How to Deal with Mass Quantities of Paperwork

An overflowing inbox means that you have excessively large quantities of paperwork to get organized. You need a plan to get it straightened out. Here is how to create the organization that you need to deal with your paperwork issues.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Assign your paperwork load to four categories: A - must do as soon as possible; B - must do within a reasonable amount of time; C - no deadline; and D - must be tossed immediately. Your D pile must go in a trash can or shredder.

2. Make sure you only touch a piece of paper one time. Take it from your inbox and put it where it belongs. Once that one is organized, you can go on to the next one.

3. Accomplish the job necessary for the A pile. This means file it, answer the necessary questions or send it on to the right person.

4. Find that a piece of paperwork needs to be in the B pile. Set it aside and make an organized B pile, which is the second most important group of papers.

5. Accumulate all of the papers that have no dateline attached and start a C pile. You can put these papers in a drawer or a separate organized file holder.

6. Go back to the B pile of papers and start getting them organized. Follow the instructions you worked on in Step 3 to take care of the A paperwork.

Tips & Warnings

• Stay caught up as much as you can during a normal work week, and you will have less to do when you are off the clock.

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