8 Steps to a Winning Filing System
When you streamline your paperwork and digital files for easy use and maintenance, it's an organizational triumph
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/), my blog devoted to all of the things that make a house a home - decorating from the heart, living with intention, and savoring life's simple pleasures.
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/),... More »
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Do you dread dealing with paperwork? I know I do. Facing down a mountain of unsorted paper must be among the least appealing household tasks, right up there with cleaning the bathroom — but only once it's gotten out of hand. A streamlined filing system that works well for you is easy to maintain in seconds each day and, best of all, means you will never have to face down a tower of paper again. And since today so much of our record keeping happens online, it is equally important to get those digital files in order.
The eight steps that follow will lead you from paper disaster to a simple, easy-to-maintain, effective filing system that leaves no item unsorted.
The eight steps that follow will lead you from paper disaster to a simple, easy-to-maintain, effective filing system that leaves no item unsorted.
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1. Gather all of your paperwork. The first step is to round up all the paper that needs to be dealt with: files, piles, boxes and bins — whatever you've got. Pour yourself a big cup of coffee and dive in, focusing on tossing unneeded paper and sorting the rest into general categories.
It is really important that you do this first, because so often we file and store things we don't need, which only creates more work for ourselves. Sort now and you will have less filing to do later.
It is really important that you do this first, because so often we file and store things we don't need, which only creates more work for ourselves. Sort now and you will have less filing to do later.
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2. Pick broad categories for your desktop file. Keeping a small file on your desktop is a great way to stay ahead of paper-sorting chaos. The idea is to label your desktop file with a few (no more than 12) very broad categories that you can easily and quickly pop papers into. For instance, you might have files for home, work, finances, personal and to-do tasks.
Think of this as a temporary holding area and get into the habit of using it daily. Once a week or when it's convenient for you, you can transfer the contents of these general files to your filing cabinet.
Think of this as a temporary holding area and get into the habit of using it daily. Once a week or when it's convenient for you, you can transfer the contents of these general files to your filing cabinet.
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3. Choose a small filing cabinet. How big is your filing cabinet? After purging old papers, you will likely find yourself with lots of extra room. Don't try to fill it! With so many of our records going digital now (see step 6 for more on that), it doesn't make sense to store tons of paper. Keep your system small and manageable by giving yourself less space to fill.
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4. Be consistent with labeling. Before getting started, it is important to make a plan for the visual organization of your files. It's not just what goes into them that matters — messy handwriting and a jumble of multicolored folders can actually make things harder to find. If you have nice handwriting, choose one pen to use on all of your labels; if not, get a label maker. You won't regret it!
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| 5. Create main files and subsections. Now it's time to get to work creating your files. Take a look at the sections you made for your desktop file and set up the same sections in your file drawer. Then create files for more specific items within each section. For instance, your Home section might include Insurance, Mortgage and Repairs. A note on color choice: You could stick with one color for all of your hanging files or color code the main sections. The choice is yours — the important thing is to be intentional about your choice from the beginning and stick with it. I love peeking into my file drawer and seeing all the neat rows of matching yellow folders. It instantly makes me feel more organized. |
6. Give wandering papers a home. Even after filing, a certain amount of paper tends to stubbornly resist categorization. Our lives do not fit neatly into the same categories, so it's only natural that you will need to create some files that are uniquely yours. I have files for my blog, pet chickens and travel notes; certainly not everyone needs those.
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| 7. Create a digital filing system. Just as with paper files, digital files tend to get overstuffed and unruly over time. Set aside some time to purge your computer of unneeded files. It's not fun, but it will make things much easier in the future, and it may even make your computer run faster. When you're finished, streamline your desktop files as best you can — use the same system as for your paper files, but tailor it to what needs to be stored on the computer. Now would also be a good time to set up paperless billing and statements as well as an automatic backup system (for example, on an external hard drive or in the cloud). See more ideabooks about going paperless |
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| 8. Periodically offload archives. To keep your filing systems running smoothly, it's important to do some maintenance from time to time. It doesn't need to be often — I do mine once a year around tax time. Just flip through your files and toss anything obviously out of date. (For all the nitty-gritty on what to keep and for how long, check this IRS page.) If certain folders are bulging and you need to keep the contents, move them to a file box and store the box somewhere safe but out of the way, like on a high shelf in the closet. |
Ideabook published on Jan. 21, 2013.
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1. Paper shredders are compact, cheap, and so useful when purging old files. I didn't think I needed one enough to make it worth buying, but it has turned out to be extremely helpful.
2. For electronic storage of files, try an online FREE service like Dropbox or Elephant Online. These sites have good security and are generally trusted; you can store a ton of digital documents online, and if somebody steals your computer (or you dump coffee on it) you can still retrieve the files. Still, I would only use them for non-critical documents that can't be used to steal your identity.
3. Digitize the really important documents (especially insurance documents, photos, identity documents, etc), transfer them to a disk or a chip, and store them in a third location. You don't realize how important this is until your house burns down :(
I second the Brother label maker. I don't use the labels for files because of the system mentioned above but I use it for everything else including sippy cups, spice bottles, toy bins, shelves, etc. The printer cartridges can get pricey but I've found them the cheapest at Sams Club and Costco.
One thing that wasn't mentioned is that hanging file folders aren't as cute but they are much more practical than Manila file folders which can fall down under other files in a filing box or cabinet.
Finally, if you have a busy multiperson household it's worth setting up a mailbox system with a mailbox for each member. We have ours hanging on the kitchen pantry door where no one misses it. My system also includes a bin for bills.
I have some suggestions concerning storing tax documents. I occasionally need to get out old tax supporting documents, so I organize tax and financial papers once a year, when I get my taxes together. First, I keep my filed tax returns (around 7 years) in my file cabinet. I also get a thin fan folder and put in it the supporting documents for my tax return and other papers I want to save from that year. I write the tax year in big numbers on the outside of the fan folder, and stick it in a big box that is labeled with the tax years that are in it. I keep that in the garage. Finally, I look through for receipts for things bought for or work done on my house, which I keep together in a file in the file cabinet. I sometimes need it for repairs, warranties, etc., and also save them in case I ever need them when I sell the house.