A recent article I came across in the Wall Street Journal reported that the average U.S. executive loses six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information from messy desks and files. The cost in salary and lost productivity is enormous.

Paperwork has been voted the biggest burden for businesses. Time spent mishandling paper detracts from the company’s ability to service customers, increase sales and improve the bottom line.

It shouldn’t ever take you more than a few seconds to find a piece of paper you need. If it takes more, then your office and filing system is in need of an overhaul.

Start with the 4 D’s of Effective Paper Management:

1. DO IT. This means that you perform the necessary items on this piece of paper today. Once you’ve completed these items, the paper should be filed, re-routed to someone else or discarded.

2. DELEGATE IT. This means that you immediately give this paper to someone else who has can perform the necessary action, whether this person is someone in your company, a client, vendor or someone else you outsource to.

3. DELAY IT. This means that further action needs to be taken on this paper, but not right now. File it away, so it’s ready to be referenced when you need it. File it in a Tickler file if action is needed in the near future, or in a filing cabinet if this paper simply needs to be referenced at a later date.

4. DUMP IT. This is the greatest one of them all. It’s probably safe to say that a huge percentage of the paper that enters your office can be immediately discarded.

Maria Gracia – Get Organized Now! Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site http://www.getorganizednow.com/