Separate current papers from reference

Identify the next action

For an active paper, write the next ordinary action beside it: read, compare, return or discuss. Avoid leaving a growing stack whose only shared property is that it arrived recently. If a paper has no next action, decide whether it is reference material instead.

Keep reference retrievable

Group reference papers around the question that would make you look for them. A folder for a particular device can hold its instructions and useful notes together. Use the same name on the folder and on any index you keep, so finding the description also points to the material.

These suggestions concern informal organisation. Keep any original document with special retention requirements according to the instructions that apply to that document.

Create a small review point

Choose a regular moment to look at the active papers. Return completed material to its reference home and make unfinished actions explicit. Reviewing a small visible set is easier than rediscovering decisions inside a much older pile.