Bring it up

So much of the information that comes our way on a daily basis is stuff that doesn’t need to be dealt with or decided upon immediately. An invitation to a networking event weeks away. A reminder about scheduling a doctor’s appointment. An idea about a conference I’ll speak at next year.

Previously this non-immediate information would fall into a black hole in my office – either stuffed into a pile on my desk or pushed down to the bottom of my email inbox, never to be seen again. But now I have my trusted Bring-Up File… and life is good!

Any good executive assistant knows and loves the bring-up file. This simple system allows you, with a minimum of set-up and only a moment or two of daily maintenance, to safely file information away and trust that you will see it again when you need it. For the uninitiated, here’s how it works.

You need 12 folders, each labeled with the names of the months, and 31 more folders, each labeled with the days 1 through 31. You need someplace to store these files so they will be visible and easily accessible. Set up the folders with the days in front and the months behind. If you are starting today, your folders will start with the number 12 for the 12th of the month, then progress through 31, then 1-11 behind that. Next will be the March folder, then April through December, then January and February.

Store items in the appropriate folder relating to their time-sensitivity. That networking invitation for mid-March? It goes in the March folder. The reminder about scheduling the doctor’s appointment for May goes in the April folder (it takes a while to get into that doc). The idea for the conference for next year goes in the October folder, since that’s when I’ll start planning that event. Get the idea?

As you’re opening mail or receiving information throughout the day, file it in your bring-up file. Then, each morning, check that day’s folder and act on anything there. It only takes a moment. Then put that empty folder behind the other dated folders. At the beginning of a new month, remove the items from that month’s folder and sort them into the dated folders. You’re all set for the new month.

It’s so simple, and in my mind that’s what makes it work and makes it easy to sustain. It’s so reassuring to know that I’m filing information where I’ll find it again when I need it.

Give it a try, and let me know if it works for you.