The Two Minute Pickup For Paperwork

Manage your desk all day by practicing the “Two-Minute Pick-up.”
That means before you stand and walk away for a meeting or lunch, spend two minutes tying up loose ends, such as the following:

1. Clear off the center of your desk and jot down your next three action items for your return.
2. Straighten the papers you were working on and put away any files.
3. Enter new information into your database and toss scraps of paper.
4. Return pens, paper clips, and stapler to their rightful homes.
5. “Stair-step” your priority paperwork by putting the most important to-do items on top, and the next ones showing under that.
6. Send an e-mail to move an action forward or respond to a question.
7. Prioritize telephone calls you need to make when you return.
8. Pencil-mark the spot where you stopped reading.
9. Clear away all clutter, and push in your chair.
10. Take items with you that can be delivered or mailed so that you can get them out of your work area.

Excerpt from Simplify Your Life: Get Organized and Stay That Way!

Marcia Ramsland is well known as “The Organizing Pro” for her practical skills and tips to manage busy lives. She is a speaker, author, and media guest expert appearing on TV, radio, and in national magazines for her popular books Simplify Your Life, Simplify Your Time, and Simplify Your Holidays (Thomas Nelson). Visit her website, www.organizingpro.com for free tips.

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