Take Control of Your Paper in 3 Easy Steps
Do you have piles of paper on your desk. Many do and don't know how to deal with them. They have no working system to deal with the day to day influx of paper, email, magazines and other information. Worse yet, after a while that pile on your desk gets moved to the top of the file cabinet. And the pile on the file cabinet gets moved to the window sill. Pretty soon you have piles of paper all over your office. Are you or someone you know in this situation?
That's how my office used to look back in 1985 when I decided to stop this insanity and get control over my work life. It only took about 2-3 hours to get totally organized and I have never again returned to those days of piles and piles of paper cluttering my workplace and causing the anxiety that comes with not knowing if something, anything in there is important, forgotten or needed to be done. Here's what I did.
I brought in a big 30 gallon trash can into the office and closed the door. I also made sure I had one legal pad of paper, a pen, a marker, a stapler and a box of manila folders. Put these supplies aside until Step three of the process. Step one involves getting control of the paper. Stack everything from every pile into one big pile. Include every piece of paper you see in your office or work area notes, reports, phone messages, bills, letters, receipts, calendars?.everything. Your stack will be quite high but fear not. You are starting to gain control. Now instead of a few or a few dozen piles scattered all around the room you have one place to put all of your focus. By the way, my stack when I did this was literally 3 feet high. Step two is another easy one. You will look at every piece of paper one by one and make this determination - is there anything on this paper I need. If the answer is yes then start a save stack. If the answer is no then throw it in the trash can. Do not stop to do anything about any thing on a piece of paper. Just rip through each piece and determine if it stays or goes. If there is an address on it that you want to keep put it in the keep stack. Maybe it's a flyer reminding you of an event you might like to attend. Save stack. Maybe a report you need to file, a receipt you need to record for reimbursement, a phone message that you need to return the call. If there is anything on the piece you are reviewing that needs some action, save it. Otherwise, throw it away. You should rip through your pile very quickly and be able to throw away quite a bit. It took me about a half hour and my 3 foot pile had now become about 1. Wow! Two-thirds of the stuff I was keeping wasn't even important. This feeling alone of reducing your paper piles to just the stuff you really need causes a great feeling of control over the situation. But it gets even better.
Now you are ready for step three. Get out your legal pad and pen and have it right next to your newly created save stack. You are going to make a master task list and reduce your stack even further. Even if you have another master task list or to-do list go through this exercise. Go through each piece of paper again. This time you are going to write down on your legal pad the action you need to do to get rid of the piece of paper you are looking at. Use one line per task. If what you write down eliminates the need for the piece of paper, throw it out. If there is further need for the paper like to read, to file, to distribute to someone else then start a new save stack. Phone message? Write down to "return phone call from Bob" and throw it out. Major report you need to review? Write down "review accounting report on first quarter sales" and place in your save stack. Letter from someone whose contact info you want to keep? Write down "Bob Smith, 123 H St., Anytown, 555-1234, bobs@smith.com and throw the paper out. You get the idea. For each and every piece record a related task in you new master list and either put the paper in the save stack or throw it out. You'll be amazed at the further reduction in paper as we tend to keep five page reports because there is a phone number on page three that we need. My experience was an hour and a half and my leftover paper was now about four inches high. Remember we started with 3 feet of paper.
I would venture to guess that most of what is left after going through this three step process is paper that needs to be read or needs to be filed. Use your marker and folders to create the necessary files. Do not file paperclips and such. Staple multiple sheets together for easier filing. To stay on top of this in the future, get yourself a three bin unit and mark one "to read" and one "to file". The top bin make an "in-bin" and anytime paper comes into your office put it in there. When you have time make sure you process your in-bin in a similar fashion that has been described here. Transfer info from your in-bin into action tasks or put on your to-do list and get rid of the paper. The trick is to handle any piece of paper once.
Mike Shannon is the owner of Shamrock Business Coaching, a coaching practice that helps business owners increase profits. You can visit Shamrock Business Coaching on the web at: http://www.ShamrockCoaching.com.
 Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:50:43 GMT Mugabe Hands Ministries to His Party - New York Times
New York Times - By CELIA DUGGER JOHANNESBURG - In a step likely to lead to the collapse of a painstakingly negotiated power-sharing deal, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, in office for 28 years, has unilaterally declared that his party will retain the most powerful ... Mugabe 'gives Zanu-PF key posts' Zimbabwe's Mugabe hands key ministries to his party Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:57:49 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US to buy shares in struggling banks Obama welcomes Paulson plan to buy equity in firms Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Del Quentin Wilber Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell told jurors in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens yesterday that the powerful Alaska Republican had a "sterling" reputation among the nation's military and political leaders. Reporter's Notebook: Powell Takes the Stand for Stevens Powell says Sen. Stevens' integrity "sterling" Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:13:53 GMT Morgan Stanley, Goldman May Gain Investment From US Treasury - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Christine Harper Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the biggest independent US investment banks, may reap cash infusions as part of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan to buy stakes in financial institutions, ... As Stock Falls, Morgan Looks to Japanese Bank Morgan Stanley hangs on Mitsubishi's $9bn pledge Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:30:39 GMT McCain calms supporters, urges respect for Obama - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - 'NO MA'AM': Sen. John McCain takes a question from a supporter who called Democratic rival Barack Obama an Arab at a town hall meeting in Lakeville, Minn. McCain-Palin's hot rhetoric risks GOP backlash McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:04:20 GMT Palin violated ethics law, inquiry concludes - International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune - By Serge F. Kovaleski NEW YORK: Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, abused her powers as governor of Alaska by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, according to an investigation ... Palin ethics lapse cited Alaska probe finds Palin 'abused her power' Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:58:28 GMT Thai protest leaders released on bail, vow new rallies - AFP
AFP - BANGKOK (AFP) - Leaders of Thai anti-government protests were granted bail Friday after surrendering to police and immediately vowed new rallies, raising fears of mounting turmoil days after deadly street clashes. Video: Raw Video: Tear Gas Fired at Thai Protestors PAD leaders surrender to Thailand police Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:31:03 GMT Amazon RSS Feed Generator |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Have you ever hired the wrong person? If so, perhaps... Read More Do you struggle with a "problem" employee? If so, join... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More I was watching a TV program some months ago about... Read More The purpose of any selection process is to discriminate (albeit... Read More Email, when used properly, can generate additional direct sales and... Read More When asked what part of their job they find a... Read More Imagine the following scenario; Ten years ago you decided to... Read More Whilst the very best coaches have undertaken independently accredited training... Read More I talked with a group of internal consultants last week... Read More Does your business need the services of a computer consulting... Read More A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Are... Read More As a business asset, they don't sit well on the... Read More An important aspect of good leadership is the ability to... Read More Steven Covey had the right idea. There are discreet skills... Read More Bad hiring decisions cost organizations, both in dollars and lost... Read More My background is in retail management - yes, running stores,... Read More A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses.... Read More Janet DiClaudio, who was charge of medical records at two... Read More CATEGORIES OF OFFENSES: Most organizations have two categories of offenses... Read More A virtual assistant is an individual who provides business services... Read More When the stock market crashed in 1929, there were a... Read More Conflict is a fact of life for all of us,... Read More
Adsense
websites
Interviewing Candidates: 3 Ways to Avoid Snap Judgments
Turnaround or Terminate? How to Deal with Problem Employees
Business Innovation ? the Value of Work Processes
Survival of the Fittest: The Road to Human Extinction
Test Your Hiring IQ
Effective Email Communication
Get Meeting off To a Great Start
Employees Commit Corporate Fraud
Know Your Client - The First Rule of Business Coaching
When Being A Facilitator DOESNT Help
Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 1 of 2)
The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 5th C: Control Issues
Computer Consulting Profit Secrets
Business Opportunity - Leverage Your Employees!
Ten Relationship Traits And Skills For Good Leadership
Five Habits of Highly Effective Conflict Resolvers
Dont Hire Squirrels to be Your Top Dogs
Make a Difference - Sweat the Small Stuff First
How to get an Audiences Attention
Better Management Performance - The Easy 3-Step Way
A Winning Way to Handle New Ideas
The How-Tos of Firing Incompetent Employees
Benefits of Virtual Assistance
Three Foundation Stones for Building Organizational Integrity
An Original Perspective on Waging Conflict as a Way to Promote and Restore Self-dignity
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
2 Steps For Increasing Company Profits or Performing Business Turnarounds
1. Eliminate wasteEliminate reports, habits, products, duplicate input, and processes... Read More
Behavioral Interview Questions You Can Use Monday Morning
If past behavior is the best way to determine future... Read More
Employees Commit Corporate Fraud
Imagine the following scenario; Ten years ago you decided to... Read More
Manage or Lead ? Why the Difference Matters and What to Do About That Difference
Many books have been written about managing people, and an... Read More
Collaboration: 3 Keys to Keeping Your Documents from Getting Lost in the Shuffle
Often, collaborating documents in a team or in a business... Read More
ISO 9001 the Process Approach to Quality Assurance
What is the Process Approach to Quality?The ISO 9001 2000... Read More
Innovation Management ? what are the practical impediments?
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Understanding How Change Has Changed
There seems to be an assumption that change is a... Read More
Dissenion Down On The Cubicle Farm
How content and satisfied are American employees? Not very!According to... Read More
How to Build Your Business and Still Take Time Off
We all know people who are like human dynamos. They... Read More
How To Use Outsourcing To Beat Your Competition
Outsourcing is when you hire outside professionals or services to... Read More
Across The Interview Table!
Job interviews are easier for the interviewer or the interviewee... Read More
CEO: The Key To Fix ingThe Marketing/Sales Collaboration Problem
We all know that achieving better alignment, synergy and cooperation... Read More
Boost Your Leadership Skills Simply By Answering The Question, What Does Our Organization Really...
The difference between leaders is ears. Good leaders not only... Read More
Nine Vital Lessons For Avoiding Training Fads That Waste Time, Money and Enthusiasm
Unfortunately, at least two thirds of much of the training... Read More
People Are Our Most Important Asset!
How many times have you heard or uttered this phrase... Read More
An Original Perspective on Waging Conflict as a Way to Promote and Restore Self-dignity
Conflict is a fact of life for all of us,... Read More
Manage Communication to Add Value
Management guru Tom Peters says white collar workers and managers... Read More
Is Your Brain Getting the Memory Full Message? 5 Ways to Free Up Room on Your Brains Hard Drive
Lynn was tapped to head up the project team for... Read More
Change or Die! To Change Your Organization, Hire a Business Coach
It is a common business axiom ? change or die.... Read More
Few Things Are More Destructive Than An Insecure Boss
Few things are more destructive to a career than a... Read More
Big Company Intelligence on a Small Company Budget
Information is the lifeblood of the economy. That's especially true... Read More
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Look For Sponsors And Solution Owners
Look for sponsors and solution owners rather than problem owners.Everyone... Read More
Book Summary: Mind Your Own Business
A maverick is an independent person who will not go... Read More
Action Learning: Its More Than OJT
For centuries companies have used on-the-job training (OJT). OJT works... Read More
Business Management |