Five Steps to Easier Paperwork    By Allison Van Norman (from her web site)


I'm giving you the bad news first: Paperwork is going to be a part of your life until the day you die. Avoiding it is not going to make it go away, and unlike your other chores, avoiding your paperwork can really screw up your life. If you don't do the laundry for three months you have dirty underwear. If you don't pay your mortgage for three months you have no house. And don't even get me started on the evils of trying to file all of that junk on top of the desk… So how do you reconcile yourself to the fact that you're stuck with this boring and nasty work forever?


Step 1. Cut Down on the Paper in Your Life

This is the paperwork version of decluttering, the same first step I tell you to take with all forms of disorganization in your life. No, you can't avoid paying your bills, but you can:

•Cut down to one charge card per adult, two if you use one for home and one for work. This reduces statements, bill-paying time (and isn't bad for your budget, either).
•Reduce your bank accounts, if you have several. If you find yourself dealing with multiple bank statements every month, this is a good place to start.
•Pay bills by automatic deduction. Most utility bills can be handled this way.
•Reduce your junk mail by writing to the following address and asking them to remove you from their direct mail lists:

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

•Stop subscriptions to magazines and newspapers you don't read anymore. This saves you money as well as time and guilt.

Step 2. Start With Good Equipment…

The process begins with decent equipment. If you don't already have it, go out and purchase two working file drawers. You'll need one for current files and one for archival papers. I firmly believe that nobody needs more than two standard drawers for their personal files (if you have a home office, it will have separate file drawers). While you're at the office supply store, buy a box of hanging files and a box of manila folders.


Step 3. … And a Good, Clean Filing System

When you've got a filing system that's small, sleek and easy to use, you've already won half the paperwork battle. The first step is to do a set up a workable filing system, and then to do a serious file-cleaning as you move your files into the new system, keeping in mind that your two file drawers serve as a size limit on the number of papers you can keep. You don't want to set up a nice new filing system only to cram trash into it. The first time you clean out your files it can be an overwhelming task, but after that it will only take you an hour or so every year. It's well worth the effort to have simple streamlined files in which you can find things, instead of files so packed you can't use them.


So how do you go about setting up your new file system? You start with the realization that most of us have papers that are current, archival and sentimental. This is the most misunderstood part of filing. Archival and sentimental paperwork should be kept separate from current paperwork. This way you don't need to dig through birthday cards and two-year-old invoices every time you need to pull up last month's bank statement.


First, you deal with current files. Current material is paper that you reference at least several times a year. Some of the more common current subjects are:

•Current year bank statements
•Current year investment statements
•Current year taxes
•Bills paid (I keep these month-to-month for most bills)
•Ongoing projects
•Health care for the current year - recent prescriptions, any paper from recent visits. Old health care records will go in archival files.
•Children/Family
•Pets


Some people set up alphabetical files, others file by groups. You should file the way you feel most comfortable.

If you haven't referenced the piece of paper in the past year but you've decided you need to keep it, it's archival. Keep in mind that you shouldn't be holding on to a lot of archival material. Certainly you need to keep your tax records from the past seven years (and no longer!), but other than that, your archival files shouldn't be bulging. Very valuable or irreplaceable archival material (your birth certificate, stock certificates) should be stored in a safe deposit box or a fireproof safe. Some common archival categories include:

•Old taxes (seven years)
•Warranties and owner's manuals
•Old health care records

To really free up your space, look into a product like Papermaster, which allows you to scan documents into your computer and set up a very nifty virtual filing cabinet for them (see below.) The Handygirl web site also lists a lot of good software for paper management.

To clean out your current files, you look at every piece of paper and ask yourself three questions:


1.Do I need this piece of paper? What's the worst thing that could happen if you threw it away?
2.Is it on file somewhere else? If nothing bad would happen if you threw it away or if you could get another copy, then by all means, pitch it. Let the archiving be done by professionals. Do not save things that you might need someday. Be ruthless.
3.Does it belong in my files? If you haven't referenced it in a year and you don't need it but you want it, it's sentimental. I'm not so cruel that I would force you to throw away those old letters from your college girlfriend or the cards from your grandmother. However, those things should go into your album or hope chest, not in your filing system! Your file system is not a museum, it is a functional storage system for the stuff you use regularly.


Once you get through this step, you just need to label your manila folders and hanging folders. Some people file alphabetically, some prefer to use grouping ("financial", "projects", etc.). Alphabetical is probably the easiest as long as you pick file headers that you are likely to remember.

Step 4. Set Up a Pleasant Work Space

As I said before, you might as well make it as nice as possible to do your paperwork. That means having the right workspace and the right equipment. If you're trying to do all your paperwork at the kitchen table or on your bed, you're suffering needlessly. You're going to need a workspace close to your files. It doesn't have to be a giant slab of polished oak in your private home office, either. It can be a simple little desk or table off to one side of the kitchen. At the very least it should be well-lit and have a reasonably comfortable chair. If you want, you can set it up near the phone and the computer. Next to this desk you're going to put a decent-sized garbage can and recycling bin (when I refer to the garbage can in this and other articles, I mean garbage and recycling.) You will also put a large basket under the desk. On top of the desk will be a stacking file with at least two levels: Action and Bills. Filing is going in that big basket under the desk. Now when paper and mail come into your home, you can sort them right here and decide whether they should go to Action, Bills, Filing or the all important Garbage. No more insidious piles of paper in the living room, kitchen and bedroom nagging at your conscience.

In a basket or drawer on or in the desk, stock up with a stapler, staple remover, hole punch, tape, pencil sharpener, a large eraser, scissors, calculator (with working batteries), ruler, staples and paper clips. Add to that envelopes, stamps, address stickers and a notepad. You'll want a jar or a mug with pencils, pens, a highlighter and a big black marker (a million uses). Finally, store filing supplies near your workspace - extra manila folders, hanging folders and tabs. I don't suggest that you keep a bulletin board near your desk unless you really find it helpful. Some people like them, but most just use them to delay decision making and create a cluttered paper purgatory. In that case, you're better off without it. I know this sounds like a lot of stuff, but I guarantee that you will use every single thing on this list.

Now that you're filing system is ready to go and you have a decent place to work, you're finally ready to tackle the paperwork.

5. Make it a Regular Task

You're never going to be free of the paperwork in your life, so you might as well learn to live with it graciously. Set aside time every two weeks to deal with paperwork, and allow at least an hour. This will ensure that you never get behind on any of the bills. Make it a time when you can be reasonably free of demands from your kids and spouse. Sit down with a cup of tea, turn on some music and get to work.

Deal with the Financial pile first - pay the bills, balance the checkbooks, review the investment accounts. This is usually the most critical pile. Then move onto your Action stack, which always comprises a diverse and annoying little set of tasks. Don't do work now that involves leaving your desk unless you're retrieving something. The point here is to reduce those piles of paper to a minimum, not to get involved in other projects. When you're done, you should have a bunch of paper in the trash, a small stack added to the filing basket, and possibly a few other papers that need to be given to someone else. Put these in your briefcase now, and finish off your paperwork session by filing every single thing you've tossed into that big file basket at your feet.

About the Author

Organizing Solutions is owned and operated by Allison Van Norman.
Allison has an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, as well as a member of the local chapter of NAPO. Allison is delighted to be putting her love of organizing to work in San Francisco after several years of cubicles in Cleveland. To find out more, visit Allison's web site at http://www.wco.com/~dpmiller/os2.htm

Copyright © 1999 Allison Van Norman.  All Rights Reserved. Re-Printed with permission.

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