Time Management: Handle Paperwork Right to Free Up Your Time
If you're like most people, paperwork eats up a lot of your time
at work. Even at home, you probably have more paper clutter than
you want to deal with.
With a bit of planning, it is possible to dramatically reduce
the burden paperwork imposes on your time and energy. Here are
some suggestions. Pick out those that seem useful to you given
your circumstances.
* You've heard this before -- never handle a piece of paper more
than once. Dispose of the work the paper represents as soon as
you pick it up. That may not always be possible. But if you can
do it often enough, you'll free up a lot of your time and avoid
clutter.
If you can't handle the work right now, at least put it in a
proper place and don't just dump it onto a big stack of papers.
* Schedule time to handle paperwork. Set aside part of your
non-prime hours, after you've handled the most important tasks
for the day. Try to limit paper-handling times to no more than a
couple of times a day.
* If a paper representing some routine task reaches you, try to
do it immediately. That way you avoid putting it off for later
and allowing a stack of paper to build.
* If you have a secretary or assistant, ask her to give you the
most urgent paperwork first. The rest should be sorted according
to importance. She should attach any relevant files you need to
deal with each paper immediately.
* Avoid the practice of using small sticky pieces of paper to
preserve information. If you need the information on a yellow
sticky note, write it down somewhere in an organized fashion or
enter it into a database. Then throw the paper away.
* Once you finish making a letter, report, etc, throw away the
drafts. They only add to physical and mental clutter.
* Train your subordinates to limit their written communications
to one page, wherever possible. If they send you a paper, it
should include a summary and recommended action.
* Once you've finished acting on a piece of paper, including
requests you send to others, throw it away. Exceptions are if
you need to retain it for legal or other reasons.
* Organize your business cards into your preferred card holder.
Don't leave them lying around in your drawer. Alternatively,
input the details into a database and toss the cards away.
* Where you would normally send a memo requesting an action, see
if you can substitute a phone call instead. That eliminates one
piece of paper for you and the recipient.
* Don't keep old copies of magazines, retain only the current
issue. If you really need some of the information in the older
issues, clip out the relevant articles and have your secretary
put them into well-organized files.
* Get a good filing system in place. Have different folders for
each project you're working on. Have folders for training
sessions, upcoming meetings / events, suppliers, each major
customer, requests from senior management, etc.
* Periodically go through your files and papers. Ask yourself if
each piece of paper is still relevant to your work and if you're
really likely to read it. If not, throw it out.
* Clutter expands to fill the space available. Limit the storage
space to what is absolutely necessary. That way, you'll limit
the amount of clutter you tend to accumulate.