Week 41: January 17, 2026 | | Want a powerful way to save time and stress? | |
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Picture this: a mug with last week's coffee still on your desk, rogue papers strewn about the room, flyers from that club meeting you missed two weeks ago. Time for clean up.. but you'll be late if you don't leave now. "I'll take care of it when I get home" - little do you know that your classes, meetings, and dinners leave you pining for your bed when you finally come home at 11PM. Time for clean up? Maybe tomorrow.
Although a study from the University of Minnesota showed that both neat and cluttered environments have their upsides, keep in mind that clutter builds up if left alone. Why does this matter? Because clutter = distractions = a loss of time that you just don't have!
This week, we'll share tips on how to sort through the clutter. It's much better spending fifteen seconds pulling up an important file instead of digging through paper and electronic files for 55 minutes every day (the time an average American spends looking for items).
The 100 Week Sprint team
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Got 30 minutes? Make time to throw out stuff and clear out your inbox.
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Got an hour? Look for methods to control how much clutter comes into your life.
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Control the clutter
Here are the Professional Organizer's Top Tips for document control/clutter management:
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Reduce inflow. Control the points of entry (your mailbox, backpack, shopping bags, etc.). Sort through your mail or on-campus handouts next to the recycling bin or in your apartment building's lobby. Get a convenient shredder or a Guard your ID roller and simply recycle your papers.
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Know the types of documents and treat any incoming items accordingly. See the section below for details!
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Give each action item a specific deadline. If you do not schedule a defined time to complete your tasks, chances are they will not get done.
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Schedule time for system maintenance (whatever works for you). If you can't get to opening your mail every day, for example, have a basket near your entrance.
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Store each item near its point of use. If action files are hidden away, you are not going to put things in them in the first place, nor act upon them in a timely manner.
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Limit the number of folders you create. Too many files and email folders make it hard to find what you want. Saving email into one "old mail" folder makes things easier to track down.
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Sort it out
I generally put documents into one of four categories (understanding that they can shift from one type to another). Getting familiar with these documents and how to handle them and you will be well on your way to taming your clutter.
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Clutter items: flyers, junk mail, etc. PaperKarma offers an excellent junk mail control app. There may also be items only useful for a short time, such as receipts, orientation schedules, invitations to past recruiting events, and contact sheets relating to a past student group event.
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Action items: bills, project assignments, networking notes, etc. These should be put into action files sorted by category (potential topics include Classes, Recruiting, Student Groups, etc.). Your files, delegated or not, could exist in a desktop filing box, tabbed folders by your desk, or a specific folder in your email inbox. These require actions, such as call, pay, read, delegate, scan, etc., so you can also group them by the needed action. Once addressed, they will become either clutter or archive items.
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Reference items: schedules, syllabi, handouts from info sessions, student group notes, and anything you need regularly. Depending on your style, keep these at hand in a plastic sleeve (so you can see them) or group them with action items. Apps such as Evernote or Microsoft's OneNote keep track of information on your devices. You can also scan items and go paperless.
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Archive items: transcripts, receipts, tax documents, policies, medical records, and anything else of a permanent nature you need to retain for future reference. Store in 1-2 file boxes. these should be easily accessible but should not be taking up "prime real estate" in your space.
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