Good housekeeping: purging your files.

I recently uncovered a cardboard box of files that had been in a storage room for 10 years. There couldn't have been anything of importance in them since the box hadn't been opened in all that time.

We all go through such rituals as, "I don't know what's in this box, but I'd better keep it on file."

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Is there a limit to such things? Absolutely! When documents and records are no longer needed, they should be discarded. You have to create room for new and future files. For example, my wife lives by a rule concerning our wardrobes: "If you haven't worn it in a year or more, the chances are that you never will. Get rid of it!"

As athletic directors, we probably have to keep our documents a little longer than specified in my wife's guidelines.

About 15 years ago, I heard that computers would transform the way we worked. We'd become a paperless society. What a joke! Even though the computer, E-mail, and Internet are pivotal in what I do as an A.D. I don't believe for a minute that I deal with less paper. I probably have more documents and reports to file than I ever had before.

Admittedly, I print copies of most of my computer documents. For example, it's much easier for me to read long articles or documents in the form of hardcopies. It's also infinitely easier for me to edit, make changes, and rewrite drafts of proposals and reports.

With the corrections in hand, I can then return to the computer and make the changes and improvements. All of this means more hardcopies to file and overflowing file cabinets.

Of course, I also make hard copies of important E-mail messages to file for reference. I couldn't exist in my position without this technology, its speed and the efficiency involved with it. The end result is that it may also yield more paper for filing.

With all of this paperwork on file in your office, what are you going to do? Several practical suggestions that will help.

1. Set-aside time during the summer to purge your file cabinets. At this time of the year, you will be a little more relaxed, without pressing deadlines and the interruptions of people stopping by your office.

2. Get large empty cardboard boxes in which to place the discarded files. If recycling is required in your county, all of this paper and manila folders will have to be disposed of properly. Be prepared to get rid of your unwanted files.

3. Determine what you absolutely have to keep and move this material into the cabinets designed for inactive files. The filed that have to be kept for legal reasons should be put in a box, clearly labeled, and placed in a store-room.

Items that have to be kept: medical records, injury reports, eligibility forms, and permission slips.

Check with your school board attorney or legal expert to determine how long these documents have to be kept. We were advised to keep these files for a minimum of four years after the graduation of every student.

Considering that an occasional freshman might make a varsity squad, this means keeping the documents each year of a high school career and then adding four years after graduation for a total of eight years.

4. If you can't devote time over the summer for this task, find a Saturday morning or perhaps one hour for several weeks on a Friday afternoon. But do set some time aside to purge your files, or you will eventually be buried under mounds of paper.

In like fashion, you should also purge your computer files and folders. The first place to start is cleaning up your Desktop where you keep the files that you are actively working on or that you use frequently. Determine if some of these can be moved to your Documents File or onto disks--either floppy, ZIP or CDwriters.

Next should be a visit to your Document Files. The many files that are infrequently used should be saved on disks. You should then delete the files and documents that are outdated and no longer needed, providing room for the new and essential ones.

For the E-mail messages in both your Inbox and Sent Folders, you cannot wait until summer to sort and delete them, particularly since the explosion of SPAM (unwanted electronic junk mail) will totally clog and incapacitate your system in a matter of a days.

Whether you realize it of not, your E-mail has a capacity limit assigned to your address either by your school or server. Without deleting older messages, you will not be able to receive new messages. This will not only limit your ability to use your E-mail, but inconvenience the people trying to send you messages.

Another problem area, at least in my case, that needs periodic purging is my desk and work area. With no secretary, assistant or even a student aide, I often get so bogged down with my daily minutia that I don't get to file things. I start placing these documents and folders on a pile, and soon I need a second and third one.

Within a few days, my desk is covered with piles. These temporary repositories definitely have to be purged occasionally. At the very least, it must be done during the summer. Amazingly, much of what I uncover isn't pertinent any more and can be immediately tossed.

Spring housecleaning is absolutely essential in every household. As an A.D., I now find it equally as important to purge, delete, and periodically file to keep pace with the flow of new important information. A little housekeeping will help improve your efficiency.

By Dr. David Hoch, Director of Athletics

Loch Raven High School, Baltimore County, MD