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	If You're Drowning In Paper, Build A Raft

	by Julie Bestry

You are an overworked business owner, manager or working parent with too little time and too many voices calling for your attention. Your desk is overrun with papers, and it seems like every time you come back from the copy machine, someone has put a new memo or file on your chair. But just because you feel like you've been cast adrift in a sea of paper, don't despair. The lifesaving solution will come when you build a RAFT.

TAKING THE FIRST STEP

First, create an interruption-free zone -- ringer off, voicemail on, door closed. Set your calendar and to-do list close by. Locate the most URGENT papers on your desk -- items you always keep in view to prevent attacks of blind panic -- and set them aside. Now, collect all other LOOSE papers, Post-Its®, and messages from around your office. Yes, even items taped to the phone and the computer, unsorted mail, personal papers, receipts, article clippings, computer manuals, and other homeless papers. Pile this collection in a basket or photocopy paper box lid. If the pile is so high you can't see over it, fear not! Just "bail" the extra items "overboard" next to your desk to deal with when you reach the end of your first pile.

GETTING ON YOUR RAFT

This is an acronym for the four actions applicable to your ocean of papers -- Refer, Act, File or Toss. Lift out an item, consider deeply and ask, "What's the NEXT ACTION I need to perform regarding this item?" Dealing with only the next action reduces stress considerably. For example, a client memo requesting a detailed report can instill panic. Defining only the next step limits your concerns to what you can handle right now. The report represents an entire project, a SERIES of tasks, but you need only determine the next step to spur progress.

REFER

Is the next action dependent upon someone ELSE, such as research by your intern or a contract drawn up by your attorney? Is it (or can it be) the responsibility of a support staffer, colleague, spouse or vendor? If the next action need not be performed by YOU, bail it out of the raft! Affix a Post-It® regarding to whom the item goes and set it by the door. Note in your to-do list to follow up with that person and make sure it doesn't drown in her sea of papers. At the end of the rafting session, send these referred items out like messages in a bottle -- by hand to the next office or overnight delivery to Timbuktu.

ACT

If the next action is something only YOU can do, act on it. If it will only take a minute to get it off your desk, go ahead and do it right now. But acting doesn't mean stopping the raft. Remember that PLANNING is the most powerful action you can take. First, identify what action the items represent (e.g., call a client back, write a response, read this week's trade journal, research a new vendor proposal, deliver a blueprint, etc.) and place in separate folders or piles for each category (i.e., call, write, read, research, deliver, etc.) Next, determine when you can accomplish the task. Block off space in your calendar for time-specific work; for time-flexible tasks, note them on your to-do list so you have a master plan of what remains. When you're done RAFTing, you can methodically deal with each category of items, now neatly sorted, awaiting your attention.

A QUICK NOTE

Your next action may be further CONTEMPLATION. Should you attend an important all-day seminar if it falls just before a major client deadline? Tuck the registration form in your tickler file a few days ahead of the cut-off date, and schedule decision-making time in your calendar.

FILE

If a paper doesn't require your attention but must be SAVED for tax, legal, or reference purposes, file it. That doesn't necessarily mean folders and filing cabinets. You can also "file" new insurance cards in your wallet, computer manuals in labeled magazine sorters and financial records in reverse-chronological order in three-ring binders. Save one copy of each advertising effort or published news release in a company scrapbook you can display in your reception area. Scan artwork to archive digitally. The key to filing is asking "WHERE would I look for this item if I needed it?" and placing it there. Or, "Where does this item live?" and then send it home.

TOSS

If you no longer need items for reference or ongoing projects, toss them overboard (into the trash or recycling bin). Consult your attorney, accountant, or professional organizer regarding records RETENTION schedules, and if you still fear discarding an item, try to imagine a situation when it would be needed. Chances are, the information you are saving "just in case" can be easily retrieved via the Internet or by making a quick call to a vendor, client or other reference source.

YOU'RE ON THE WAY

After a few rafting sessions, your desktop and floor should be VISIBLE again. Maintain the daily habit of sorting mail and incoming papers using the raft system. Instead of drowning in paper, sail your raft towards a happy sunset on your business day.

Julie Bestry is a professional organizer and President of Best Results Organizing. Bestry helps her small office, home office and residential clientele save time and money, reduce stress increase productivity by focusing on clutter control, information management and organizational skill training. You may contact her at .

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