Though technology is moving business and productivity into a more digital world, we have not yet gone completely paperless.  Paper management is still a very important skill—and something that many busy professionals think they don’t have time for.  Find our what your paper hoarding score is to see if you could use some paper management help!

1. You’re sitting at your desk.  What do you currently see?

A. Lots of clear desk space, with the exception of a few commonly used items (like post-it notes or a stapler).
B. Your most commonly used items, your lunch, a coffee, and a couple stacks of current projects and folders.
C. You can’t see your desk…it’s covered in piles of paper (most of which are overlapping and jumbled together).

2. You just came back from a networking event with a stack of business cards.  What do you do with them?

A. Add them to your contact management system, sync your mobile devices with the new information, and recycle the cards.
B. You follow-up with a few contacts and then set the cards aside to process them later (who knows when that will be).
C. Toss them in an empty drawer or box…out of sight out of mind.

3. You just returned from a meeting.  What do you do with your notes?

A. Scan and save them in your electronic files. Then you add time to your calendar to process actionable items.
B. You complete your to-dos from the meeting, but you save the paper. You never know when you might need it.
C. Keep the papers on your desk and continue working. If it’s really important someone else will have the information.

4. Your boss asks you to find an old file with an important document in it.  How long does it take you to find it?

A. A couple minutes because you know exactly where it is.
B. About 15 minutes. There are 2-3 places it might be.
C. You can’t find it…

5. Your coworker emails you a list of tasks.  What do you do with the email?

A. Pull the tasks and add them to your to-do list, then archive the email in the appropriate folder.
B. Flag it as important but eventually other tasks pop up and take priority.
C. You leave it in your inbox and eventually it gets buried there. The deadline passes and you forgot about the tasks.

6. You just completed a big project.  What do you do with all of your files now?

A. Save the document in your file system for the appropriate amount of time, following proper Paper Retention Guidelines.
B. File all of the documents together in your file system until one day someone decides to purge them.
C. They’ll start as a pile on your desk, then they’ll eventually move to the floor, and once you run out of room you’ll throw them in a box.

Each A is worth 2 points, each B is worth 4 points, and each C is worth 6 points.  Tally your points to find your paper hoarding score:

12-16: Paper Filer

You are awesome at paper management!  You prefer to be as paperless as possible and are efficient at filing your documents when not in use.  You know where all of your files are located and how long you should keep them.  You pull tasks from documents and add them to your task management system to keep you focused and on track.  Keep up the good work by following us on Twitter and LinkedIn for more paper management tips.

18-26: Paper Holder

You are consistent with the average professional—you prefer to be organized and paperless, but you don’t have all the right workflows in place.  You might need to dedicate time each week to filing documents or you may need to create a paper retention policy for your company.  We recommend following our Twitter and LinkedIn for more tips to help you keep organized.  You can also sign up to get productivity tips and events sent directly to your inbox (like our upcoming Paper Management 101: Filing DO’s and DON’Ts webinar on May 23^rd).

28-36: Paper Piler

Looks like paper management is not your greatest strength.  We get it—there aren’t enough hours in the day to spend your time on filing and organizing documents.  But efficient paper management systems and habits will save you so much more time in the long run (not to mention stress)!  We recommend you sign up for our Paper Management 101: Filing DO’s and DON’Ts webinar on May 23^rd to learn how to create an organized file system.  You can also sign up to get productivity tips and events sent directly to your inbox so you can keep improving your paper management.