![]() Stick a piece of paper in a folder, jot a name on the tab, and put it out of sight? Face it, filing is sooo boring that you’ll probably do almost anything to avoid it. Once your paper-handling system is in place, you can keep paper clutter to a minimum. If you move a document more than twice, your call-to-action phrase probably isn’t specific enough - or maybe you need more information to decide what action to take.ĭepending on how many papers you have, digging out might take one morning or several days. Just make sure not to cycle papers endlessly. Everything is either Toss, File, or Action. PANEC works for people with ADHD because it reduces the uncertainty about what to do with each paper. That’s OK, as long as you stick with the basic idea. You may prefer to do things a bit differently. She says that makes the process less monotonous, and helps her dissipate pent-up energy. Sheila takes about 20 Action papers at a time and distributes them around the house to their Next Encounter locations. And she taped an application she needs to complete to her bathroom mirror, so she’ll see it each morning until it’s done. She wrote “Give to Bobby.” on an article about hybrid cars, and then stuck it in her son’s sneaker (the only place he’s sure to see it). Grocery coupons? She taped them to the refrigerator. On a page ripped from a catalog, she wrote “Order by June 1.” On a credit card offer, she wrote “Apply or Die.” She put both papers on her desk, because that’s where she takes care of financial activities. Like most of my clients, Sheila got PANEC right away. Move each annotated Action document to a place you think will prompt you to actually complete the action. Just the next action, described with attention-getting words and phrases. Not the final action, mind you, or all of the actions to take. The idea of PANEC is to take each piece of paper in the Action pile and write on it the very next action that is needed. It’s called Paper-Action-Next Encounter, or PANEC. Well, as I told Sheila, I have a system for that, too. The only challenge was figuring out what to do with the papers that wound up in the Action pile. She had no trouble figuring out which papers were Toss, File, or Action. Recently, I spent four hours helping Sheila sort her papers. Or, like Sheila, you can hire a professional organizer. Ask a friend or family member to be your “body double,” working alongside you and mirroring your actions. Sort quickly, and don’t agonize over your decisions. Papers that require more nuanced action go into your “Action” pile I’m talking about anything that necessitates a phone call or an e-mail, that must be given to someone else, that requires faxing, that requires a signature, that pertains to an ongoing project, and so on. Let’s say you’re digging out from under stacks of paper. ![]() What’s the solution to your paper problem? Stop treating each piece of paper in your home as something lifeless. Maybe our children’s children will have their reading material stored in a belly-button-sized nanocomputer. Then there’s the fact that managing paper is boring. And if a document needs to be filed, someone with ADHD can think of 17 different ways to file it. It’s difficult to focus long enough to make a decision about each piece of paper. When you add receipts, articles clipped from magazines, and ATM slips, it’s no wonder that piles of paper are as common in our homes as furniture (and sometimes are the furniture).īarbara Hemphill, an adult with ADHD and the author of Taming the Paper Tiger, sums up the problem this way: “The stacks represent unmade decisions. household receives 80 pieces of junk mail, three magazines, six catalogs, and 10 credit card solicitations. I can’t act on it right away, so I put it aside, so that I’ll have it when I figure out what to do with it.”Įach month, the average U.S. “If I clip an interesting magazine article - and they’re all interesting to me - or get a tempting credit card solicitation, it’s here to stay. OK, that’s putting it mildly her apartment is one giant in-box, filled with letters, articles, bills, and receipts. Like many of my clients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Sheila can’t seem to get organized and keep up with her paper clutter at home and at work. ![]()
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