| Magazine Feature |

Plow Through Your Papers

By Yael Wiesner | December 7, 2016

Are you buried beneath the mess on the desk (and every other available surface)? Five foolproof steps toward finally organizing that mound of paperwork

“Eighty percent of the papers we file we never refer to again.” (The Small Business Administration)

tep 1: Research Your System — Before You Buy

Just because the store sells a contraption doesn’t mean it will work for you. Here are some popular storage options:

FILING CABINET

The most traditional system it provides easy access for both active and inactive files. The downside — this system often gets over-detailed and you can’t remember which file is located where. To prevent this keep an updated index in the first file.

Tip: Don’t use a filing cabinet if you’re inconsistent about filing papers.

DESKTOP HORIZONTAL SORTER

For active papers only. In a home office this useful office tool usually becomes a dumping ground and collapses. Save it for work.

BINDERS/CLEARBOOKS

Excellent for reference papers such as recipes magazine clippings random shiur notes special children’s drawings etc. Use a new one for each category. Tip: Save only your favorites.

BANKER’S BOXES

Typically used for inactive papers like archives or old tax documents. Tip: Ask your accountant how many years’ worth of papers to save. Every time you fill a new box try to dump an old one.

ACCORDION FILE FOLDERS

Compact systems useful for those who haven’t accumulated a lot of papers yet. Alphabetize all files into a few sections. Tip: This system is short term. A few years down the line overstuffed accordion files won’t do the job anymore.

VERTICAL DROP-IN BOXES/MAGAZINE HOLDERS

Perfect for busy people who don’t file daily. It’s a place for papers in use that you want around but not sprawled over the dining room table (current bills medical papers magazines etc.). Sort through monthly and permanently file or trash its contents. Alternatively try the “one in one out” method; for every paper you put in deal with another. Tip: Create a shelf of drop-in boxes one for each category.

Step 2: Quick Processing

Cut back on papers before you even begin filing:

Record: Many papers can be eliminated by writing the date of the event in the calendar entering the phone number in the phone book or recording the errand on your to-do list.

Trash: Probably half your pile is garbage — paid bills old receipts expired warranties old school notices outdated invitations excess duplicates.

Scan: Use technology as your filing cabinet! Scan specific categories of paper into the computer back them up in a safe place and discard the originals. Try doing much of your paperwork online to begin with.

Step 3: Sort

Presort: First sort into more specific categories: bills, sheimos, medical, etc.

Delegate: Delegate pre-sorted piles to family members or helpers to assist in sorting into more specific categories. For example, bills: gas, electric, phone. medical: by family member. bank statements: by month

To-Do List: Start a running to-do list of papers you need to deal with (pay bill, send in warranty, fax application, etc.).

Step 4: Label

Don’t permanently label anything until you’re done sorting, so you can narrow down or broaden categories as you go.

Color Code: For quick and easy identification — and to give a bit of life to monotonous paper filing — assign each category a different color using oversized stickers or buy files/binders/boxes in different colors.

Lettering: Write the category in big, bold letters clearly on the label with a medium-tip permanent marker. Try a label maker, if available.

Location: Always put your label in the same spot on each box/file.

Categorize: Categorical filing systems, where related information is kept together, works best for homes and small businesses. Title categories based on retrieval (where you would look for something if you needed it again). Alphabetical or numerical filing systems are overly complicated for home offices.

Step 5: Reevaluate

Review your system for glitches. Ask:

Is it user-friendly?

Would others understand your system if you asked them to file something?

Are files too full?

Maybe you need to narrow your categories a bit and add more folders. For example, turn shiurim into three separate files: chinuch habanim, tefillah, and general chizuk.

Are the files too empty?

Combine files that make sense to you. For example, put each month’s bills together.

Do You Need to Add Categories?

Are there papers that still don’t have homes?

Do You Need an Inbox?

If you can’t process papers as fast as they come in, find a neat, convenient place for them until they’re filed. Try a pretty box next to the front door or on the kitchen counter. (That’s where they land anyway!)

Long-lasting results are the sign of a job well done. If piles start accumulating a few weeks later, go back to steps one and two and readjust your foundations.

Happy plowing!

Yael Wiesner is a home-management consultant, director of her Professional Organizer Training Program, and gives the international “Be Yourself” Homemaking Strategies teleconference series. The new expanded edition of her book “How Does SHE Manage?” (Feldheim) was just released.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 520)

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