Triage With 300 Boxes

Triage With 300 Boxes

Readers of my Paper Cuts Newsletter will be familiar with DocumentSnap reader Meg Stout’s blog, 300 boxes. Meg is currently working her way through (as the name implies) 300 boxes worth of stuff and blogging the process.

Recently she blogged about her triage process when it comes to dealing with piles of random stuff.

As anyone who has watched M*A*S*H knows, triage is a process of sorting based on need and degree of severity. By focusing on what is most important or immediately actionable first, you can quickly work through your backlog.

Here is how Meg, on her friend’s advice, uses the triage process to sort through piles of random stuff:

My friend taught me the triage technique they would use to sort through stuff.

1) Separate the items on the table into three piles: keepers, trash, and “Don’t know.”

2) Throw away the trash. Put away the keepers.

3) Sort the “Don’t know” pile into three piles: keepers, trash, and “Don’t know.”

4) Throw away the trash. Put away the keepers.

5) Sort the “Don’t know” pile into two piles: keepers, trash.

6) Throw away the trash. Put away the keepers.

That was it.

How can you use this triage process to start digging through those huge piles of paper you have on your desk or in your filing cabinet? Any other triage tips? Let us know in the comments.

(Photo by alborzshawn)

About the Author

Brooks Duncan helps individuals and small businesses go paperless. He's been an accountant, a software developer, a manager in a very large corporation, and has run DocumentSnap since 2008. You can find Brooks on Twitter at @documentsnap or @brooksduncan. Thanks for stopping by.

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