Paperwork Organization Guide: How Organize Paperwork At Home

Despite having computers, all kinds of cloud storage, email statements, and so much other technology, the fact remains that we are drowning in paperwork.

It clutters up our desks, our homes, and ultimately our minds. We feel so overwhelmed by the stacks of work that surround us, that it is hard to dig out from under. And once you do, it is just a matter of time until the paper takes over again.

Getting through it all and maintaining an environment that is free from paper clutter may seem like a monumental task, but with the right systems in place, it is possible. This article will give you some ideas that you can use to bring order to your home office and get your paperwork under control.

Evaluate Your Current System for Organizing Paperwork

Believe me when I say that getting started is the hardest part. It is so tempting to take one look and shut the door on the mess. So, I like to start easy. Instead of diving in and dealing with the piece of mail that is sitting on top of the stack, I take a step back and look at the situation objectively.

If your paperwork is all over the place, pause and take a moment to evaluate your current situation.

Where do you keep your paperwork? Do you have a file cabinet or is your dining table the new home office? Does mail tend to pile up on your kitchen counters? Whatever system you currently use – take note of what is working and what isn’t.

Then ask yourself two important questions –

1. What is my biggest pain point, or put another way, what is the biggest issue that this paper clutter causing in my life?
2. How can I fix this one biggest issue so that I can move on and take care of the rest?

In my Ultimate Guide to Personal Productivity, one of the steps is to identify your most important goal and work on that first. When it comes to organizing paperwork the same thing applies.

You see, we often think of dealing with paperwork as one big project, but it is actually a collection of smaller projects. If you can identify these and deal with each one individually you will eliminate a lot of the overwhelm that comes for taking on too much at once.

So, this guide to organizing your paperwork will cover all the bases but it is up to you to adapt it to your own situation. You may already have some of the steps in place, so jump in at whatever point seems appropriate.

And by taking the time to evaluate your current situation, you may be surprised to find that your paperwork issue is a secondary problem. For example, if the paper on your kitchen counters are driving you crazy because you don’t have space to cook, you might realize that your main focus needs to be on kitchen organization with paper coming in at a close second.

Now let’s dive in. The process very much follows the principles that I outlined in my Beginner’s Guide to Organization here.

Use an Inbox or Collection Basket for Paper That You Need To Process

The first principle of organization is to declutter. For paperwork, it makes sense to use a single collection basket or inbox to corral all snail mail, printouts, receipts, notes, and random papers that float across your desk or through your house. It is best if this container is near where most of your paper enters the house.

For example, my home office is upstairs. But when I bring my mail in, it lands on my kitchen counter until I make the trek to the second level. Another good location is a table in your entryway or foyer.

I keep a small Bitty Bogg style bag in an out of the way corner of the counter to store anything that needs to find it’s way up. For me this bag is perfect because it stands up on it’s own, and has handles to make it easy to transport.

How to Organize Your Files In Your File Cabinet

The fourth principle of organization is to label everything. And when it comes to files, this is super important. If you put papers in a file folder and don’t label it, then you are costing yourself time and frustration.

Without a label, you are forcing yourself to open the file (often more than one) and peruse the contents to see if the file is even the right one that you need. I know it can be tough, because sometimes you are just not sure what descriptive name you should give to that folder, but something is better than nothing.

Create a File Organization Framework That Follows One of These 5 Systems

To stop this indecision, here are five basic filing systems that you can use. It is a good idea to decide on your framework before you start decluttering. This is very similar to the concept of picking a file naming convention in digital organizing – except for this, you are naming your actual, physical, offline folders.

1. Alphabetical
2. Chronological
3. Organized by Topic or Category
4. Geographical or
5. Numerical

To name your files, you can pick one or use a combination of a few. Typically, when we are talking about organizing paperwork at home, most people will go with a filing system based on Category or Alphabetical.

I find that combining Category and Alphabetical works well and you can do this a couple of ways.

If you have a large file cabinet with multiple drawers, then each drawer in your can house a specific, broad category of paperwork. Next, each file in the drawer can be arranged alphabetically by sub-category.

If you have a smaller file cabinet, then you can you can name your files according to one main category, follow with a colon, and then list the subcategory. For example, if you have decided to name your files by “category” and one such category is “Insurance”, you could create a series of files as follows:

• Insurance: Cars
• Insurance: Health
• Insurance: Life
• and so on.

Now when you look for something Insurance related, you will go to the Insurance section in your file cabinet and see all your insurance papers filed by subcategory in alphabetical order, alphebetized by subcategory.

Here is a list of 70 file cabinet organization categories that you can use to help you organize your paperwork and use these ideas to create a home filing system that will work for you.

Ideas for Labeling Your File Folders

The easiest way to label your file folders is to hand write your labels, but I have found that using a labeler makes everything look more uniform and orderly.

You could also further differentiate your files by using folders in different colors or patterns. Here are 10 sets of cute file folders to choose from.

Set Aside Time to Process Your Papers

The fifth principle of organization is to implement, revisit, and revise. For paperwork, this means that you should allocate time in your schedule for you to not only initially create your paperwork organization system but to also maintain the process on a regular basis.

Keep in mind that getting through your pile of papers will take some time – especially if you have ignored it for awhile. So, set aside some time DAILY to start going through it.

Once you empty that inbox, continue to work on it daily so it doesn’t pile up again. The good news is that it won’t take you as long to process your papers if you stay on top of it.

5 Steps for Processing Your Paperwork

Up until now, we have talked about creating a system for collecting and filing your papers. But we haven’t really discussed the process of going reviewing each piece of paper. Here are some ideas to help you handle that – you will find many of these ideas discussed more in depth in David Allen’s groundbreaking book Getting Things Done or GTD for short.

1. Make a Decision About Each Piece of Paper You Touch

If you pick up a piece of paper, you need to make a decision about it. We spend far too much time picking paper up from one stack and putting it down on another because we really don’t know what to do with it.

Try this instead. Next time you touch a piece of paper, make one of the following decisions:

• take action on it (pay it, delegate it, call or contact someone about it, etc.)
• file it,
• scan it, or
• trash, recycle, or shred

2. If It Doesn’t Take Long, Do-It

David Allen calls this the 2-minute rule. If you can deal with whatever the paper needs you to do in two minutes or less, then don’t procrastinate on it. Just get it done and put the paper away.

3. Create Piles for Things You Can’t Do Immediately

Of course, as you go through your paperwork, there are going to be somethings that will take longer to deal with, they may even be a project in and of themselves. Separate these things that you cannot do immediately into the following 3 piles:

• to do
• to file
• to scan

4. Schedule Time With Yourself to Work on Each Area

Once you get to this point, you will have 3 piles of papers that require further attention.

The piles for filing and scanning are pretty simple to tackle, just put some time in your calendar to go through these on a regular basis.

The first pile, with all of your to-do items, will require some planning on your part. These papers all involve additional actions. You might have bills to pay, calls to make, notes to organize, and so on. Create projects on your master to-do list or allow time in your schedule that is adequate for the task at hand.

5. Shred Any Sensitive Information

Once you are done with a piece of paper, you may not need the physical piece any longer. You may no longer need it, or you have scanned the paper into your digital organization system. Whatever the reason, if you have decided to throw it away, double check whether it contains sensitive information before you toss it.

Personally, one of the most used pieces of equipment in my home office is my paper shredder. I shred everything from bills and bank statements to those annoying unsolicited credit card offers that you get in the mail.

Here is a list of the best paper shredders for your home office and the features to look for. Think of it as an investment in your organizing process. Be sure to choose one that is cross cut (so the pieces are super small and secure) and that is high capacity so that it doesn’t overheat.

It is also a good idea to keep both a trash can and a recycle bin (or trash can for recyclables only) next to your desk. This way, you won’t clutter your area with papers that you need to take out to the recycling bin in the garage or other location.

How Does Marie Kondo Organize Paperwork?

If you are a fan of the KonMari method – then you might be interested in how Marie Kondo recommends you organize your paperwork.

Marie Kondo wrote the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and in it she advises that you divide papers into 3 categories:

1. Papers currently in use
2. Papers needed for a limited time and
3. Papers needed indefinitely

Beyond that she says discard everything else.

One Word On Important Papers

While your file cabinet is great for storing most of your paperwork, some items may need more secure storage. This would include things like birth certificates, vehicle titles, social security cards, diplomas, etc. You will need to find your comfort level with how you store these.

A few options include the following – but the ultimate decision is highly personal:

• a safe deposit box at your bank,
• a home safe,
• a fireproof box, or
• a fireproof bag that could fit in your file cabinet.

Paperwork Organization is a Work In Progress

The best way to declutter your paperwork is to be consistent with your efforts and be decisive about what to do with the paper.

If you have let it pile up for awhile, then quickly sort through it to see if there is anything that is time sensitive – like an overdue bill or something that you need to RSVP to.

Once you pulled out any emergencies, tackle the rest of the pile methodically as we outlined above.

As long as paper continues to come through door, paperwork organization is always going to be a work in progress.

If you have a good filing system in place and a solid routine for scheduling time to work on it – then you should be able to keep the clutter at a minimum.

Happy organizing!