Walk in through your door and what greets you is paper – a pile of mail, mostly junk, flyers, newspapers, and not to forget, bills, receipts, statements. The list just goes on and on. Even in the electronic age, paper seems to be everywhere, especially in our homes. Although paper does have a way of creeping up on us, it is easy and possible to deal with it efficiently and painlessly.
Here is an easy, effective way to organize all the paper around you right now!
Sort All the Paperwork Before Organizing
Go through the entire house, picking up all the paper that you see; every single item of paper - newspapers, bills, flyers, takeaway menus, mail, everything. Skim through all of them quickly and start putting them into separate piles: newspapers and magazines, bank, credit card, medical, home, retail, junk mail and so on.
If the paperwork in the house is overwhelming, try and take it one room or even, one file cabinet or drawer at a time. However, follow the same basic decluttering prinicple of collecting all the papers and sorting through them to organize and declutter.
Personalize the Sorted Paperwork
Make your piles according to the kind of paperwork you have to deal with on a regular basis. Also, don’t keep flyers, thinking you would need them. Note down the phone numbers of the services you might need and let the flyer go. From magazines and newspapers, clip the articles you want to keep and donate the rest to your doctor’s clinic or simply, give away.
Organizing Paperwork
Now the fun part starts! Since you have all your piles of paper neatly placed in front of you, its time to file or organize the papers, so that there is a system in place to store all current and future paperwork. Get some A4 size Ring Binders, clear plastic pockets, and colored dividers, and a three-hole punch. Use the dividers and the pockets to categorize the type of papers in the Binder.
Labeling and Arranging the Files or Folders
Label the folders Financial, Medical, Home, Education, Shopping or Retail, and Personal or according to one's own unique needs. So, in the folder labeled, ‘Financial’, one can have dividers labeled Bank, Credit Card, Taxes and Mortgages and so on. Put small receipts and papers that can’t be punched into the clear plastic pockets, punch the rest and file accordingly.
A Paperwork Organizing Schedule and System
This is the key to everything. Now that you have a foolproof, organized system, keep it up. Don’t let the paper clutter sneak up on you and become uncontrollable. As soon as you get the mail, flyers or any other piece of paper, do one of two things - File or Trash. Create a paperwork organizing schedule and go through your folders periodically to review filed papers and see if anything needs to be discarded.
Make it a ritual to review the filing system and keep it clean and hassle-free. Enjoy being able to deal with all your papers and documents and finding that important paper without having to turn the house upside down. As you’ve seen, it is easy, simple and quick. All it needs is some motivation and a little time and voila, you have all your paperwork organized and sorted through.
Related Articles : For more on clutter control and organizing, do read Declutter Your Space, and How to Tidy Up the House in 30 Minutes .
Prerna Malik - Prerna Malik is a professional freelance writer, business blogger, social media expert and obsessive organizer.
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