PILES, FILES, LISTS—OH NO! By: Janet L. Hall Everyday our desks, floors, and credenza get bombarded with papers: memos, notes, phone messages, reports, mail, and of course all
"stuff" we have to print out from our computers!
I'd like to talk to you about how you can handle and organize all paper that comes into your office space.
I've developed 5 W's of Organizing, a Teaser, and a "Tickle?" that I'd like to share with you. This system has been proven to be an effective way to tackle ANYTHING in your life that you need to sort through, decide if it should be kept, and where to keep or store. It’s also a system of keeping up with your tasks, especially ones with deadlines.
How System Works: To help you get started; I want you to take out your calendar, or whatever you use to keep track of appointments or meetings. Make a "TEASER" date with yourself, for an hour or all day to sort through your clutter. Write it in and don’t let ANYTHING or ANYBODY make you change that appointment. If you had a toothache you would make sure you made it to your dentist appointment, wouldn’t you? Well, isn’t your office a pain in your….. okay, back to system.
Let me explain TEASER first. TEASER is my acronym for toss, end, act, store, enter, and refer, recycle, read, and repair. You begin sorting process by making MORE piles out of what you already have. Eek! I can hear you all now, "Is she crazy?" "I already have too many piles!" Not to worry; we will have them all put away in no time, "Tickle" will explain how. I suggest you find a flat surface to sort on, I like to use floor, and make a sign representing each action in TEASER (some of you might need boxes, that’s okay).
TEASER Actions: Toss it You can't answer 5 W's, it's outdated, or broken. End it You don't want it, you want to cancel it, or you no longer read. Act on it Needs an action: such as your signature, phone call, or immediate attention. Store it You have answered 5 W's and decided you need to keep. This will have three piles: Current, Reference, and Historical. Enter it Information you need to enter into your planner or computer. You know, stuff you find written on napkins, scraps of paper, and backs of envelopes! Refer/Recycle/Read it/Repair It belongs to someone else or you think they need it, or it belongs someplace else. You can use it again, SOON, or put into a recycling bin. Something you want/need to read. Something that is broken, you want to use it but needs repaired.
Helping You Decide What to Do: The 5 W's of Organizing is a set of 10 questions, using WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY, that you ask yourself for every piece of paper or item that you come across while sorting through all your "stuff." Answering these questions will help you determine what TEASER to use.
