It's somewhat ironic that in the computer age we end up less organized than ever before. The mass of information now accessible via the Internet threatens to overwhelm us. So much of that now comes to us in the form of emails.
I subscribe to several very informative ezines, and get an inbox full of emails each with nuggets of useful information. If any were interesting or contained a useful idea I would just save it in a folder - but weeks later had no idea why I had saved that email! Recalling something I later wanted to re-read, the list of titles in my folders gave no indication of where it may be. Now I organize emails by deleting them! I only save things like receipts, never an email just because it contains "something useful". Most ezines and emails generally are broken down into several short features which are self contained. I copy anything interesting and paste it into a new page in my word processor. I can then give that its own title, which can be long enough to give an indication of what it contains.
Another advantage of doing this is it becomes a more interactive and personalized process. Anything in your word processor you can edit and add to. If you find information about how to motivate yourself; you can chop it up and add how you can use the information to motivate you. There is no point saving information if you never use it!
The same principle can be used when you surf the Internet and come across nuggets of information on a web site. Saving the web site in your favorite folder will cast the idea into a stagnant list. Look at all your favorites - how many have you revisited and can you recall why you saved them? When you copy and paste the article or idea, you can also paste in the web address, so you can always revisit the site if necessary.
Once you get into the swing of organizing emails within a word processor you can start merging and playing around with ideas. You can paste different ideas about say motivation within the same file, and combine them to come up with new ideas or statements that could work for you.
If you visit a public library looking for information, you copy out what you want - you don't take books out a leave them permanently on a bookshelf. Somehow we don't seem to have grasped the same idea with emails and the Internet - even though organizing emails just takes a click of the mouse!
About the Author
Eric Boot likes to be organized, click for hundreds of tips on Getting Organized at home or in the office.
