Six Questions to Ask About Paper Retention

The File-Act-Toss System showed you the three decisions you can make regarding any paper that comes into your office. Many people aren’t sure if they should toss or get rid of a paper and so they keep everything. Here are some questions that you can ask yourself to help to make that decision easier.

• Does this require action? That means do you have to call someone, email them, or talk to them in person before you deal with the issue on the paper. Maybe it just requires you to file the paper in your reference or archive files.
• Can I identify a specific use? Is it something that you need as a reference tool? Is it a model or template for something else? Is it something that you know someone else could use? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then keep the paper.
• Is it difficult to obtain again? Years ago this question would be answered with a yes, but with technology and the internet, we can usually reproduce most information. However, if the document would be difficult to obtain, then keep it.
• Is it recent enough to be useful? Again with technology changing so rapidly, information gets outdated much more quickly than it did in the past. Most likely you can answer no to this question.
• Are there any tax, legal, warranty, or insurance implications? If you can answer yes to this question, you definitely need to keep the document.
• What is the worst thing that can happen without it? If you got rid of the paper, could you live with the consequences? If not, you may want to keep it.

You may want to make a “cheat sheet” of these six questions to have handy when you are dealing with office paperwork. They are a guide to help make you more productive.

*Adapted with permission from The Art of WastebasketryÔ by Barbara Hemphill of the Productive Environment Institute, 2005-2010.