What to Do When Document Handling Starts Feeling Overwhelming

Split Decisions When Files Feel Like Too Much. Files can be overwhelming if all the decisions seem to come at the same time. A file must be named, classified, checked for completeness, filed in its permanent place and possibly marked as having been opened. For the newcomer, all of those steps may seem of equal importance. The result may be paralysis or hurried decision making. Actually, the decisions should be sequential. First, you must decide what it is. Then, you must decide what the status of it is. Finally, you must decide where it goes. That will reduce the stress and make the job easier to repeat without loss of train-of-thought.

A good way to practice this is to use random samples rather than a batch of similar ones. Take four or five files that aren’t all alike. For instance, they could be a draft of an agreement, an internal memo, a completed form and a revised version of an older document. Go through them slowly, assigning a mental description of what they are, their status and where they should be filed. Then, go back and review those decisions after you’ve had a few minutes to forget what you decided. The wait is important because it will tell you whether you have a logical pattern or whether you simply followed the pattern of the previous document you handled. Decisions must have a pattern to them if your filing system is to work properly.

Avoid Using Recognition Rather Than Description to Classify. You will tend to use recognition rather than description if you’re new at filing. You’ll find yourself thinking, I know which one is the current draft because I edited it yesterday or I can tell which one is the final copy because it looks neater. As soon as you encounter another draft or the final copy gets marked up, you’ll be lost. You must avoid using memory to determine status. Instead, you should show status through the classification system or through the review process. If a document is still a draft, it should be apparent either through its file name or its classification. If it is a final copy, it should be apparent through the same pattern every time. It will be much easier to maintain order if the documents tell you their status.

Isolate the Problem When You Get Stuck. Don’t try to push through the whole filing process when you get stuck. Instead, try to determine where you’re getting stuck. Are you having trouble determining the classification of a document or are you having trouble determining its status? Are you finding that two of your categories are very similar so you’re constantly questioning which one to use for a new document? If you can identify a problem you’re having over-and-over again, pick one and create a drill. For one day, only practice classifying. The next day, only practice determining status. Sometimes, isolating a particular problem and practicing just that item alone will help you overcome a roadblock that you can’t seem to get past when you’re trying to do the whole job at once.

Create a Drill. It’s very easy to create a drill to help you with your filing. Simply pick fifteen minutes a day and practice a few of the basic skills. For instance, the first four minutes could be spent reading three documents to classify them without filing them. The next seven minutes could be spent determining status and filing them. Finally, spend the last four minutes reviewing for errors, particularly in the area where you most commonly make mistakes.

You may find you’re commonly mis-filing a particular classification or mis-naming a particular status. At the end of that time, write down one correction you need to make and immediately apply it to another document. As you get better at determining status, you’ll find you’re not guessing as much as reading the pattern and determining what needs to be done, what needs review and what can be filed away in its final home. You’ll only get to that point if you apply a series of small corrections rather than trying to make every document perfect the first time.