When I receive a document at a meeting, I carry it to my desk and place it on a stack. I am usually unsure whether I will need the information again. The paper sits for months as the pile grows higher.
All of us have stuff that is of uncertain importance. We are not ready to trash it, but we don't know how or when we will use it. Such stuff fills overflowing storage units and inboxes.
I recently borrowed the office of a faculty member who is on leave for a year. The beautiful view was obstructed by boxes stacked floor to ceiling. Our school never has enough storage, and apparently any unused room is at risk of becoming a closet. I wondered, What is this stuff? Why is it here? Why do any of us keep stuff? How do we decide whether to keep or to trash?
Keeping is different from storing; keeping is more about preserving. Preserving requires reviewing and discerning whether something has historical, legal or emotional importance or the potential to be used again. A document that has been preserved can be retrieved.
When I have a sense of what is important and the organization's priorities are clear, I take time every few months to work through the stacks of paper and determine next steps. Some information is out-of-date and can be recycled; some documents need to be filed. Others are unclear, so they return to the stack to be reviewed later.
I do something similar with the notes I take in meetings. Once a week, I review them to determine key points that require action or documentation. This is part of the process I use to plan the coming week.
