Red Tags Aren't Just for Christmas

I want to share with you some information which will truly make your
work life and home life far more productive if you follow the simple
steps I lay out.

The technique I want to share with you involves "Red Tags"

What's the issue ?

Most of us squander about 1 hour each day at home and at work searching for "items"

At work, it may be a file or a piece of correspondence and at home it may be a torch , usually during a
power cut !

Having to constantly look for things creates anxiety and gives us a sense of not being in control.

One of the less obvious issues facing us, is that we tend to have a lot more "items" than we actually need.

We find ourselves surrounded by clutter and this compounds our inability to find the things that we actually
do need.

It's not a great feeling to have, especially if your boss has asked you for something and you don't know
where it is.

How many times has someone phoned you for some information and you've replied "I'm a bit busy just
now, can I get back to you on that one"

If most of us were being totally honest, we should probably say "Sorry I know I've got the information you
require somewhere, but I don't have a clue where. I'll need to search for it and get back to you"

Not being able to find things make us feel incompetent.

How many of us have had to search all day for our passport
before we go on holiday ?

"I know it's in the house somewhere, it's definitely not lost"

Three hours later we eventually find it and all is well, but the stress levels of what should be a pleasant
experience (going on holiday)have already increased by a factor of 3 or 4.

Not being able to find things makes us feel tense.

How many times have you had to repurchase something that you already own because you can't seem
to unearth it.

Not being able to find things can be costly.

So what's the problem ?

The basic problem is that most of us have far more items than we actually need to function efficiently, both
 at home and at work.

I'm sure that you've got at least 3 or 4 sets of scissors at home, but I bet you cannot find a pair when you
want to cut something.

Am I right ?

So what can we do about it ?

Get rid of the clutter

Clutter is the enemy that we want to attack head on.

To be successful and gain back the time we personally lose each day "searching" for things, we need to
make clutter a thing of the past and banish it from our lives.
 
One of the most successful weapons that you can bring to bare when attacking clutter are "red tags"

What is the red tag method ?

A method of sorting items that are needed from those that
are not by labelling with conspicuous RED TAGS

The Red Tag Strategy

The Red Tag Strategy is designed to confront clutter and all of the wasted time that results because of
it's existence.

It outlines the simple steps required to help us differentiate between what is needed and what is not
needed.

The 5 steps you need to take

If you follow these 5 simple steps then you will be well on the road to truly making your work life and home
life far more productive .

Step	Launch the Project

Tell everyone ahead of time that a red tag campaign will be taking place in the office and that everyone's
help will be needed.

The red tagging effort should only take 1 or 2 days tops.

Identify an area to store red tag items.

The primary reason for creating a red tag area is to temporarily store office items away from the main
office area being red tagged.

Only items that are practical and easy to move should be decanted to the red tag area.

The red tag area should be as close to the area being red tagged as possible.

Once the red tag process is complete the red tag area becomes the venue for deciding what to do
about each red tagged item.

Step	Identify the Red Tag Targets

Take a quick walk though the area that you are going to red tag, and make a quick assessment
as to the level of clutter and the potential areas you would want to attack.

Typical red tag targets are as follows:-

	Desks
	Stationery
	Filling Cabinets
	Files and Folders
	Out of date documents
	Books
	Equipment (Telephone, Fax, P.C.)
	Correspondence
	Business Forms
	Paper
	Catalogues
	Shelves
	Chairs

We are not saying that we are going to get rid of these items , all we are saying at this stage, is that
there is something not quite right about the item and we are questioning why it is there.

Step	Set the Red Tag Criteria

If something has not been used for a month then it potentially should be red tagged.

You can decide on your own criteria but the above usually works very well.

Step	Make the red tags and start using them

You can make the Red tags and attach them any way you want but typically red paper or card works best.

The reason they are red is to make them stand out from the crowd.
 
When you design the red tag typically it should have the following headings to capture information about the
item being tagged.

Date , Tag No, Item description, Reason for tagging, Disposition and who it was tagged by.

You should also create a central log to capture the same sort of information that is on the tag.

You should then do the following.

Physically attach red tags to targets , document the activity and move the item to the red tag area.

As a rule, you should be trying to get 4 red tags per person in the area being red tagged if it is the first time
you have done it.

e.g. If there are 20 people in the area you should be looking at about red tagging 80 items.

If you only come up with a few items then you are not trying hard enough !

Please note:-

-only one item per tag and be sensitive to personal items.
-Don't red tag people !
-Record all red tagged items on the red tag log.
-The log is used to help with disposition later on.

Step	Evaluate the Red Tag Targets

Once all items have been red tagged then the team should review each item on the log in turn to agree on
the appropriate course of action.

The Potential actions are as follows:-

Remember "If in doubt move it out"

In Summary

Red Tags are a very simple but powerful tool to remove clutter, which can truly make your work life and
home life far more productive.

You can adapt the 5 steps of the Red Tagging Strategy depending on the size of the task e. g. your
own desk vs. the whole office or an area of your own home.

The secret is having got rid of a significant amount of clutter, not to allow it to creep back
in again.

Why not have a go yourself at home before the New year.

You may eventually be able to find those scissors when you need them !

Remember a red tag is not just for Christmas !

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Graham Ross

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