Paperwork.
It's a reality that is unavoidable. I deal with most of it by processing paperwork immediately: toss, file, process, or hold.
*Toss - Trash gets tossed.
*File - Filing goes in my filing container.
*Process - Invitations get an immediate RSVP, a task to buy and wrap a gift, and a note on my calendar of the time and place. Then, they are tossed.
*Hold - A coupon gets the deadline noted in my planner and the coupon goes in the front pocket of my planner. A homework assignment gets written in my planner and the instructions go in the Hold box until assignment is complete.
But, sometimes, there is something that needs processing, but I just cannot deal with it right that second. Or my hold box is not appropriate because I'll be doing the task outside of my house.
If I crammed all of that stuff into my Franklin Covey compact planner, it would be bursting at the seams.
Back when I had a desk, those things stayed in my in-box. But an in-box in my house would stay so full and be too much of a crutch. Unlike my office in-box, that other people see, my house in-box could just pile up forever without witnesses.
TIP: Only have two at-home boxes - a filing box (to be filed) and a hold box (for legitimate things that you need to hold for a while but not file away, like the t-ball schedule during the t-ball season or tax documents being compiled together between December 31st and the end of February). I use one of these as my hold/file box.
Since things that are necessary to leave the house with me go in my planner itself, I need a different place for things that are not yet processed, but need to be.
Some of the things that I need to process right now include:
*paper and an envelope to send a letter to my godchild at Marine Boot Camp
*warranty registration that needs to be done on-line whenever I have ten minutes
*check to be written to the lawn guy
*reading log to enter on my laptop before school starts
These tasks go in my planner, of course, but there is no room to carry all the stuff that goes with them. My hold box is not appropriate because these tasks will likely be done away from home, at the library or a coffee shop.
Enter the plastic envelope.
You can get them at any office supply store or on Amazon.
I like letter size.
It fits easily in my purse with my Franklin Covey compact. It's small enough to create a natural physical limit of what I can carry. Eventually, I have to do the stuff or I run out of space!
(Additional projects get their own file folder in my work tote. This small envelope is just for little things that need doing.)
I understand that it is practically heresy to carry something in addition to my planner, but this addition is one that really works!
Etcetera.
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9 comments:
It is in noway heresy to carry something in addition to a planner. The Internet will try and tell you as such, but if that was a fact, purses would be much smaller (and, checking Instagram, the planner purses are enormous!). It would be nice to carry only a planner, but a lot of times for a lot of people, it really just doesn't make sense.
CAn I ask how big your purse is?
Sure. I carry a medium sized purse. About the size of a sheet of letter sized paper. But I have a cross-over that is smaller for shopping trips and such, and I would not carry an extra envelope in that!
Organization is the key. Sounds like this helps! I like you way of dealing with everything as it comes in. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
I have a similar plastic envelope (A5 or half-size) for any paperwork I need to deal with as I usually have time in my lunch hour at work. - I just fold the letters etc in half. I put them in the envelope with the fold downwards. Once I've dealt with them I put them back fold upwards to take them home. When I get home, I can easily remove all the "fold upwards" ones and file them (well I put it in my filing pile!).
Great idea. I have similar. I thought everyone already did this?! It's a great feeling to be organised isn't it! Thank you for linking up with #featurefridays
My EC has a pocket bit it's overflowing with papers since it's back to school time and I have school info and 3 kids activities schedules on there now. I need more time with my planner today to get everything in there! I moved my file cabinet to our kitchen and it helps me file papers right away. Otherwise my to file pile was out of control, I procrastinate when it comes to filing! Thanks for sharing with Small Victories Sunday linkup. Pinned to our linkup board.
Where did you find the fabric lined poly plastic folder in the photo? I'm having a hard time finding one online.
thanks!
There's a link in the post to something similar at Amazon. I got mine as a gift and haven't found the exact one.
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