Next Steps: Important for Keeping a Clear Desk

How many pieces of paper are sitting on your desk right now?

Have you given much thought to why they’re sitting there?  What’s keeping them from being processed / moving off of your desk?

Typically when papers pile up on my desk or a client’s desk it’s because the next steps that need to be taken for each of those papers is either not identified or it has been identified but not yet taken.  I thought about this today when completing a rebate form.  This photo shows everything needed to process just this one $10 rebate.

Rebates used to be easy:  Fill out the form, circle the price on the receipt, put them in an addressed envelope that you stamp, seal and mail.

This $10 rebate however involved the following steps:

1. logging onto a website,
2. inputting a code from a coupon into the website,
3. inputting a number from the invoice related to the purchase of the item,
4. printing out a form,
5. making a copy of the invoice and attaching it to the form
6. filling in information on the form,
7. obtaining and addressing an envelope and finally,
8. stamping and mailing the envelope.

Any one of these next steps could hang someone up and result in papers cluttering his or her desk (i.e. trouble accessing the website, misplacing the coupon or the invoice, finding yourself low on ink and unable to print the form, or being out of envelopes or stamps.)  Lots of steps mean lots of opportunities for projects to go awry which translates into lots of opportunities for unprocessed papers to sit around.  This is an overly simplified example, but processing this rebate is analogous to any other project you might tackle.

So how do you get around incomplete next steps getting in your way?

• First, familiarize yourself with the entire project before you start. Walk yourself through it, envisioning what each of the steps might be. If the project is complex enough, don’t hesitate to write those steps down.  This is also the time to determine if you have on hand everything required to complete the project.  In this case: an envelope, stamp, the invoice, a copy of the invoice, the coupon code, a printer with ink and access to the internet.  If not, now’s the time to gather what you need to get you started.

• Next, make sure you understand all the steps in the process.  How will you start?  In what order will the steps be taken?  If you find you don’t have a good understanding going into the process, now is the best time to clarify what you’ll be doing, asking clarifying questions of others if necessary.

• Third, know what completion of the process looks like.  Completion for me was putting the envelope in the mailbox.  This will let you know when you’re truly done and can put away everything related to the project.

If you have papers languishing on your desk try the following Next Steps Exercise:

Select a paper that’s been sitting there awhile and ask yourself these questions:

1. What project does this paper relate to?  Note your response on the paper itself or a sticky note attached to the paper.
2. What is the next step to take with this piece of paper?   Again, document this step on the paper itself or on the sticky note attached to it.  Then input a reminder to complete this step in your planning system so it’s not forgotten and file the paper itself in a tickler or pending file so you can readily access it when it’s time to take that step.
3. If you can’t answer question 2, go back and ask yourself: What are the steps in the project this paper relates to?  Where does this paper fit into those steps?  If there is no response to these questions for a particular piece of paper, ask yourself if you really need it.  

I hope this post has given you pause for thought when it comes to the papers that are surrounding you.  What next step might you take today to reduce the number of papers on your desk?  What steps have you taken to reduce the paper clutter on your desk?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!