The way I try to tackle this problem is to do the 'handle it once' with quick items that I can get out of the way. Anything i'm not going to do straight away, I either put in relevant project file, or in 'pending', AND make a brief note on my 'to do' list.  That way, instead of searching through a full stack of papers each time, I can have a quick read through of the list each morning.  It's not perfect, but means I (hopefully) don't miss anything important.  The key is to find a system which works for you....