In your office, how many of the following papers could you find in one minute?
-
Professional licenses
-
Closing documents for your office space or rental agreement
-
All supporting documents for taxes or receipts for tax deductible items
-
Record of most recent subscription to a magazine or newspaper
-
Member benefit information for a professional association
By the way, that was one minute for all of the documents, not one minute per document!
Several steps are required to establish your Office Information Center.
First, you must determine where you are going to process paperwork.
You might have one location where you initially process the paperwork and then a second location in which you complete associated tasks or both activities might occur in the same place.
Next you need to establish a system for what happens when paper enters your office.
Here are some ideas to consider:
�
Throw away as much as possible without even opening it.
�
Have a designated place for magazines and catalogs and put them there immediately.
�
Open mail and highlight or red-line important information.
Process as much of the paperwork as possible.
For remaining items, consider the idea of pre-file sort options.
Establish time in your schedule to complete any remaining tasks.
Regardless of where you complete the paper processing, establish a work surface, file storage area, and drawer or basket filled with basic supplies so that you don�t waste time looking for necessary supplies.
If you do the initial processing in one location and the final processing in a different area, determine how paper flows from back and forth between locations to ensure that nothing gets lost or forgotten.
Remember that establishing new habits takes a little time.
Don�t let dealing with piles of paper distract you from getting the real work done.
