This is so easy to do, and once it’s done, you never have to think about it again. Here are the two easy steps:

Find Your Default Template

I use Microsoft Word, and the default template is named Normal.dot. If you have a word processor other than Word, your template may have a different name. In fact, this process may not work for you exactly as I describe it, but it will probably be close enough that you can figure it out.

1. Close your word processor, click Start > Search > All Files and Folders
2. Type *.dot into the box labeled “All or Part of the File Name”
3. Click “More Advanced Options,” and check “Search System Folders,” “Search Hidden Files and Folders,” and “Search Subfolders”
4. Click “Search”

The search may take a couple of minutes. When it’s finished, you will see a listing of all the document templates stored on your computer.

Customize Your Template

If you were to double click the file named “Normal,” you would open a new document that uses the template. We don’t want to do that. We want to open the actual template. In order to do this, you must right mouse click and select “Open.” This will launch your word processor and open the template. Check the top left corner of your screen to make sure it says “Normal,” instead of “Document 1.” If it says “Normal,” you’ve successfully opened the template.

Now you’re ready to change your margins and your font style, size, and color. When you’re finished customizing, delete any text you might have added so that you are left with a blank sheet of paper. Click “Save” and you’re done! See? That wasn’t so bad.

Check Your Work

Open your word processor and start a new document. You should see that the new document uses the smaller margins and is ready to go with your new text choices.

Keeping it real,

How to Change Your Margins

The formal formatting generally uses one inch top and bottom margins and one and a quarter inch left and right margins. When I’m printing non-official stuff, I like to use the maximum printing space per sheet – which is a half inch on many printers. To change your margins, click File > Page Setup. You should see a pop-up window with your current settings. Change the margin setting for the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right to .50 and click OK.

You now have maximum printing real estate per page!

Of course, you could just change the margin settings each time you start a new document, but that would be a waste of time. If you only do formal writing occasionally, you should consider saving the new settings to your default template. This is so easy to do. In fact, while you’re at it, go ahead and change the font style, size, and color to something you enjoy more.

Read my step-by-step guide on How to Customize Your Word Processor’s Default Template.

Keeping it real,

Trouble with Spam

Some of us get a lot of spam, but it really hasn’t been too much of a problem for me because I use a free web-based email service, and their spam filters are really good. I watch the numbers on my spam folder go up, up, up – then, on a day when I’m feeling particularly spunky, I click the “empty” button and say bye-bye to all those unwanted distractions without so much as even opening the folder to see what they are about. I realize, of course, that this is a bit risky, because occasionally, a real email gets sent to the spam folder. That’s why I don’t empty it every day. A time or two, I’ve been made aware that someone has emailed me something that I never got. That’s the only time I open my spam folder – to search for a real email that has been unduly sentenced to life in the spam folder. But that’s a rare occasion, and it certainly doesn’t warrant me spending my time sorting through all that junk.

For those pieces of spam that slip through the filter and land in my inbox, I have a zero-tolerance policy. I have no problem whatsoever clicking the “Report as Spam” button to let my email provider know that someone has outwitted their anti-spam software. If the sender info is empty or unfamiliar or if the subject is suspicious – away it goes!

The Real Problem

No, spam wasn’t my real problem. All the stuff I wanted to keep was the real problem. After nearly ten years of receiving sentimental notes, receipts, shipping notices, and action items, I had an inbox that was no longer user-friendly. The solution was, as it often is, to get organized! I needed a plan that would work long-term and was easy to understand (therefore easy to use). Often, when we try to organize, we get too detailed, and that leads to system failure. If we can’t quickly and easily use our organizational system, we will allow things to pile up again.

The Simple Solution

After reading an article about productivity, I was inspired to tackle the heaps and mounds of emails that were cluttering my inbox. I came up with a simple filing system that consists of seven folders (or tags, or labels, or whatever your email program calls it). Here are my folders and their descriptions:

1. Action – anything that needs to be done soon, but can’t be done right this minute.
2. Someday – anything that you would like to do someday, but isn’t a pressing issue (e.g. an article about a place you’d like to visit or a DIY project you’d like to try).
3. Waiting For – anything that requires action or input from someone else before it is complete (e.g. a notice saying you purchase has been shipped).
4. Receipts – receipts for items purchased via the internet.
5. Sentimental – personal notes that have inspired or encouraged you.
6. Quotes – quotes, poems, lyrics that you would like to refer back to sometime.
7. Archive – anything that doesn’t fit into the other folders, but you don’t want to delete.

Keeping your inbox empty is a snap when you use this system, and finding what you need takes only a quick click on the proper folder. It doesn’t take a lot of extra effort – just choose a label (or folder) for each email after you’ve read it – and away it goes!

Keeping it real,