Organize Your Paper Clutter (Part 2)

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”

~Author Unknown

Is your paper clutter out of control? Or have you shaved it down to the papers you actually need? (If not, have a look at Part 1 of this post series when you’re finished reading this). In step 2, we’re going to organize what’s left of our paper clutter.

Once you’ve completed the simplifying process you’ll need to develop a filing system that works for you. Remember: Keep your file cabinet or accordion file—if you don’t need or have much space—close to your paper center where you’ll be dealing with all your incoming papers. Here are a few possibilities for filing systems:

1. Organize your files alphabetically (this is the system that works best for me)
2. Organize your files into groupings (Health, Taxes, Investments, Employment, Insurance, Auto, Banking, Warranties, Receipts, Personal, etc.)
3. Organize your files according to date (for example, for the year 2009, you would have 12 files, one for each month)

Whatever you do, avoid what I call the “Bermuda Triangle” of file folders. DON’T label any file “Miscellaneous.” If you do, this file will become the dumping ground for all those papers you don’t feel like filing! If it’s worth keeping then it’s worth finding the proper file for it.

No matter which filing system you choose to use, it is important to regularly set aside time to purge and maintain your files. We’ll cover this more in depth in Step 3.

The following papers should NOT be in a file system but should be kept in a fireproof box:

• birth, adoption, death, and marriage certificates
• separation/divorce and custody papers
• settlement agreements
• social security card or SIN card (in Canada)
• diplomas/education certificates and transcripts
• real estate records (titles, deeds, purchase contracts, rental properties, etc.) and mortgage papers
• will/power of attorney

Each person in your household should have a bin of their own where they can store their keepsakes (birthday cards, artwork, letters, special mementos, etc.) and when their container gets full, they need to go through it and re-evaluate what they want to keep (obviously kids will need help with this). Choose the size of the container to correspond with how much space you can allot.

For children, age can determine the appropriate container size. For example, my 4 year old has a smaller box where I keep cards from her first 4 birthdays, her birth announcement, some artwork and other keepsakes. Whereas my 7 year old has a larger container since she has a wider social scope and therefore accumulates more from friends and school. My husband and I also have a bin in our closet to store things that are close to our hearts.

Cut down on the mail you receive. Are you getting a ton of unwanted offers from credit card companies? These offers contain personal information that could put you at risk for identity theft. Write a form letter that you keep on file asking them to stop sending you mail. Look for the small print on the letters for the address. Sometimes phoning the 1-800 number will do the trick. Don’t want all those catalogs coming to your door? Call the company and ask them to stop sending them. The same idea works with flyers and other mail that some may consider “junk.”

Take a close look at the magazines you’re subscribed to.

• Do you have piles of them in your home?
• Do you feel obligated to read them because you paid good money for them?

Consider cutting down on your subscriptions. “Purging” is an important part of the S.O.S. system.

If you do decide to keep one or some of your magazine subscriptions, keep the magazines where you’ll actually read them, beside your favorite chair, next to your bed, in the bathroom, etc. Have a binder with sheet protectors or an accordion file sitting close to where you keep your magazines so you can keep those articles (recipes, exercise tips, etc.) that you think you may want to look at later. This is what I did when I found myself spending way too much time looking for a recipe that I had seen in one of my magazines. Now, I spend my time doing other things that I enjoy more such as spending time with my family and writing!

If the magazines start piling because you can’t keep up, then it’s time to ask yourself if it’s really worth the space, time, and money to keep the subscription.

Newspapers are another source of paper clutter. I’m sure you’re aware that a day-old newspaper is full of information that you’ve probably already heard on the T.V., the internet or from someone else throughout the course of the day. Make sure you actually have the time and inclination to read the newspaper(s) you’re subscribed to. Also, set a time limit for keeping newspapers (and flyers for that matter) so they don’t pile up. Since the news “expires” so quickly, one day is a reasonable time frame.

Automate as many bill payments as possible and do your banking online. Once you’re set up, ask your bank(s) not to send paper records as all the information will be available online. Automating is an integral part of the S.O.S. system. The more tasks in your life that you can set on autopilot, the more free time you’ll have.

That concludes the organizing part of decluttering our paper. Be sure to sign up for FREE updates in order to get more tips sent straight to your inbox or RSS feed!

Related posts:

1. Invite Opportunity in by Organizing Your Paper Clutter (Part 1)
2. Organize Your Paper Clutter (Part 3): Streamline
3. Virtual Paper Clutter: Organizing Your Computer