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Managing All Those business Cards

by Jan Jasper    

¤ "Handle each piece of paper only once" is bad advice. But DO make a decision or take an action each time you handle a paper.

¤ Avoid binders: If you don't have time to file, where will you find the time to hole-punch?

¤ Sticky notes are useful planning tools . Used properly, they are a helpful adjunct to your appointment book, and are very useful when mapping out steps towards a goal.

¤ The typical corporate employee sends and gets 201 electronic messages a day and is interrupted as often as every 10 minutes*. To be productive, you need times when you can work without interruption. Establish "communication-free times" when you don't answer the phone or respond to e-mail. This is most effective if done department-wide--or even company-wide.

¤ Filing alphabetically is rarely a good idea. You're better off filing by category or purpose--placing related items together, regardless of where they fall in the alphabet.

¤ If you want to fit a new activity into your life, you must first take something out. Decide what NOT to do. Cross low-impact tasks off your to-do list.

¤ Daily planning is not enough. Many crises can be prevented by planning months ahead. As soon as you decide to do a project, think through the steps, then "pencil in" each one in your appointment book. This turns your appointment book into a planning tool, rather than just a place to record daily minutia.

¤ The way to clear your desktop without losing track of current work is to create Action Files for works-in-progress. As a back-up, note important deadlines in your planner. This conquers the "out of sight, out of mind" worry.

¤ To get maximum benefit from your information management software, use it to its fullest! Stop making notes on paper--type it into your computer instead. It's easy if you place the phone right next to your computer and use a telephone headset. You'll save hours upon hours every week by eliminating paper!

¤ Leaving a voice mail message is often more efficient than sending an e-mail. Not only is it faster, but recipients who are away from the office will get a voice mail message faster. E-mail is best for non-urgent communications or when you must keep a detailed record of what was discussed.

¤ Filing tip: Never file a newsletter intact. Note any events you plan to attend in your appointment book, tear out useful articles and file them by topic, then throw away the rest of the newsletter.


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Jan Jasper has been training busy people to work smarter, not harder since 1988. She helps clients streamline their procedures, use technology efficiently, and manage task & information overload. Jan is the author of Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Con