Getting Organised When You Don't Have a PA

This year I made a commitment to be well-organized individual whose desk is always free of clutter. The article which I would like to share with you, I took from CLEO magazine issue January 2010. I think it will help me to full fill my commitment.

This article focus on 3 things:

1. Paper flow
2. Filing
3. Solving the stop / start work flow problem

Paper Flow
Sort the mail and paperwork into 4 categories; Dump, Delay, Delegate, and Do.
DUMP - throw all the low-priority item in a 'dump drawer' (on the way to a wastebasket). After a few days or a few weeks, shift through the drawer when you are free, and then toss them out. If you suffer from the "Day After I Throw It Out, I Need It" syndrome, ask yourself, "If I need this information again, can I get it without an unreasonable amount of effort? If the answer is yes, throw it away.

• DELAY - set aside all the paperwork and reading material that needs your attention, but is not time-critical. Handle it later.
• DELEGATE - whatever you don't really have to do yourself, delegate.
  
• DO - do the items in order of importance.
  

Develop a master list of items that you need to do over the next several days. After each item on your list, you might want to jot down the action you need to take. Also use the master list to develop your daily "To Do" list.
Designate parking places for all paperwork, reading material, and personal items that come into your office. Immediately put things in their respective places; that way, you'll stay organized.
Establish a special "message folder" where people can leave low-priority, non-urgent notes and messages, instead of plunking them on your desk. Keep the folder out of your line of sight so that people leaving messages won't distract you while you work. Begin to advertise your new policy today.

Filing
File as you go. You may want to index your files by making a table of content.
Put the most recent information in front of the file folders for quick reference. Staple copies of replies to the fronts of the original correspondence.
Lightly pencil-in "throwaway" dates on items that you file.
When you remove something from your files, flag the file folder with a note that states what item you removed.
Set aside some time today to begin to weed out your files. For example, clean out sections A-E today.Tomorrow, do sections F-K, the next day, L-P, and the following day, Q-Z.

Solving the stop/ start work-flow problem
If you have a lot of start/ stop projects that have accumulated on your desk, use the following techniques:
Whenever possible, finish things. If you can't complete one project before you start another, at least work to a natural stopping place. For example, finish reading the article before you put down the magazine;

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