Paperwork Schmaperwork

Files Color-Coded by Type

Sorting paperwork is often a dreaded task but the end result can be very rewarding. Here are a few tips to get started:

1. Beginning today, apply the "touch-it-once" method to any mail coming into your home. The idea is to handle mail quickly instead of moving piles of paper from place to place around your home, such as kitchen counters, drop zones, etc. Once you check your mailbox, open mail immediately (no one wants to...not even me😆 ) and put junk mail directly into recycling. Having a bin in the garage keeps it from coming into your home at all. Or you can discard of it inside when you first come in. Place important papers in a location you'll remember to come back to later ( a file, a pile, folder, etc.) and shred any papers you don't necessarily need but that contain private info.

2. Now onto sorting the existing paper piles that have become overwhelming. Make individual piles:

• Junk Mail (These go directly into the garbage/recycling.)

• Papers to Shred (These go directly into the shredder...I like to leave one plugged in at all times.)

• To Do This Week/Month

• File Long-Term

3. Further sort the "To-Do-Soon" pile by type (medical, taxes, bills...) OR by day of the week you'll handle the item (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...). Come up with a plan to work on handling these "To-Dos" consistently to avoid overwhelm. I'm a fellow procrastinator speaking only from experience! 🙋🏻‍♀️

4. For long term files, first go through any existing files or file cabinets and see if there's any outdated info you can shred. Now add long-term papers to these files and make any new folders you need as you go. In the picture above, my client and I were able to sort her manilla folders inside color-coded hanging folders for easy access to files.

• Blue = Taxes

• Red = Personal

• Yellow = Learning

You can add more colors to sort other large categories such as family (each member may have a separate folder within the larger category), important documents, insurance, car, home...the list is endless. Make the system work for you. You want files to be easy to retrieve and put back. Putting the time in initially makes keeping paperwork organization effortless in the longterm.

If you don't want to tackle the task alone, I would love to work with you during the process! From the mountain of paperwork to the organized files and everywhere in between, I'm here to help!