How many times each day do you write notes to yourself on scraps of paper and sticky notes to remind yourself about a task you must do? This action would be ideal if you did not continue to miss doing or finding things. The Tickler File — or some may know it as a BFF (Bring Forward File) is a tool I recommend to almost all clients. It is a system to manage all those loose pieces of paper that do not belong to a specific project. Usually, these papers and tasks are related to an upcoming event. It could be tickets for a hockey game or a consent form for your child’s next field trip. These must be held and ‘brought forward’ on a specific date. This system, in essence, ‘tickles’ your memory.
A Tickler File allows you to file this information on the date that you require it. It will always be in one place and never get lost. Gone are the days when you pin something on the corkboard or leave something on your desk, only to have something else cover it and hide it from your searching eyes.
How to Build a Tickler File
You will need 43 file folders
- 31 labelled 1 to 31
- 12 labelled January to December
The folders labelled 1 to 31 represent the days of the month, and the folders labelled January to December represent each month. You can also purchase book-style tickler files. Contact me if you have trouble finding a supplier.
How to Use Your Tickler File
- Place the current month folder in the front, followed by folders 1 to 31. Then, place folders for the months of the year in order.
- Place all your loose papers on the appropriate day of the current month or in the monthly folders of subsequent months.
- At the end of each month, you bring forward the next month’s folder, remove all papers from this monthly folder, and file them into the appropriate daily folders.
- Adjust your routine to look into your daily folders every day. This will remind you of all the papers and information that relate to your appointments for the current day.
Clearing your desk, counter, and corkboard of all those stray pieces of one-of-a-kind papers and events will not only help reduce your clutter but also ease the stress of that ‘out of sight, out of mind’ fear that we all have.
Do you need help with this? We offer a customized approach to organizing your home or office. Contact our Out of Chaos team today.
Business cards every where. Use your tickle file for those as well. Frees up the desk for writing up orders!!!!
Thanks for the feedback. Great to hear that the tickler file is keeping you on top of your game. It’s always good hearing that systems are being maintained and how it’s increasing your productivity!
What a simply great idea! (that is both simple and great at the same time!). I like this a lot, Linda, and I think it suits my ‘style’ of loose notes and pieces of paper to a tee. Looking forward to getting the stuff and implementing it.
Glad to hear that this might be the kick-start to creating your organizing systems!