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Transcript

Clear the Clutter: Piles of Paper · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyRiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're continuing our Clear the Clutter series.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now we come to one of my favorite topics related to getting organized, and that is dealing with piles of paper.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Isn't it ironic that we live in such a technologically advanced age, yet we also seem to be drowning in paper?
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: On any given day, I'm dealing with several pages of notes I've taken during meetings, I'm dealing with some receipts from purchases, some cards or other items I've got in the mail, and other paper items.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: And my general rule is that you should only keep a paper item unless it's absolutely necessary.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So whenever I encounter paper in my life, I like to do one of three things.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I would recommend that you do the same.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is you can file it physically, and you can file it away in a file cabinet or a drawer or a box.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now, obviously, you should keep paper items that you're going to need later, things like card titles, personal property tax statements, sentimental items, you know, paper photos if you want to hang on to those, items related to taxes or things like that.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: So some items you need to keep physically and you can file those away.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: The second way to deal with paper is to file it digitally.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Anytime that I take notes on a legal pad or in a notebook, I transfer those to my computer.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the time I type these into Evernote, which is my digital brain.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: If you've never heard of Evernote, Evernote has been around a long time.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's a it's an app basically where you can store notes and information of all different kinds.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: And they're organized into notebooks or files.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: And Evernote has been my digital brain for probably, let's see, this is 2023.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think I started using Evernote in 2010 or something like that.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've got, at this point, probably well over 20,000 different notes in Evernote.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I keep everything in there.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Let me give you an example of how I would use this.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: So yesterday I had several meetings on Zoom, and today I'm going to go through those eight pages of notes that I took, and I will put that information in the relevant Evernote notebooks.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: If I don't need to keep the actual paper item, but I need the image, such as something like an insurance card, I'll just take a picture and I will file that in Evernote.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Or I'll just take a picture and keep the picture on my phone in the camera role if I need to.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, some people use apps like Notion or OneNote instead of Evernote, but I think that's totally fine.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: My rule is use what works for you.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, a lot of times with computers and apps and stuff like that, or technological things, people get all wrapped up in the brand, or they think this one thing is so much better than the other thing.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I'm a fan of Apple computers.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: I use a MacBook Pro.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: I do think Macs are superior.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna lie to you.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And there are a lot of reasons that I believe that.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: But hey, if you use a PC and that's what works for you, I don't really care.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Use what works for you and use what you like.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't really make a difference if you use a Mac or PC or if you use Evernote or OneNote or Notion or nothing at all.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you just put everything in file folders on your computer.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's fine.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Do whatever works for you and don't let anybody guilt you into something else because that's what they like.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, on the other hand, I do think it's good to investigate what options are out there and what's going to help you be more productive.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Some things like Evernote do have a little bit of a learning curve, but it's not too much.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think Evernote's actually really, really easy to use.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: If I were starting today, I might use something like Notion, but I am so heavily invested into Evernote at this point in my life, I have zero interest in switching to anything else because it's just what I've used for so long and my stuff is just there.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: The point being of all this is that it doesn't really matter what you use, just use what works for you and what's going to help you stay organized.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So you can file things physically, number one.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, you can file things digitally and get rid of those papers.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then number three, once you don't need something anymore, you can shred it or discard it.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: So once you're done with paper, or if you if you've already gotten what you need from that piece of paper, or you don't need it at all to begin with, you can just throw it in the trash or you can shred it or discard it in some way.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: And just like knickknacks or random junk in your life demands your attention, paper demands your attention too.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you have random paper just floating around your office or your desk or your house or your car or your computer bag or your purse, it just takes up emotional and mental space.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: It really, really does.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I would also apply everything that we're talking about here to magazines, newspapers, and journals.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that, you know, everything is digital nowadays, but I still get a couple of paper subscriptions for a while.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: I was actually subscribing to the Wall Street Journal as a print edition because I like the Wall Street Journal for one thing, but there's just something kind of old-fashioned and fun about getting a newspaper delivered to your door.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: It just feels very 1950s to me.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: And there's something that I've always liked about just reading a physical print newspaper.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I spend all day on my computer as a ghostwriter and as an author coach and writer.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: So there are some things that I just like to read print-wise.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: I also subscribe to now, don't assume this means I'm 150 years old, but I also subscribe to Reader's Digest.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: My family ridicules me endlessly because I subscribe to Reader's Digest.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Then don't worry, it's all in good fun, of course.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: But they do kind of rib me at times because I love Reader's Digest.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I used to read that as a kid.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: My grandpa got Reader's Digest, my grandma did, my parents did.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I just love Reader's Digest.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's a great magazine for just getting little bits of information about a lot of different things.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: By the way, if you're a ghostwriter or you do client work, I think it's your responsibility to have little bits of knowledge about a lot of different things because that helps you in a lot of different ways in life.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: So that's one reason why I like a reader's digest.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now, do I save reader's digest usually?
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: No, not really.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: But if there's something that I come across, I will rip that page out, I'll take a picture of it, dump it into Evernote, and I will tag it with whatever subject that article or that page is related to.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then I discard it.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Easy peasy, no problem at all.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: So the point being here with magazines and newspapers and journals, stuff like that, if you subscribe to those things, tear out the pages that you want, file those away digitally by taking a picture or scanning those into Evernote or whatever it is that you use, and then get rid of that paper.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let it clutter up your life.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Or better yet, if you never read that magazine or you never read the newspaper, just cancel the subscription.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: That way you're not paying for it and that paper isn't cluttering up your life and just taking up space in the world.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: So whenever you handle paper, just kind of going back to the main point of this, try to make a decision about it as soon as possible, then take action on it.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you wind up with piles of paper on your dining room table or in your purse or computer bag or on your desk or your office, those piles of paper cause stress and anxiety.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: And this kind of mental state makes it hard to be creative and productive.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know that none of this stuff sounds exciting or sexy, quote unquote.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't sound as much fun as thinking about character arcs and book planning and publishing and, you know, all the things that we tend to get excited about in the book and the author world.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: These things are kind of mundane, you know, talking about getting rid of paper and organizing things and cleaning and all that stuff.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: But the reality of the writing life and really the reality of any life that involves creative work, the reality is that you have to do the daily work of making space for creativity.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: And once you clear away the clutter, you're giving a lot more space and energy for the muse to show up and work her magic in your life.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: So don't skip over these episodes that are dealing with cleaning and getting the clutter out of your life.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: These are actually really, really important.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's challenge.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Gather the notes and the random papers that are lying around your work area in your house and take a few minutes to file those away to transfer the information to a digital file or to discard them.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you have a big pile of paper, the simple act of gathering those together and taking just a few minutes to do that is going to be a really, really great start.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: So again, I encourage you to do that.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's going to really, really help you to be more creative and more productive and to reduce your stress and anxiety.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.