Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Tip Sheet #15

Handle a paper once!

Your desk is overflowing.  You have just returned from the holiday break and now you are buried under paper. Believe me, I feel your pain.  I have been there. The same can be said of e-mail although I am sure that while you were away you stayed on top of that.

My father was one of the last of the greatest generation to make it to the management level of a major corporation without a college degree. Yet he was wise and intelligent without that piece of paper proving it and he never hesitated sharing his advice with me (whether I wanted it or not). As we were both micromanagers, I am sure that you can appreciate the arguments and discussions that we had.  He used to give me this sage advice: handle a piece of paper once and act on it. Deal with it, delegate it, file it or throw it away.  Too bad I could not follow his advice.

I would handle the paper, lament over it, put in in the left pile on my desk which indicated a priority, put it on the right side which would mean it can wait or place it on a different pile on a shelf or window sill which meant who knows what.  I would color code things, sort them by date, sort them be the sender etc.  I came up with probably a thousand different methods of moving paper during my career.  And just like a “know it all” son, never followed my father’s advice. I wasted hours and hours trying to find things.  I wish I had all of those hours back.  And add to that the needless stress and anxiety created when I could not find something. I knew it was on my desk but could not remember what pile it was in.

I know when you read a piece of mail, be it paper or electronic you have to think about many things such as the urgency of the task, the stakeholders involved, the resources you need to complete the task, the timeline, the deadline and any barriers or impediments to you for completing the task.

There are volumes written about managing multiple priorities and managing your time.  Never underestimate the value and importance of time.  It remains the one thing that you cannot change.  If you are a school administrator reading this, remember how your teacher value time.  Today there are also hundreds of neat apps that will help you manage your time and projects.  You may have one that already works for you.

Because of my micromanaging tendencies I never allowed my administrative assistants to manage this aspect of my life.  This could also prove a very wise thing to do.  Try to let go a little, it could be very freeing.

The next that you are frustrated with all of your incoming documents, and the next time you cannot find that important piece of paper, apply my father’s advice: handle that piece of paper once and deal with it, delegate it, file it or throw it away.

Good luck!