1. Select the day for your "File Clean-Out Day" carefully. Choose a time when office demands are at their lowest.

2. Announce the day well in advance. Make certain that everyone understands they are expected to participate. Designate specific hours for beginning and ending the day.

3. Assign one person as Coordinator. Choose someone who has good rapport with the staff and is good with details.

4. Hire temporary employees to answer the telephones. Instruct staff to notify them if there are specific calls they need to answer. Encourage staff to take only emergency calls.

5. Provide large trash receptacles, trash bags, marking pens and labels. Make arrangements for extra recycling boxes.

6. Notify the building maintenance crew that there will be extra trash on that day. Engage their cooperation to move heavy boxes, trash barrels, etc.

7. Encourage everyone to wear comfortable clothes. Set an example by doing so yourself.

8. Serve a simple quality lunch for everyone. This will encourage communications among staff about what needs to be done.

9. Pass out "What To Do If..." flyers at the beginning of the day. This hand-out should describe the procedure for the day, where to get supplies, and who to contact if there is a problem. Make any existing retention guidelines available to appropriate departments.

10. Encourage the use Post-It notes on the outside of file cabinets to indicate what further action is required, i.e., "Discuss with...," "Move to...," "Type labels," etc., and follow up to see action is accomplished by agreed upon time.

11. Gather together 30 minutes before the designated ending time. Ask all participants to fill out evaluation forms regarding their experience during the day. Ask questions such as:
A. What questions do you have as a result of cleaning out your files?
B. How much more time do you need to finish this job?
C. How can we improve our next File Clean-Out Day?

12. Discuss the evaluation forms submitted by the participants with the File Clean-Out Day Coordinator, and determine what steps to take next, and when. Communicate the results of this meeting to the staff.