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Drowning in Paper   
Musings—May 10, 2010

A while back someone who was drowning in paper asked me the following question: “My desk is covered with papers. Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in them! What is the best way to tackle this so that my “active” stuff is still easily accessible?”. My response was as follows:

Dear Drowning in Paper—your life ring is on the way.

I hope that what I am about to say will help you feel better… You are not alone!

So many of us are drowning under the weight of the paper that is on our desks, in our filing cabinets, on our kitchen counters… and on many of the surfaces in our homes and offices. And if you are like many home based businesses, you aren’t even able to get away from the sight of work papers when you “leave the office for the day”.

So hold on for just a short while longer, the life ring is being tossed to keep you from drowning. All you have to do is grab it and hold on tight!

It is often easier to give suggestions that are specific to your situation when I can actually “see” your desk and learn more about your situation, but since I can’t, here are some things for you to consider and ask yourself. I hope it is enough help to get you close enough to the shallow waters so you can touch bottom again and walk yourself to shore, and to safety.

1. Identify the general types and categories of papers that are covering your desk and any other surfaces in your office that are overflowing with papers and driving you crazy. Are there receipts, client files, bookkeeping items to be entered, reference manuals for equipment that is on the fritz, scrap paper, sticky notes with ‘important’ things to remember, last months bills that are already paid, papers waiting to be put away, shredding…
2. Determine which papers absolutely need to be there, and which ones can be put elsewhere even if it is temporarily until you can process them (file, pay, put away, shred, etc.).
3. Sort the papers into various piles/categories using names that make sense to you – current projects you are working on today, what you want handy but don’t have to keep on the desk, papers to file, reference materials, those pending an action of some sort.
4. Remove papers not related to the current project you are working on and do something with them (file them, place into your “pending” file—you have a pending file, don’t you?). If you are working on multiple projects during the course of the day place the papers related to each project that you aren’t working on at the moment close by (stacked on a credenza, in a freestanding hanging file holder, in an appropriately labelled file folder in the desk drawer, etc.)
5. Place the papers on the desk for the work you are currently doing. It is normal to have many different work projects on the go at any one time, but as hard as we try, multitasking doesn’t work! Place papers for other projects nearby so when you need them you can easily grab them and when you are finished put them back. It is not necessary to have everything on the desk.
6. Use various methods and storage devices to keep the papers from taking over the desk surface again (e.g. small bins, file folders, pocketed report folders, freestanding file holders, hanging file folders, multi-slotted dividers… the options are extensive—just visit any office supply store and you’ll agree.

I hope this has helped you save yourself from ‘drowning in paper’!