Problem solving outline on getting organized - Essay Example

Problem Solving Paper Outline I. Introduction A. Attention-getting detail What a mess! I have an office in my kitchen which is basically just a deskand a bunch of file cabinets. The desk has become my hub for all kinds of documents including mails, bills, and college coursework. Although these documents are important, they are usually lost within the piles of papers and I have to look through them to find what I am looking for and more often than not, the hunt is unsuccessful and causes all the more mess in the house.

There are several boxes around the house that contain random things from old job papers to pictures of my children which creates a lot of mess and unnecessary clutter. Moreover, the garage is also heaving with boxes, books, tools and so on that needs to be given a proper place and sorted out. How should I go about solving this problem? Would I keep living like this? How can I put everything in an organized manner? B. Description of the problem I stay busy all day and have less time to spare so I want to solve this problem by spending the least amount of time.

However, I have some important material that I would like to keep with me so some sorting has to be done. Several choices would fit the need, but I have to consider all of the work involved and make the right decision. II. Body A. Specific criteria stated 1) Time that would take to organize 2) Cost of organizing 3) Utilization of space B. Alternative 1, application of criteria, and evaluation Alternative #1: Boxing all the documents and belongings and labeling each box 1) This would take up a lot of time as I would have to go through everything and sort them into boxes.

This would take a couple of days and that’s too much time considering my busy schedule 2) The only cost would be the boxed that I would have to buy which is not too much to spend 3) the boxes may take a lot of space in the house C. Alternative 2, application of criteria, and evaluation Alternative #2: Getting a friend to help me in organizing the papers into folders and other belongings in boxes and store the items that are, not urgently required but are important, in a storeroom 1) Time management is facilitated with the help of a friend who could sort the things and box them up.

Also, since my friend would know more about the things that I frequently require this would be more feasible than hiring someone to do this job 2) Cost of the boxes, folders and a paper rack is not too much. Moreover, getting help from a friend is less costly then hiring someone. 3) Folders would not take too much space and by storing the boxes in a store room there would be more space created in the house and in the garage and would give me the room to become more organized. D. Alternative 3, application of criteria, and evaluation Alternative #3: Throwing away all the papers and things to start all over again and manage efficiently this time 1) This would take the least amount of time but throwing everything would result in losing a lot of important belongings 2) The loss in throwing away important things can be characterized as a cost. 3) There would be plenty of free space III.

Conclusion A. Recommendation or best alternative Considering all of the criteria, the best choice comes down to the second alternative which is organizing the paperwork into folders and other belongings into labeled boxes with the help of a friend and store the boxes in a store room. This alternative takes less time while allowing me to keep my important documents and items that I may need in future. This alternative would also allow me to assign a particular place for everything and help me arrange things in a more organized fashion in the future. B. Relevant comment I could use my file cabinets to store the old documents in folders and labeling them for future reference.

Getting a help from a friend is easier as they would know about the things that are miscellaneous and those that are important. The documents that are frequently used can be placed on the paper rack over the work desk. Bibliography Brooker, P. Brookes, G. & Leeder, A. Problem solving practice. Heinemann, 2001