S6 Reading and Assignments

SESSION 6 – THE PENDING SYSTEM – READING MATERIAL

‘Pending’ (by definition): Representing ALL of the work that you CANNOT do at the present time. The criteria for what constitutes a ‘Pending’ item is based on:

a. Waiting for someone to get back to you;
b. Awaiting a deadline;
c. Awaiting an event to take place.

NOTE: Every Pending item, whether derived paper-based or electronically derived, MUST BE CALENDARED FOR FOLLOW-UP.

Location of your Paper-Based Pending Terminal

The ideal place for the Pending terminal is in the filing drawer of your desk, in front of all other files in that drawer. That will make it easy for you to retrieve the Pending information when you are ready to resume (or begin) the project — that is, when you obtain the needed information.

Place your Pending file in a hanging folder clearly labeled ‘PENDING’ to make sure that this file doesn’t get mixed up with other files that you keep in the drawer.

You use the Pending terminal for pending tasks that do not have an existing ‘home’ elsewhere in your files. If you already have a folder in your File System related to the task that’s now pending, that is what I call the file’s HOME, I recommend keeping the Pending material there instead of in your separate Pending area. For example, let’s say you have an ongoing work relationship with the Acme Freight Company and you organize your File System by client. In your filing cabinet you have a folder labeled ‘Acme Freight’. It makes sense to keep your current Pending task together with these files.

NOTE: When you log the pending work in your scheduling calendar, you will assign the task with the symbol (H) to remind you that it is filed in its Home; When you log the pending work in your scheduling calendar, and this information does not have a ‘Home’, you will assign the task with the symbol (PF) to remind you that it is filed in your Pending File;

Pending Holding Area (P.H.A.)

This is for Pending items that are too big and bulky to fit into your Pending File; these items also have no Home. Therefore, you will need to have a location to place this information during its ‘Pending’ status.

As with your THA, your PHA needs a space, such as a bookcase shelf, an empty file drawer, a closet, the hutch over your desk. It may even share a space with your THA.

NOTE: If your THA and PHA come to share a common area, then it is imperative that they not become co-mingled. Keep your THA’s and PHA’s segregated.

How to Calendar your Pending E-Mail:

Step One: You have just sent me an e-mail requesting something of me that you require. Now this becomes a ‘Turtle’ for me, and is now a Pending for you.

Step Two: Immediately after hitting the ‘Send’ button you go to your ‘Sent’ file and, there at the top of your ‘Sent’ file is the e-mail requesting information sent to me by you.

Step Three: For those of you using Outlook (this will also work with many other systems), you now drag and drop this e-mail into your ‘Calendar’ (bottom left), let go, and a ‘New Event” will automatically appear in your calendar CONTAINING THE ENTIRE BODY OF YOUR SENT E-MAIL. Why is this so terrific? Because ALL PENDINGS HAVE TO BE CALENDARED and this is an extraordinary time saving tool.

Step Four: Now all you have to do is select the date in your calendar, log the time of day that you plan to contact me and on the ‘Subject’ line notate: (PE) Len re: Acme Freight proposal (The symbol ‘PE’ denotes the location being in your Pending E-Mail file).

Step Five: Drag the e-mail sitting in your ‘Sent’ file into your ‘Pending E-Mail’ (PE) file.

CONGRATULATIONS AS YOU NOW HAVE … THE PLEASURE TO FORGET.

SESSION 6 – THE PENDING SYSTEM – ASSIGNMENTS

Assignment #1
Place a Pending Folder (preferably a red colored folder), in your desk’s bottom right or bottom left file drawer.

Assignment #2
Calendar in your electronic organizer (or paper-based organizer), ALL of your Pending work items with their appropriate date for your follow-up. Affix the appropriate location symbol to EVERY calendared Pending item (see Assignment #3)

Assignment #3
Familiarize yourself with ALL of the following symbols which represent all of the locations a Pending Item may reside:
(PF) – Pending File (Red hanging file folder).
(PHA) – Pending Holding Area (For items too thick or bulky to fit into the Red hanging file folder).
(PE) – Pending E-Mail (E-mail folder).
(H) – Home (The place this file normally resides).
(T) – Turtle (This is the instance where a portion of this particular job CANNOT be worked on, however there are other areas of this same job that CAN be worked on while awaiting the Pending portion to come to pass).

Assignment #4
Place the Pending item in its appropriate electronically-held or paper-based location.

Assignment #5
Log any phone messages from your Voice-mail that you need to return, as well as incoming calls, into your spiral-bound notebook (which sits next to your telephone).

Assignment #6
If you are using a paper-based organizer place it at the top portion (far end) of your desk and ALWAYS KEEP IT OPEN TO THE CURRENT DAY.