Some of the items you need to "tickle" or remind yourself of correspond with the days of the month you are currently in (and that's when you use the 1 - 31 file). Often, however, you have items that are for upcoming months and you need a place for those. Here are ten ideas for using your monthly tickler file for enhanced peaceful productivity.

1. Get or prepare a tickler file. It may be 12 folders labeled with the months, 12 hanging folders labeled with the months, or an accordian file with 12 slots that are already labeled. Have a tickler file for your home as well as your workplace.
2. Put your January - December tickler file where it is easily accessible from your main desk or workstation. It will be near your 1 - 31 file.
3. When you are processing your physical in-box and you determine that an item needs to be handled in an upcoming month, drop that item or a reminder piece of paper into that month's slot or folder. If the item is very small, staple or tape it to a larger piece of paper.
4. Get in the habit of putting agendas, special school events, invitations you'll need for entry, etc. into the month's slot or folder in which you will need them. As soon as you learn you can trust this system, it helps put your mind at ease (I promise!)
5. For certain quarterly responsibilities (e.g., assessment reports, changing the air filters in your office, or submitting forms to the administrative office), drop a reminder into those months regarding the responsibility or task. Again, it helps to remove some of these items from just floating around in your brain.
6. Buy cards for the year when possible and then drop the cards into the corresponding month. For special holidays, buy cards for next year during this year's season. [You might avoid having to do what my husband did one year...giving me a "to my favorite niece" Valentine card.]
7. If you have a trip &/or a workshop in an upcoming month, create a folder for that event to keep within the monthly tickler file. As you get your plane ticket, agenda items, hotel confirmation, notes for meetings, internet info about sites you want to see, ideas or questions about the topic, etc., just keep putting everything into that folder.
8. When you contact someone to come speak to your class, and the person indicates that she "won't be available until next semester, but you should call then," drop a reminder to call her into that month. Remember, it's called a tickler file to remind you (tickle you) to do things...and it works!
9. Yearly items such as creating your budget or taking your car in for a tune-up should be in your January - December tickler. There are many purchases that you make each year that "automatically renew" for your convenience (or for theirs!) If you want to think through whether you have something automatically renew, put the print-out or the receipt in the month prior to the renewal month so that you can consider whether you want the software subscription, magazine subscription, or service contract to renew. It will save you money and time.
10. Two or three days prior to the end of a month, take everything out of the upcoming month's folder or file and determine what day it belongs in for the month getting ready to start. It is an excellent way to think through responsibilities and tasks and to get an overview of your month.

You won't believe the peaceful productivity that will come into your life as you use the 1 - 31 and the January - December tickler files. You deserve it!

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(c) 2008 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., "The Ph. D. of Productivity"(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!