Overwhelmed by the constant influx of information into your office? The one thing you can’t change is that information will continue to come in, but you can take charge of how you manage what flows in and where it lands. (Watch the video here.) Information comes in many forms, each of which may have an action required from you. These are the actions that often stall us into inaction and the tasks and to-do’s that we procrastinate on. Doing the work is one thing, but creating a “transitional holding pattern”, is key to managing your information as it comes in before you act on each item.
Three Types of Information
- Active
- Reference
- Inactive
Active Information: Outstanding things to do and resources required for projects. Creating a priority action plan is the best way to manage your active information. If you fear ‘out of sight & out of mind’, choosing a desktop file sorter might be your answer to having everything you need right at your fingertips. You get to choose the look that compliments your style and office decor.
Reference Information: Resources that have no action required of you but you may want to refer to at a later date. Consider your reference information your personal ‘library’ of information and resources. Depending on its volume and size, you might choose to use instead of a filing cabinet, a bookshelf or a mounted shelf with magazine holders. These systems will allow you to hold reference books, papers and binders. While they are not at your fingertips, this information is still easily visible and in reach as you are working at your desk.
Inactive Information: Information that Canada Revenue Agency or your industry standards require you/your business to keep. Inactive information isn’t accessed very often so it doesn’t have to be on full display. For this reason, you can use a filing cabinet for items that can be tucked away for a while. As an alternative method, if space is limited, use a banker’s box and store it outside your office in a storage locker.
Information will continue to flow into your workspace. The prime cause of the piles that clutter your desk is your inability to know where to place things prior to acting on tasks. Follow the categories mentioned here to redefine your information and start creating transitional holding patterns to start managing your priorities.
This article was also published in the Winter 2017 edition of Topics, the magazine for BC Legal Management Association (BCLMA).
