PAPERWORK: Three Steps to Getting Organized
What is paperwork?
Well, it’s a long list. Paperwork is:
Bills and notices
Car and medical policies
Medical records, medication lists, medical alert bracelets and cards
Receipts, warranties, manuals and maintenance records
Certifications and awards
Tax forms and records, and charitable donations and write-offs
Kid’s artwork and report cards
Mail, ads, junk mail and articles
Journals, calendars, maps and stray greeting cards.
In small quantities, paperwork is harmless and easily organized and maintained, but large piles of paperwork can grow mold, mildew, become a tripping hazard, or even catch fire if it’s near a heat source. It is not just important to organize for aesthetics but for health and safety reasons. It will also make your life much easier. Not to mention the psychological effects of seeing all those papers cluttering your living/working spaces!
So, we’ve discovered what materials are considered paperwork, now what do we do?
Step 1: Ask yourself, “What stays and what goes?”
First, ask yourself, “Will I ever use this?” Be honest with yourself and your time. If the item in front of you can no longer be used or the space it takes up overshadows its usefulness, then it should go. While sorting through paperwork, be curious and objective. Try to remain detached from the papers before you and sort them as if you were a professional organizer.
Remember this quote: “The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.” (Lin Yutang)
When going through large quantities of paperwork, you may feel fatigued. Coming soon to the OYL blog is an article about Decision Fatigue and how you can master it.
Now, that you’ve gotten rid of the excess, let’s whittle it down even further. Let’s figure out what stays. Ask yourself, “Is this essential for my life?” Things that might be essential for life are sentimental items and official documents.
A list of official documents can be found in our Records Retention Guide. Use this guide to figure out which documents to keep for records and for how long. Other essential paperwork is lists of medications (keep in your wallet and on the fridge for EMS), diplomas, office expenses, etc.
Now, even paperwork that seems essential — a Karate certification, for example — may not truly be essential. For the sake of our example, if you are currently a black belt, do you need to keep your green belt certificate? Additionally, do you need to keep every artwork by your child, or will five artworks a year be enough? These answers are specific to each individual. They all will be determined by the size of your storage, your sentimentality, etc.
Alright. You’ve eliminated the excess and kept only the essentials. What’s next…
Step 2: Now, evaluate your needs objectively.
All the carefully selected paperwork needs to go somewhere, but it cannot be thrown somewhere haphazardly. Everyday items must be the most accessible, then the official and sentimental paperwork. Lay your paperwork out in that order. Next, create an organization system, whether that is file cabinet drawers, magazine rack storage, cubes, or something else that suits your lifestyle. Our File Tab Categories guide may be of great help to you!
Step 3: Finally, store the paperwork in your system.
Once this final step is complete, make sure to go through your paperwork annually and remove documents and items that are no longer essential. Yearly maintenance is important for a well-organized life.
If this all seems too overwhelming, consider reaching out to a professional organizer. Email me at info@youcanorganizeyourlife.com.