Building the Transitory Instinct: Training Staff to Let Go Early

Building the Transitory Instinct: Training Staff to Let Go Early

By Megan Gregor CMC, MLIS | File It Fierce | MuniRM

The other day, my colleague Aimee looked at me mid-project and said: "When you do your trainings, can you focus a bit on telling people to STOP keeping transitory items?"

Fair point. Completely valid frustration. I get it — Aimee and I spend a significant portion of our on-site work wading through transitory records that never should have made it into long-term storage in the first place. We're talking at least 60% of what we encounter during disposition projects. Sixty percent.

But here's the thing. I've been talking about transitory records at every single training I do. Every one.

And that's when it hit me: there's a massive difference between telling people to stop keeping transitory records — and actually training clerks and records managers on how to train their own colleagues to identify, label, and eventually let go of transitory records from when they are first created.

That's the rub. And that's what this post is about.

Why "Just Stop Keeping Them" Doesn't Work

Here's something I've learned after years in this field: you cannot control the records people create. You just can't.

In fact, the more you tell someone they cannot create a certain type of record, the greater the lengths they will go to... to hide it. I've seen it happen more times than I can count.

And honestly? You also can't fully control whether someone keeps something during their active work. If a draft, a note, a routing slip, or a string of emails helps someone do their job effectively — that's their call. People need to do what they need to do to succeed at their work.

So the problem isn't the creation of transitory records. And it's not even the active use of them.

The problem is the retainage.

Here's how it plays out, over and over again:

Someone stores transitory records in their office while they're actively working. They leave the organization. By the time anyone notices, those records have been boxed up and shoved into storage — because no one knows what the retention is, if the records were significant or not, and no one has the time or the heart to go through them all. So they wait for "someday." And someday never comes. Ten, twenty, thirty years later, the organization is drowning — and they call us.

Three years ago, I identified retainage as the core driver of this problem. That's when I developed the Transitory Records Policy (available on our Resources Page). The policy goes into detail about different types of transitory records — because the first step to letting something go is knowing what it is.

But a policy alone isn't enough. As I always say: when compliance is required, make it easy.

First: What IS a Transitory Record?

Before you can train anyone else, you need a rock-solid working definition. Here's how I explain it:

A transitory record is a record that has short-term, limited value — it's needed only until its purpose is fulfilled, and it does not document an official action, decision, policy, or obligation of your organization.

Transitory records do not need to be retained according to your retention schedule (hopefully!). They can (and should) be destroyed as soon as they're no longer actively needed for the work they supported.

Common Examples of Transitory Records

These are the ones we see most often in the field — and the ones that cause the most confusion:

• Drafts — working versions of documents that were superseded by a final, official version. The draft doesn't need to live forever just because it existed.

• Duplicate copies — extra prints, CC'd emails, or reference copies when the official record is held elsewhere.

• Informational or routing emails — messages that were forwarded for awareness, not for action or decision-making. "FYI" emails. Meeting reminders. That kind of thing.

• Telephone and message slips — informal notes taken to relay a message that has since been addressed.

• Convenience copies — documents printed purely for a meeting or quick reference that aren't the authoritative version.

• Notes and reminders — sticky notes, calendar reminders, informal to-do lists that supported work already completed, or even just notes taken during a meeting that are no longer needed.

• Unsolicited external correspondence — junk mail, spam, unrequested publications.

• Reference materials - printed articles, studies or examples from other agencies, things that at one point the person didnt want to forget about, but have no actual representation of work.

• Blank forms — empty templates or printed copies of them, that are superseded by newer versions.

A helpful gut-check question to ask: If this record disappeared tomorrow, would the organization lose any meaningful documentation of what happened, what was decided, or what was required? If the answer is no — it's probably transitory.

📌 Resource: The Washington State Archives has solid guidance on managing transitory records that we reference often. WA SOS Transitory Records page

The Real Goal: Training Clerks to Train Everyone Else

Here's the mindset shift I want you to take away from this post.

You — the records manager, the clerk, the one who actually cares about the records — cannot be everywhere at once. You cannot be standing next to every employee every time they print something, save a draft, or forward an email. That's not a scalable strategy.

What IS scalable is building a culture where people label their own transitory records correctly from the start.

That means your job is no longer just "records manager." It's records management trainer. And that's a very different skill set.

Here's how to start:

Tip 1: Use the "Would Anyone Ever Need This?" Test

Train colleagues to ask themselves one simple question before filing or storing anything: "Would anyone — including me, my supervisor, or an auditor — ever need to reference this record to understand what happened or why?" If the honest answer is no, it's transitory. (Note: if the record is ‘officially’ held elsewhere in the organization, and they have kept a copy for their personal reference, that should be considered a copy!)

Tip 2: Make the Category Real with Examples They Recognize

Abstract definitions don't stick. Real examples do. When you do internal training, bring physical samples (or digital screenshots) of actual transitory records from your own organization. A routing slip. A draft agenda. A "personal" email. When people see themselves in the examples, it clicks.

Tip 3: One Type at a Time

Don't try to teach someone the entire universe of transitory records in one sitting. Pick one type per month. Feature it in an email. Put it on a flyer. Make it the focus of a quick 5-minute team meeting. Repetition with specificity beats exhaustive one-time training every time.

Tip 4: Separate "I Need This Now" from "This Needs to Live Forever"

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that if they needed something for their work, it must be a permanent record. Help them understand the difference between active use and long-term retention. A draft is useful while you're writing. It's not useful once the final document is signed. The moment it stops being useful — it's done.

Tip 5: Name the Feeling, Then Name the Fix

A lot of people hold onto records because letting go of things feels risky. It's not about the paper. It's about fear of being caught without documentation. Acknowledge that. Then show them that proper labeling and a clear transitory records policy is actually more protective — because it means the records that remain are the ones that matter.

Tools for Implementation: Making It Easy to Do the Right Thing

Policy without infrastructure is just a suggestion. Here's how to build systems that make proper transitory record handling the path of least resistance.

The Purple Sticker System

Place purple dot stickers near your printer, copier, and any other high-traffic document production areas — along with a laminated cheat sheet listing common transitory record types. The idea: the moment something comes off the printer, the person printing it can make a quick call. Purple dot = transitory. No dot = needs to be filed per retention schedule.

Update your Purple Sticker Policy to reflect any new record types you've identified in your organization, and make it a living document — revisit it annually.

"Learning to Let Go" — New Employee Orientation

Consider holding a monthly or quarterly new employee records training. Name it something that signals the vibe — "Learning to Let Go," "File It or Forget It," "The Purge (But Make It Professional)" — something that lowers the intimidation factor before they even walk in the door.

During this session:

• Bring physical samples of common transitory records, or even have them bring along any records currently stacked on their desk

• Walk through the "Would Anyone Ever Need This?" test with real examples

• Show them how to add a transitory folder (labeled in purple) to their project files on local drives — a dedicated home for things they need temporarily but don't need forever

• Make it interactive, not a lecture (bonus points for making it fun!)

The Monthly Transitory Spotlight Email

Once a month, send an internal email to your organization featuring one specific type of transitory record. What it is. What it looks like. What to do with it. Keep it short — two paragraphs, maybe a visual. Over time, this builds institutional knowledge without overwhelming anyone.

The End Goal (And Why It Actually Matters)

Here's the scenario I want you to picture:

The woman in planning gets her dream job and puts in her notice. She's out the door in two weeks.

With the right systems in place, you — the records manager — can walk into her office, quickly identify which records are transitory (already labeled, already obvious), destroy them without a second thought, and redirect your energy to the records that actually require a deeper dive. Decisions documented. Policies recorded. History preserved.

Without those systems? You're looking at boxes. Unlabeled. Undated. Unknown.

That's why this matters. Not as a compliance checkbox. Not because someone told you to. But because your job is hard enough without inheriting thirty years of someone else's "I'll deal with it later."

You've got the policy. Now build the culture around it.

Have You Tried This?

I want to hear from you. Have you implemented a transitory records training program at your organization? Found a method that actually gets people to label and let go? A creative way to make it stick?

Drop it in the comments — or come find us on LinkedIn and Instagram. This is exactly the kind of field-tested knowledge that makes all of us better at what we do.

And if you want to start with the policy itself, head to our website to download the

 Transitory Records Policy — it's free, it's practical, and it's a foundation you can build on. (if you want the word version just send me an email 0 megan@munirm.com and I will get it to you!)

📁 File It Fierce exists to make records management make sense — and maybe even make you laugh while you're doing it.