To-Do System Solutions

The solution (A-ha!):
If it comes to you by paper,

1. Have a dedicated bin or folder for these items. Place the bin near your workspace’s exit. The intent is to get them separated from the work that you really must do.
2. As items come in, put them in the bin in the order they were received.
3. When you’re headed somewhere that provides space for reading (waiting at the dentist’s office, to pick up kids from practice, etc.), grab a couple items from the bin and take them with you.
4. When the bin is full, pull the first item you received out and recycle it. Do not create a 2nd bin! If you haven’t read it by now, the content is probably outdated or you can find it from another resource. Seriously, let it go.

1. Have a dedicated e-mail folder for these items. It’s the same intent as above. We want to get them separated from the e-mails that actually require action.
2. As items come in, put them in the folder.
3. When you are somewhere that provides space for reading (waiting at the dentist’s office, to pick up kids from practice, etc), go to your email and catch up.
4. You can either manually monitor the folder and delete things maybe 6 months or 1 year old. Or, even better, in Outlook, you can set it up so that Outlook will automatically archive/delete after a certain period of time. Again, if you haven’t read it by that time, the content is probably outdated or you can find it online.