great filing systems

Great Filing SystemsThis 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

What is it?

Is it actionable? NO

Trash

Someday/Maybe(file)

Reference(retrievable)

YES

What is the next action?

Will it take less than two minutes?

YES NO

Projects (planning)

Project Plans(review for actions)

Delegate itDo it

Defer it

Waiting(for someone else to do)

Calendar(to do a specific time)

Next Actions(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

TimeSpace

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. Desktop2. Desk drawers3. Counter tops4. Cabinets5. Floor/wall/shelves6. 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