TIPS FOR MANAGING INCOMING PAPER
Set up a
TRASH
near the spot where you tend to sort incoming paper -- and immediately toss out anything that you don’t need.
Sort your incoming paper
DAILY
-- and try to decide what you need to do with each piece of paper the first time you touch it.
Flag any items that require immediate attention with a red sticker and / or put them into a folder marked
URGENT
.
As you sort through your paper, divide
TO-DO'S
into folders according to what you have to do to them -- "to read," "to pay," "to file," etc.
Keep paper that requires an
ACTION
on your part stored separately from items that you are keeping just for reference purposes.
Set aside time each
WEEK
to go through your "to-do" files and take care of any action items that have accumulated.
Set up
TICKLER
folders numbered 1-31 for upcoming paper "to-do’s" -- file according to the day of the month on which they should be done.
Use templates, forms, and
STANDARD
reporting formats -- just "fill in the blanks" -- to save time on paperwork.
