I recommend revamping your filing system, when you have time. Although this is not a high priority activity, revamping your file systems will help you save time in the long run. Many times we do not file things because:
o The drawer is jam packed with files and there’s no room.
o Once filed, you are not sure you can find it again.
o You don’t know what to name the file.
o The file cabinet itself is ancient and the drawers do not operate properly. READ MORE

Since the beginning of my professional organizing career, the most asked question has been “How to I keep up with all the paper in my life?” (or some variation thereof). Paper is prolific in our lives as Americans. The fact that we now have computers seems to have compounded, rather than relieved, the influx of papers. Even though we may receive less letters and billing statements in our postal mailbox, we are still inundated with the circulars, ads and the charitable and political donation requests.

So the biggest key to controlling the paper is to stay on top of it.
I have seen ignored stacks of paper grow to reach ceiling heights. Sometimes the paper is collected into boxes that then clutter the garage, leaving the cars in the rain! How do you keep up with all the paper in your life? By staying on top of it. Here’s what I mean:
You come in from work, mail in hand. Don’t throw everything on a horizontal surface, instead, quickly sort thru the mail and throw out those pesky circulars, ads and anything that is junk mail. By only doing this you will have decreased the amount of paper in your hand by 50-70%. Get used to the fact that when you think something is junk mail, you are probably right – it’s junk mail! Don’t feel like you have to open the envelope from your political party unless you do plan to make a charitable contribution. They are not sending you a check! Just shred it and move on with your day!
Now what to do with the rest of the mail in your hand? You have a few options here:
1. Look at everything right away, make decisions, and put things where they belong, OR
2. Have a mail basket or container of some sort that you put this mail in until you have time to look at it.

Going thru the mail basket once, twice or even three times a week will help you keep the paper to a minimum. The key, however, is to do something with the mail once you decide to go thru it. This means put the bills to be paid together, read the newsletter, add that “Save the Date” to your calendar, make a note of things that require a response on your to do list. Like the Nike slogan – just do it! Getting rid of that visual paper clutter will go a long way in helping you begin to sort out the mental clutter. Did you know they were related??? More on that later……

Keep What?

Household papers!  You know those papers that keep multiplying in your home? It comes in the mail, is created at our printers, comes home with the children, and can even magically appear when we are not looking! Some documents are vital and must be kept while others need to be tossed regularly.  So here are some retention guidelines for the personal papers:

To create this binder, you will need a 1.5″ -3 ring binder with dividers and a few other supplies that I have listed here.

Supplies needed
Binder
Business card page protectors
5 + dividers
3 binder pockets
3+ page protector
12 pages of monthly calendars

Begin to build your binder based on the needs of your family. Here are some suggested divider headings: You may think of others that pertain to your family’s individual needs.

Sample Headings
Calendar
Phone Directory
School Info
Sports/Dance/Scouts
Menu Plan/Shopping
To Do’s
Current Project
Emergency Info

Starting with the calendar section you will want to print out monthly calendar pages and write down your family’s commitments there. That way the information is accessible to everyone. Be sure to include minimum days and school holidays! You may even want to use a color coding system for easy identification. For example, sports commitments are in blue, work commitments in red, etc. Place the calendar pages behind the Calendar divider.

Then continue to build this binder with content for each of your divided sections. It is important to keep it updated weekly and purge regularly.