Existing binders in use

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Hi all,

Just finished the book and I am prepared to commit to getting things done.
While setting things up to get started with the capture phase, I wondered what you consider as best practice for dealing with existing binders.
I already have a couple of binders with private stuff, business stuff and some others. These are done pretty neat in the past, so it feels to me that if I empty those in an inbox - my inbox will be a couple of numbered moving boxes, since I lack the physical space to scatter it in the corner of a room - I have to resort them again. I know that capturing is not about sorting, but these already are sorted, they merely need a review.

So, what do you say? How would you tackle this?
 
When I started GTD again, I did review the few binders I had for reference materials. I got stacks of 3"x5" scratch pads from Staples, and wrote one thing at a time on them as David Allen instructs. I found that my relationship with what was in the binders changed as I did that, which is partially the point. Maybe part of what's taking up your psychic RAM is that there might be things you previously filed and sorted that need further clarification?

Or.... Maybe that's all reference material. If you're at peace with it and it isn't taking up any room in your head, don't worry about it.

You might not be like me, so I offer this only as a personal lesson learned. The first time I tried to do GTD in 2007, I made two singular mistakes. I tried to complicate the workflow process, adding contexts instead of just keeping it real simple. Additionally, I blended steps 1 and 2. In other words, I tried to clarify (step 2) as I was capturing (step 1). It was a relief to do the capture step this time and realize I didn't have to judge any of it. Just get it all out first and be messy as I did.

If your binders are sorted, but your head isn't, then I would personally suggest making a mess of the binders, so your head can get clear. :)
 
I'd treat the review of those binders as a task. So what I'd throw in the inbox is a scrap of paper saying, "Review binders."

Then as you review them, if they inspire other thoughts or things that need doing, you could write those on more scraps for the Inbox.
 
Gardener said:
I'd treat the review of those binders as a task. So what I'd throw in the inbox is a scrap of paper saying, "Review binders."
Click to expand...

And in the processing step get this scrap of paper and decide what's the Successful Outcome (maybe "Binders reviewed" or something more specific like "Binders' contents rearranged in the A-Z order") and the Next Action (for example "Review the red binder").
 
I agree with Gardener. If you feel there is something you need to do about the binders (and it's perfectly OK if there isn't; only you can decide what things mean to you), I'd jot a note on a slip of paper and toss it into the inbox.
 
I ended up with having 7 moving boxes as inbox of physical stuff. Two of them contain the binders and they have numbers 5 and 6. I just put them in, because I wanted to go on with collecting everything. So, when I go through my physical inbox, I well get to the binders eventually. Picking one out of the box at a time, picking one sheet of paper out of that binder at a time, probably moving a lot to trash, and filing the rest as reference.
I think this is more or less the same as Gardeners input, only without making it a task, since it already is in the task "Empty in" while in the meantime getting the succesful outcome, like TesTeq suggested: reviewed and sorted.
 
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