This limits the conversion to those files to ones you actually use. (Statistically, 80% of our existing files are never referenced again, so why go to the trouble of converting them all!) Rather than converting ALL files into the Paper Tiger, you are waiting to see which ones you never use. Over time, you can archive or toss the pre-existing files that are obsolete. If you choose to include your archived files in the Paper Tiger system, you can create a location called ARCHIVE. The down side to doing this is that you end up using two systems for several months - some AZ and some numerical. This method can be challenging. You may not remember if a document is in the old or the new system, so you won't have the instant benefit of being able to find anything in 5 seconds or less.

Do a combination of the above in some way that will work for you. Perhaps you blitz the most important sections of your files immediately. Then you commit to one hour a week or 10 files a day (or whatever works for you) until the rest is done…or you do the rest as you use them.

If you have not set up a tickler file or action file system for yourself, I suggest that you visit my Trim the F.A.T. article (no, it's not a diet!) to learn a method for managing documents that require your follow-up or action but that you don't have time to act on right now. I invite you to view a PDF file I have created to demonstrate how the Paper Tiger works. (It may take about 30 seconds to download.) You will see some screen shots of the software so you can get a better idea of how it works. If you have questions after you review the PDF file, contact me to schedule a few minutes so we can talk by phone. I'll walk you through a few screen shots and answer your questions. Click here to view the PDF file. Happy Paper Taming,

Kathy Paauw
Paper Tiger Authorized Consultant
Organizing/Productivity Consultant Certified Business/Personal Coach