Processing Your Physical In-Bin

Getty Images: Momo64

All of us need to have some kind of collection container, i.e., a bin, a basket, or a box. So much clutter is reduced when you designate and use limited containers (bins, baskets, or boxes) for collecting incoming items and then — AND THEN — you process daily what is in those containers. Consider the following suggestions for processing your physical in-bin, in-basket, or in-box.

1. Make sure your physical in-bin is large. Place it in a prominent place on your desk. [Soon after the first time I read David Allen’s Getting Things Done, I took him at his word and ended up with a very large brown cardboard box on my desk until I started getting more and more of what had been incoming over many, many months fully processed. Then I could go to something smaller and more attractive and professional looking!]
2. Start by placing EVERYTHING in the in-bin (regardless of whether it is a piece of paper, a notebook, a folder, a bill, a picture, whatever).
3. Deal with (i.e., process) the items as you take them out of the in-bin (vs. digging around like you’re tumbling the basket holding raffle tickets).
4. To process, ask: “What is this?” Consider writing the phrase “What is this?” on the box itself as a reminder.
5. Next, ask: “Do I keep it or throw it away/recycle it?”
6. If the answer is “throw it away/recycle,” then do so immediately.
7. If the answer is “keep,” then ask, “What is the very next thing I need to do with this item?”
8. If you can do the next action quickly, then take care of it right now. If it can’t be handled immediately, then ask, “When will I do it?”
9. Write the next action on the item, on a sticky note, or on a piece of paper, and then staple or otherwise affix it to the item.
10. Drop the item (or the piece of paper that tells where the item is) in your tickler file (1–31 file) on the day that you will handle it. If you’ll handle it during an upcoming month, drop it into your monthly tickler file.

It may take you a bit of time to make this into a habit but once you do, you’ll never want to go back to having your whole office or home serving as a giant in-bin!