Have you heard about the Touch it Once rule?

The idea is to handle items only once and not shuffle them from place to place. It is great in theory but not always practical or easy. I tried years ago to implement the rule with my paperwork and even used the suggestion to mark each piece of paper with a red dot every time I touched it. Needless to say, my papers looked like they had the measles!  I knew I needed to find another way. 

While it would be great to train ourselves to do this with everything our natural way of working and life can get in the way. For example, it is highly unlikely that most people will open a bill, pay it right away and then file it. Are there people that do this? Of course, but that doesn't mean it is efficient or attainable for everyone.

I personally don't like filing! Yes, me the Professional Organizer and former Accountant who specializes in paper and digital information management finds no joy in filing papers, however, give me a pile...