Simplifying On-The-Go Files

Not all of my projects are electronic. In fact, most of the things I do outside of work are not. Most of these things are ones that don’t have a particular due date, so I work on them as the fancy strikes me.

Unfortunately, most of these projects also have paper to go with them, and it is not practical for me to haul all this paper with me wherever I go, just in case I get the urge to do something.

In order to make it easy to pull things I may work on before leaving home, I create mobile folders. These contain what David Allen would call “project support material”.

My Mobile Folders

Since my main transport is a zippered binder cover, it made sense that I would use something that could easily go into and out of the binder. I found pocket folders with tabs at a local office supply store.

With my handy-dandy labeler, I make a label and put it on the tab and fill with my support materials.

Mobile Folders on the Go

When I decide I will be working on a project, I go to my project support filing area (a small cabinet by my desk), and pull the folder. I snap them into my binder at the back so the tabs don’t interfere with my other sections.

Mobile Folder Storage

When I am not using the project folder, it goes back into my filing cabinet. I put each one in a hanging pocket with the tab facing up. This does the duty of allowing me to not label the individual hanging folders, as well as providing a mechanism where I am not relabeling my project files all the time.

Photo by redjar