Great Filing Systems
This workshop will present a system of
organizational strategies that will help
with the piles on your desk and on your
office floor.
Getting Ready
• The area I want to organize is:
• My purpose for organizing ________ is:
• The cost of continuing with my present state
is:
• The benefits of changing are:
• My specific goal is:
• My new habit is:
HabitForge. com
Flow
Blocked Flow
Key Objectives
• Capture all the things that need to get done in
a logical system outside your head and off
your mind.
• Discipline yourself to make front-end decisions
about all your “inputs” so you will always have
time to plan for the next action.
Problems
• Too much distraction
• Ineffective personal organization
• Lofty values
• Over reacting
Basic Requirements to Managing
Commitments
• Capture unfinished business in a Task Bucket
• Clarify what your commitment is and what
you have to do
• Decide on what actions you need to take and
organize them in a system that you review
regularly
Exercise
• Write down the project or situation that is
most on your mind at this moment.
• In a single sentence, describe your intended
successful outcome for this situation.
• Write down the very next physical action
required to move this action forward.
• How do you feel?
The Five Stages of Work Flow
• Collect things that command our attention
• Process what they mean and what to do about
them
• Organize the results
• Review as options for what we choose to do
• Do
Collect
• Physical in-basket
• Paper based note-taking devices
• Electronic note-taking devices
• Voice recording devices
• E-mail
STUFF
In-Basket
Trash
What is it?
Someday/Maybe
Is it actionable? NO (file)
Reference
(retrievable)
Projects
(planning) YES
What is the next action?
Project Plans
(review for actions)
Will it take less than two minutes?
YES NO
Delegate it Defer it
Do it
Waiting Calendar Next Actions
(for someone else to do) (to do a specific time) (To do as soon as I can)
Your Calendar
• Time specific actions (appointments)
• Day specific actions
• Day specific information
• Next Action Lists
– (no more “daily to do lists”)
Weekly Review
• Gather and process all your stuff
• Review your system
• Update your lists
• Get clean, clear, current, and complete
Time
Space
and Tools
Time
• For the first time
through: two days,
back to back
• You need to get to
the bottom of the
pile first
Space
• Office
• Home
Tools
• Three paper holding trays
• A Labeler
• File folders
• Trashcan
The Filing System
• General Reference should be close to hand
• Have one A-Z system
• Have lots of fresh folders
• Keep the drawer less than three quarters full
• Label the file folder with the label maker
• Purge your files once per year
Collection
1. Desktop
2. Desk drawers
3. Counter tops
4. Cabinets
5. Floor/wall/shelves
6. Furniture
Basic Categories
• Projects list
• Project support material
• Calendared actions and information
• “Next Actions” list
• “Waiting for” list
• Reference material
• “Someday/maybe” list
Key Tips
1. Get the physical organization hardware set
up.
2. Set aside time when you can tackle a whole
area of your office.
3. Share anything of value you learned from this
with someone else.
Revising “Getting Ready”
• The area I want to organize is:
• My purpose for organizing ________ is:
• The cost of continuing with my present state
is:
• The benefits of changing are:
• My specific goal is:
• My new habit is:
Getting Things Done:
The art of stress free productivity
• http://www.davidco.com/
More abstract
• Habitforge.com
• Release your pain
– The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin
• Be here now
– The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle