I like to think of myself as an organized person. I generally know where things are and what’s on my desk at any given moment.
But there is one pile of paperwork that often gets out of control. And from what I hear from clients, peers and colleagues, I’m not alone!
My stack of reading! Articles, papers, books, clippings. You name it, it’s there. And I also have a virtual stack of PDFs and bookmarks taking up space on the hard drive. All of it often creates a feeling of guilt and overwhelm when I see this pile of unused potential.
I love information and am an advocate of lifelong learning but the fact of the matter is that we will never know it all. And we don’t need to either.
Action – Here are a few tips to help sort out the mass of paper, real and virtual, that clogs up your space and mind.
- There are 2 types of reading – for work and for pleasure. Never mix the 2 stacks.
- Always carry reading materials with you. Take advantage of delayed flights or meetings by pulling out articles or clippings while you are waiting.
- Give decided time to reading each week. Whether for work or for fun, reading gives our brains an alternate activity from the ‘doing doing doing’ all the time.
- Limit the size of the stack by using a solid box file or binder to hold it all. Once its full, purge.
- Limit online storage too. Set a total allowable number by megabytes or documents and stick to it.
- When the next issue of a magazine comes out, throw out the previous issue. It’s old news now.
Remember, you don’t need to know it all and you certainly don’t need to store it all!
(originally broadcast March 28, 2007)