Paper Support Materials for Tasks

C

Chads

0
I am new to GTD and one of the items I am trying to figure out is what to do with paper support materials for tasks.

For example, I may receive a flyer or advertisement in the mail (Postal not email) into my IN box relating to a product or service. I process it, and since this may be a lengthy conversation, I create a task @calls to contact the provider. I want to keep the flyer or advertisement to review/discuss with the provider, however not sure what to do with it.

Are you guys filing it in along with your reference materials to grab when you make the call? Until I determine if I am going to implement the product, it is a single task and doesn't have a project folder yet. Or do you create a separate folder for it, even though it may go in to the recycle bin after the phone call?

Thanks for the insight.

Chad
 
pending folder

For this situation, I have created a miscellaneous "pending papers" file, for stuff which may or may not become a project, or which is only support for a single action, because some of these things would be overkill to create their own folder for. Part of my weekly review checklist is to review if there is anything stagnant sitting in this folder. It sits at the front of my reference files, preceding "A".
 
You'll need to make a decision. If you really need the flyer in order to make the call, then you should file this in a folder in your Action/Project Support file which should be very close at hand. Either in a rack on you desk or in one of your drawers. I keep Action Support in my right hand desk drawer behind my tickler file and Project support in my left hand file drawer with General reference material in the credenza behind me.. In addition since you need the Action Support material you'll need to put this in your @Office list and not your @Calls list.

If you really dont' need the flyer then pitch it and put the next action on your calls list. If you're system has a place to store quick notes (e.g. a palm where each to do has a note field you could copy the stuff the key info there and then pitch the flyer. In either of these cases the @Calls list should be fine...
 
I keep a folder called "Phone calls" in my action support filing drawer. Odd flyers etc which may well get binned after the call go in there.

Ruth
 
Chads;58783 said:
Or do you create a separate folder for it, even though it may go in to the recycle bin after the phone call?
Click to expand...

I usually make the folder and file in reference since it take less than 2 minutes.

Also, I re-use folders several times, so I don't need to recycle until the folders get dog-eared.

- Don
 
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