Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
We’re Not Paperless Yet
I’ve been through a lot of piles of paper in my day. As a result, I’ve developed shortcuts that help me to process paper quickly. The good news is I can teach them to you.
Piles of paper daunt people because the perception is that papers are important legal or financial documents. But really, ninety percent of the paper that comes into your house is probably garbage. The trick is to figure out why, when and where you need the other ten percent, so you can find it.
Here’s a trick I like for smaller to moderate piles: Take a pile of paper you’ve been avoiding, and flip it over. One of two things will happen when you approach it from the bottom: Either you’ll realize that it’s all old and garbage, or you’ll find the really important thing you were looking for.
For bigger piles of paper, presorting helps speed the process. I make a pile that is probably garbage, another that is probably filing, and another that is probably important stuff that requires action. I label the piles with Post-its: SHRED, FILE, TO DO, etcetera. A first pass like this works as a kind of “warm up” before you get to the harder questions, like “Do I really need the notes from the meeting I had with the accountant in 2016?”
These days, you can find almost everything you need online. And while there are other organizing issues that crop up with going digital (organizing your passwords, handling your in-box and your computer’s desktop) your actual desk will definitely look better when you opt for online statements and payments.
For each piece of paper, ask yourself:
Why do I need it? Is it a contract, is the information unavailable online?
When will I need it? If I sell my house, at tax time, when the kids go to camp.
Where should I keep it? A legal document that you need to have but will hopefully never need to look at can go in deep storage. Something like your daughter’s upcoming travel-soccer schedule needs to be handy: can you plug the dates right into your calendar? A store credit or coupon can go in your wallet so you’ll have it and use it.
How long will you keep it? Almost every document has an expiration date. The deed to your house and your birth certificate are the exceptions. Develop systems so you are getting rid of old papers as the new get filed away.
Interrogate each piece of paper. Make a pile of truly immediate to-dos. Funnel the papers you need to keep into files: Credit Card, Capital Improvements, Taxes and so forth. Shred or recycle the rest. Be ruthless and let go of all but the most recent periodicals and catalogs. After all, a clean desk is better than anything you can buy, and I promise you, you’ll get another catalog tomorrow.