Organizing comes down to one simple (though not easy) rule – have a place for things.

Have systems in place in advance of acquiring a piece of information, an object, or whatever. Have a filing system that works for you – that means when you want to keep something, you know where to put it so you’ll find it again (after all, finding it again is the whole point to filing). That filing system is not only for paper, it’s for your electronic files as well. Most people I know have thousands of files on their hard disks and no clue what they have. The longer we’ve been using a computer, the more files we have. Have a system for organizing those files and for deleting the ones you don’t need anymore. (P.S. Don’t forget to back up all those files regularly!)

For a software program to help you manage your paper files (and just about everything else), you can’t do better than The Paper Tiger. I’ve been using it for years to keep up with my Action and Reference files especially.

I’m also experimenting with how The Personal Brain can help me be more organized. I’ll let you know if I make any progress.

But, don’t stop with paper files (and electronic files, of course). Organize your books, CD’s and DVD’s, supplies, and just about anything else you collect. I keep all of my software programs in notebooks (at least the ones that still come on disc). I have a file with all my software licenses. Recently, I organized all the pieces of hardware I’ve been collecting over the years (power cables, routers, USB cables, network cables, etc.). I can actually find what I need now!

What have you been struggling to find lately? What tools will help you create a place for things (before you need it)?