Controlling Paperwork:Digging Out From Under


By Odette Pollar

Is your desk turning into your personal nightmare closet? Does the overflow from your in-basket seethe across your desk, flood onto the credenza and cascade from there to the floor? Do you dream of being buried in an avalanche of memos, reports and journals?

One challenge we all face is coping with the mass of paper that pours across our desks. It becomes increasingly difficult to find things, keep track of projects, or work comfortably, when the stacks and piles turn into clutter. If you do not move that paper on, you may never see your desktop again.

The solution is to take control: Get organized up front, maintain that organization, and create a filing system that works. Ensuring a smooth paper flow means removing the stacks, rearranging and color-coding files, and learning to handle the in- and out-baskets quickly and effectively.

THE IN-BASKET
Ideally, the in-basket is the one place other people put material they want you to see. It is an essential tool, but you have to learn to use it for what it is good for. Do not try to transform it into a filing system, a bulletin board or a nagging reminder.

Your in-basket isn't working if:
  • You don't have one.
  • You have one, but even though you sort through it many times a day, the stack never gets any smaller.
  • You only touch your in-basket once a week.
  • The entire top of your desk is an in-basket.
  • Your co-workers know the only way to make sure you see something is to put it on your chair.


You should sort through and handle the papers in your in-basket twice a day. Establish a To-Do list and a Reading file. With these two items it should take no more than 15 minutes to empty your in-basket. Make a decision on every piece of paper and put it in its proper location. Not at the bottom of the basket. Papers relating to a project you are currently working on should be scanned and put in the project file. The latest in-house periodical, a newsletter, long memo, etc., all go in the Reading file. A cartoon from a friend goes in your Personal file. Something requiring your signature should be signed immediately and put in the out-basket. An item you want to discuss with a co-worker goes in a file with that person's name on it. Throw away the draft of the third revision that supersedes the second revision which is to be followed by the semi-final copy.

To-Do List. Handling the in-basket means sorting, filing, delegating and tracking its contents. It does not mean you have necessarily completed every item. Projects that require further attention from you need a temporary home until you have the time to work on them. Each time you file a piece of paper that requires additional action on your part, make a note on your To-Do list. This eliminates the fear that once it is filed away and out of sight, it will be permanently forgotten.

Reading File. Make room in your desk to hold your active work. Make decisions quickly and remember to put it away. Those items that need more than a couple of minutes to read should go into a Reading folder. If you take the time to read everything when it first arrives, you will never get through your in-basket. Scan and save only the material that you are likely to need to read in depth. If you do not have the time to read daily, scheduling 30 minutes twice a week should be enough to keep you current and the reading stack down. Take reading along to look over while you wait for appointments or while commuting or traveling. When your reading file is full, sort the oldest portion with this question in mind "How likely am I to read this and how likely am I to need this information in the near future?" Then respond accordingly. You will find yourself tossing much of it.

Controlling the volume of paper is the first step to personal organization. Beware of creeping clutter that is most often caused by being away for a few days, suddenly hitting a busy cycle or the onset of a crisis. No excuses, take the few minutes required to go through the stacks. Most of it will go "out" again immediately. If you do this you will feel better, knowing that you are in control and can plan the rest of your day.

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