As we approach the end of the year regular work flow often slows down as colleagues take vacation for the holidays. For me, I have found this to be an ideal time to tidy up by purging my paper files.
Filing is a beast that needs to be kept tame or it will slowly eat away at your productivity. The surest way to let it run wild is to never purge old files, leaving your cabinets filled with stuff that is no longer needed. Remember, if your file cabinets get over three quarters full the desire to file will diminish and piles will begin to appear all around you.
So make an appointment over the next few weeks to spend quality time with your files. You can even create space by digitizing files and then tossing the paper copy. I invite you to end your year by purging unneeded paper from your file cabinets and see how good it feels to have a clean start for 2017.
Lots of people want to get organized, but what does that really mean? Is it all about creating complex filing systems, or buying the latest electronic gizmo, or about keeping a spotless desk top? To answer this question, I came across a great article from David Allen who proceeds to take the mystery out of the concept of “organized”:
If you enjoyed reading Malcolm bestselling books like I did, then this is a podcast for you. As described on the web site: “He has explored how ideas spread in the 
Years ago I was a certified yoga teacher in the Kripalu tradition. I was drawn to yoga as a way to find centering, peace, and health in my life. Perhaps one of the reasons that GTD has always connected for me is that it takes the ancient wisdom from the mountaintop and brings it straight to the modern office. I recently came across this great quote from a Raja Yoga school of wisdom that clearly demonstrates the reason why it is important to get things out of your head and to bring them to completion in a timely manner.
“People started keeping calendars a century ago. Why? Because life’s time-based commitments got more complex than they could trust their mind to manage. If you think that a Projects list is unnecessary, then throw away your calendar and trust life will just let you know what you should be doing, in the moment. Good luck. If you decide you need a calendar, then keep a list of your projects you’re committed to completing, as well as appointments to keep. Otherwise you’re intellectually dishonest.”
According to Pink’s study of the scientific literature, most people erroneously believe that external motivations like money and fancy benefits motivate us to do good work. The conclusion he draws is that what truly motivates us is the ability to direct our own lives, learn new things, and improve the lives of the people around us. Pink provides examples of ways to improve your own level of drive. His book also identifies different ways that organizations can use self directed motivation to inspire their workforce in ways that the old approach of carrots and sticks was never able to do.
One way to move a project forward is to pose a simple question – what is the next action? Each project on your plate requires a physical action to move it forward, such as making a phone call, writing an email, drafting a memo, walking down the hall to visit HR, cleaning a cabinet, etc. The question forces you to get real about the project by making it solid and tangible in your mind. It can create momentum that will move the project to completion.
Efficient Librarian 