Action File

Organizing to De-Stress a Major or Chronic Illness

By Hazel Thornton | July 19, 2019 |

Illness is stressful. The less you have to worry about, the more you can focus your energy on getting well. And getting organized will help you worry less. This concept applies to any prolonged medical condition that results in decreased energy and mobility. Here are some examples: recovery from a planned surgery an unplanned medical…

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Six Organizing Systems Everyone Needs — System #4: Paper Flow

By Hazel Thornton | November 27, 2017 |

How well are your organizing systems working for you? In the introduction to this series I shared the following: What is a system? What 6 organizing systems do I think everyone needs? What 5 questions can you ask yourself to see if your systems are still working for you, or if they need tweaking? Now…

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Busting the Top 10 Organizing Myths

By Hazel Thornton | October 10, 2015 |

As part of my 10-year celebration of being in the organizing business, I thought I’d revisit this old blog post and see if I still agreed with myself. I do. Don’t believe everything you think!  Here are the top 10 organizing myths, along with the truth and some helpful links to related blog posts and …

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Getting Things Done (GTD)

By Hazel Thornton | June 4, 2013 |

Have you ever procrastinated doing something because you were afraid it might take a long time,  or lead to even more work, or make your brain hurt? And then, when you finally did it, it was easier and faster than you thought it would be, and you wondered, “Why didn’t I do that sooner?” I…

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3 Steps to Falling in Love with Your Home Office

By Hazel Thornton | February 16, 2013 |

How does your home office make you feel? If you have the sort of business where you have clients in, are you embarrassed to let them see it? One of my organizing and redesign clients said, about her cluttered, drab room, “I feel like I’m going to prison every morning.” Oh no, that’s terrible! Depending…

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How to Live and Work by Design, not by Default

By Hazel Thornton | January 14, 2013 |

Living and working BY DEFAULT means choosing the easiest path, either by unconsciously resorting to bad habits, or by maintaining the status quo. Sometimes we seek to avoid the conflict that can come with making a change. Sometimes we feel we have no choice in the matter. But I’m with Henry Ford, who said, “Whether you think…

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Inbox Zero, Really? (How to Declutter Your Email Backlog and Keep it Under Control)

By Hazel Thornton | April 9, 2012 |

Inbox Zero – WHAT?  Have you heard of Merlin Mann’s “Inbox Zero” method, whereby one processes the items in one’s email inbox down to zero emails on a regular basis? Is this possible? Yes. Is it necessary? Well, let’s just say that some version of it — Inbox Zero, Inbox Twenty, Inbox Weekly, or my…

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How to Create Your Own Simple Filing System

By Hazel Thornton | October 18, 2011 |

No two people are alike, and no two filing systems need to be either.  Create your own unique filing system using the S.P.A.C.E.* method:

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Mystery Piles & Action Files

By Hazel Thornton | October 8, 2011 |

Have you ever heard the organizing rule, “Touch each piece of paper only once”?  (a.k.a. OHIO — Only Handle it Once) Well, it’s a myth. But the kernel of truth inside the myth is this: If you sift through a pile of mail, or other type of papers, and if you don’t decide the first…

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