Reference data is vital information you need to retrieve quickly and/or frequently. So, for maximum efficiency, store these items out in the open and within easy reach in your prime real estate areas like the vertical space around your desk, shelves within arms' length, a file riser atop your desk or the vertical hanging file drawers in your desk.

To be clear: NOT taped to your monitor. NOT scribbled on your desk blotter (or, for goodness' sake, your desk). And NOT on Post-Its® that end up stuck to the bottom of your shoes.

On your computer, you might wish to have a desktop folder icon for digitally corralling copies of documents you consult daily—phone lists, account codes, etc. One quick click puts this digital information at your fingertips; another click lets you print out updated copies before you hit the road or fly the friendly skies. This doesn't mean keep ALL your reference information on your computer desktop, eventually obscuring the monitor's "wallpaper" -- one folder with vital information should suffice.

A small desk-side bookshelf is often the best way to store tangible materials, including general references like your dictionary, thesaurus, company/franchise directory and local telephone books.

If you lack horizontal surfaces for books, consider a freestanding “instant” shelf on the wall or in the corner, about two feet above desk level. Installation takes only a few minutes and often requires no special tools.

If you deal with historical or financial records kept sequentially, it helps to store the printouts in chronological or reverse chronological order (depending on your accounting needs) in large three-ring binders shelved vertically, labeled on the spines as well as on the front covers, maintained like library books.

Such binders can also hold a wealth of easily accessed reference data that might need to be shared among staffers, including:

• Templates, worksheets and forms (stored in transparent sleeves)
• Policy manuals (revised pages can be removed and replaced)
• Overhead projector transparencies and Powerpoint presentations
• Budget projections
• Customer or Account essentials (contact names, addresses, payment status)
• Procedural instructions (for covering duties of absent employees)
• Vendor product catalogs

As updated information supplants older material, outdated items can be easily discarded, keeping storage tidy and efficient. Be sure to label the spines of the binders with accurate and LARGE-PRINT DATES so you can quickly tell the right notebook at a glance when you're juggling a cell phone, a crying child and looming headache.

Avoid the temptation to keep account codes, telephone and fax numbers and other small “reference” items on Post-It Notes® affixed to computer monitors, bulletin boards and desktops. Adhesive wears away, ink smudges and small papers flutter to the floor, leaving vital data at the mercy of the office cleaning staff or your dog Rover. Aside from the security implications, you're just begging to be "mugged" by clutter.

Instead of keeping your surfaces covered with this clutter, consider either desktop card files if you prefer the tangible route, or contact management software to store all the minutia in your office. For example, your UPS or FedEx account numbers can be listed on a Rolodex® card under “shipping” or under UPS and FedEx separately or under "shipping", collectively. Most contact software has a location eagerly waiting to store your new client’s birthday or executive assistant’s name.

Remember, the purpose of saving reference material is so that you can quickly retrieve it and put it to use. Before you decide where you'll keep it, be sure you MUST keep it; after all, if the information is already easily accessible by web, why not bookmark the page rather than keeping a printed copy?

Each time you create a document or acquire information you'll need to reference frequently, pause to ask yourself those same questions as before, but with an information-oriented twist:

1) Why is it being kept? –If the information is going to be needed to place phone orders, shouldn't it be within easy reach of the phone and computer?

2) Who needs access? -- Shouldn't you give as much protection to the passwords for your bank account as you would if your money were there in the office? Do laws or regulations (or just good ethics and common sense) dictate blocking access to proprietary, legal or health information?

3) How often will it be retrieved? -- If you'll only need access to account numbers and figures once a month or once a quarter, you may not mind pulling a file folder out of the drawer. However, if you need to put your hands on a phone number or access code multiple times per day, don't you want that information just a click away, in your prime real estate?

As you move around your office today, each time a semi-sticky piece of paper or scribbled account number crosses your path, take a moment to store the information, but not necessarily the scrap, in a way that will allow quickest retrieval.

--
Julie Bestry, Certified Professional Organizer®
Best Results Organizing
"Don't apologize. Organize!"
organize@juliebestry.com
Visit http://www.juliebestry.com to save time and money, reduce stress and increase your productivity

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