How to Declutter & Organize Your Papers
Paper Clutter..what a bore! If you’re anything like me, you might be allergic to the sight of a filing cabinet. For this reason, I try to nip those bills, invites and other filing matters in the bud as soon as I receive them. For other important documents that need to stick around, I’ve landed on a simple system that works. How? The key word is SIMPLE. No need for multiple subcategories within each category. No time for categorizing your different doctor bills by color. Life is too short to dote on paper files, I say! Here’s how to file papers that need to stay awhile:
Create a “Needs Attention” letter tray for your desk. This zone is where all those incoming invoices, bills, invites and other important documents will live. If you’d like to keep incoming personal and business papers separate, use a two-tier letter tray; if you’d rather keep everything in one spot, opt for a single letter tray tray. Commit to culling through these files once a week so you don’t end up with paper overload. If you need to hold on to receipts for work, download a receipt-scanning app like Expensify. Say goodbye to stray receipts floating around your office. And what about bills? Bills are pretty easy to pay online these days, so just type in that URL and fire up the card. If you don’t like paying your bills online, keep some envelopes and stamps handy in a nearby drawer. And for the documents that can’t be recycled, simply file them away in your soon-to-be organized filing system (more on that later).
Get a paper shredder. If you have a mountain of sensitive documents hanging out at your desk, but haven’t had a chance to sort through them, a paper shredder will really get things moving and shaking. Not only is this a satisfying activity (and an excellent way to procrastinate), but it really encourages you to purge the paper clutter while keeping those documents confidential. Shredding is kind of like the pringles of decluttering: once you shred, you can’t stop! Just bag up your shredded materials in a recycling bag and recycle. You’ll feel SO much lighter and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
File in big, broad categories. Group your documents into high-level, sweeping categories to avoid overcomplicating things. Some example categories might be: health, car, business, taxes, pet records, and important documents (i.e., passport, social security card, etc.). Whenever you have an incoming document that must be filed, simply place it in the front of the appropriate file folder. Chronologically sorting your files in this very rudimentary way is the easiest way to store documents. If you’d like to create subcategories within each file (e.g., eye doctor, primary care physician), go for it! Otherwise, know that you’ll be able to locate exactly what you need when you need it with a broadly-categorized filing system.
Invest in a nice-looking filing cabinet. Whether you choose an accordion file folder (my method of choice) or need something slightly bigger like a filing cabinet, make sure you buy something pleasing to the eye. When you purchase a nice-looking filing system, this ups the chances you’ll respect the process and actually file with purpose and direction (talking to myself, here). Who wants to stare at a clunky old grey filing cabinet anyway! And if you want something in between size-wise, this file box is a really nice portable solution that doesn’t scream, “I’m a filing box!”
Purge annually. Sometime around the end of year, I like to do a quick pass of documents to see if there’s anything glaringly unnecessary hanging around my files. If that $40 dermatologist bill from last year has been paid in full, there’s no need to hold onto it. Recycle! There are no hard and fast rules for when you should part with these documents, but if that filing cabinet is bulging at the seams or your accordion file folder is heavier than a mound of bricks, it might be time to do a quick purge. And for the literal record, you can scan your tax records and convert them to a digital format. Talk to your tax accountant about it!
Paper clutter can be one of the most overwhelming forms of clutter to sort through. Once you create a couple of intuitive systems for yourself, you’ll feel SO much more in control of your space and your life. It’s not always a small-undertaking, but once your paper clutter is organized I promise you’ll feel at least 10 pounds lighter.