CreativeSteph13: 5 Steps to Organize Your Paperwork

Paperwork - it never seems to go away.

Even in our "electronic" world, we are inundated with too much paper.

In just a few steps, you can learn to organize and manage your paperwork and create a workable system to keep you from constantly searching for or stressing about that piece of paper you need.

1. Gather Paper

Start the Hunt: Search through drawers, piles on the counter, stuff in your purse, all your nooks and crannies. Gather all your pieces of paper and put them in one ~~ginormous~~ big pile (preferably on an empty table or counter or even the floor). You just need room to sort things.

2. Start Sorting

Take each piece of paper and start sorting it into smaller piles. Don't worry too much about final categories at this point - you just want to get them in similar groups. Use post it notes to help you with sorting. As you sort, you'll start seeing patterns and groupings and this will help you determine your final categories.

A few basic Categories to get you Started:

Action

Misc

Projects

Shred

Recycle

Additional Category Ideas: Read, Receipts, Inspiration, Travel/Places to Go, Kids/School, Activities, Work, etc.
Create categories that fit your life. ex: I have ones for Blog Ideas, Art Inspiration, etc.
Don't make too many categories. Just keep them broad.

Too much detail = confusion remembering = lack of incentive to file anything = harder to find things

Misc. is a great catch all for things/categories you're not sure about. Remember, don't try to over-sort and over-categorize.

3. Create Your Folders and Bins and label them.

Folders for smaller categories and bins for larger categories. ex: I have a large bin for all my travel and adventure brochures and ideas. You can use clear plastic folders, manila folders, cute cloth storage bins...choose something that makes you smile and will be EASY to access.

Note: Also create a larger Waiting Bin - this is the ONE (and only) AREA you will hold your papers as they come into the house before you sort them.

4. Go Through Each Pile

Go through each pile starting from the top. Just touch one paper at a time. Ask yourself... Shred? Recycle? Action? File? Misc? Put them in the corresponding folder or bin.

5. Maintenance

So in a perfect world, the moment a piece of paper drifts into our life, we'd immediately take it and file it in its correct location. Sigh! I don't live in that world. Well, only in my little label maker dreams.

In reality, you've got to figure out something that is manageable for you and that you can do easily and regularly. If it's not simple, we won't do it.

Here's my solution:

As paper comes in, only pull out the items you HAVE to RESPOND to (bills, permission slips, etc) and put those items in your Action folder. These items have first priority and because they're in one place, you'll never "accidentally" lose something.

Set up and use the Waiting Bin for all your other papers to hang out until you get to them. If you have to find a piece of paper, it'll be waiting for you there.

Take a day once or twice a month (probably when you pay your bills) to handle the rest of the paper in the Waiting Bin by repeating Step 4.