One Tip to Control Clutter in a Busy Office
Don’t file papers.
A great Executive Assistant taught me how to use a Chronological file. Instead of filing papers, put them in the front of a set of file folders in a drawer. (I have 4 hanging folders I’ve labeled for my “Chron” file) When the set of folders you are using for a Chron file are full, lift out a handful of papers from the back. Sort through them, tossing out the items you no longer need.
You will be amazed to find only a few items you still need. Those few items I file, or leave in the back of the Chron file to review again next time.
The fact is, most of what we keep we will never need again. However, the uncertainty of whether we might need it, gives us pause, and keeps Steelcase cranking out new file cabinets. By aging the papers, we give them a chance to become valuable enough to keep, or become obsolete by the passage of the time.
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