Create Order with Files

You've created a system for incoming paper!! (You've Got Mail! ) You've gone through piles of old paper!! (Extreme Mailage Intervention) Now you have a bunch of stuff you need to file. It's time for the really fun part---creating files and putting it all away!

From: The Container Store

      Well, o.k., it's not exactly fun in the usual sense of the word, but this step will make you feel like you're the boss of this stuff once and for all.  The process is sort of...not fascinating, and may take awhile, but you've come such a long way and you're almost there!!!!

     This is where some people get bogged down.  They look at all of the paper and think: " You mean I have to go through all of this  @#$% (expletive deleted) paper??"  The bad news is, yes, you do.  The good news: you only have to do it ONE PIECE AT A TIME.

     If you're easily distracted by that big pile of

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unsorted paper, put it in one room, and take it to a different room to sort.  Then you can grab just a small number of papers and take them with you to be
sorted.  This tricks your mind into thinking you only have a little to do, and it's not as overwhelming.  Sometimes, clients work well when I hold the stack in my lap under the table and hand it to them one piece at a time.  (tip: maybe you can bribe one of the kids or a friend to do this for you).

STEP ONE:  SORT BY YEAR
     Put the papers in stacks by year, pull out any permanent or current documents such as birth certificates, mortgage documents, life insurance info, and so on.  The rest of the papers can be put in a folder, label with the year, and stored in a portable file box somewhere out of the way or in a file cabinet.

STEP TWO: SORT THIS YEAR
     You'll find that the paper naturally lends itself to different broad categories;  things like:  monthly bills, financial statements, house/mortgage, auto. It's not important how you label and arrange the files, but it is important that it makes sense to you, so you can find things when you need them.

      The broad categories are your hanging files, and file folders are subcategories.  For example: The hanging file is labeled Auto.  The folders inside could be: Insurance,  Registration, Repairs/Services.  Or, if you have more than one vehicle, the papers could be sorted by vehicle, as: Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar.

If you're a visual person (or if you just want to impress yourself and others with your organizing skills), you can use colors for different categories. 

For many monthly statements that are not tax deductible, you can toss or shred the last statement, and keep only the current one.  (More information about creating home filing systems: here.)

Step 3: Put the files away.  
Files that you are currently using should be easily accessable.  You won't use them if they're difficult to get to!   Some people need to have these files clearly visible, out on a shelf or counter and in an open crate, a filing cabinet is fine for the rest of us.

Step 4: Use online banking services if you're not already doing so.  I was a late-comer to this, but once I started, I was amazed at how much more quickly and easily I was able to complete the task. Some people have security concerns about paying online, but in my opinion you're just as safe--if not safer--than when you put a piece of paper with your checking account number in the mail.  Just make sure you have a good password.

Congratulations!  Taking control of the paper monster is a HUGE step towards creating order in your life.  Remember, if you need help at any stage of the project, you can always call on your friendly home organizer to give you a helping hand and a high five when you've finished!

Resources for finding an organizer:

National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)

NAPO Wisconsin , click on "Find an Organizer"

NAPO: How to Hire an Organizer

NAPO Organizer Directory

Also: Find My Organizer

source

For solutions to your organizing challenges,

to schedule a free consultation,

or have a conversation about your organizing needs:

Call Linda Palmer
262-784-3957
createorder1@gmail.com

at Create Order

Home Organizing and De-materializing Service
"Say YES to less"

   

Extreme Mailage Intervention

Now that you've got a system for handling mail, it's time to attack those piles, bags, or boxes of old mail and paperwork that have piled up over the months or even years.

Why do all of those papers have the power to cause so much anxiety for many of us?  My theory:  in spite of technology, those of us who were born before the computer age have brains that are still wired to think printed material must be important, therefore, it shouldn't be thrown away.  A lot of us are perfectionists who are terrified we'll make a mistake, throw the wrong thing away, or put it in the wrong place and when some unknown scarey person demands that we come up with it, we'll lose everything because we can't find it.  Some of us have been traumatized by bad surprises (usually financial in nature) that have come in the mail.  So it piles up.

The truth is, most of this stuff won't ever be needed.  There are very few documents that can't be found or replicated.  Some of them might require a little more time or effort to recover, but it can be done.

The other truth is that if it's piled up or in boxes or bags, you won't be able to find what you need anyway.

Having said that, it is important that documents be kept in an orderly way, so you can find them IF you need them, thus making your life easier and more serene.  It's easier to grab your birth certificate from a file than to go through the process of getting another one.

So, the first thing you want to do when tackling that huge pile of backed up mail is to gather it all together on one spot.   If you have more than a year's worth, pull out the current year as best you can to get started. Take a deep breath and grab the recycling bin.  If you feel anxiety starting to tighten its grip on you, set a time for ten minutes and KEEP GOING ANYWAY.  I recommend three piles:  keep, recycle, shred. Those are the only decisions you're making right now...don't worry about sorting yet.

Get a good letter opener and open every piece.  ALL junk mail goes into the recycling or shred pile!   As do newspapers, (anything earlier than today) magazines (keep no more than the TWO latest issues), flyers, and newsletters.

 Even if you see something that interests you, something you want to donate to or buy, get rid of it!  You'll hear from these people again, and if you don't, you can find them online.  (Helpful article:   What to Shred and What to Keep.)  DON'T save envelopes the mail came in, don't save a flier for a place you may want to tell your friend about, or information you think your kids or friends will want: DON'T DO IT! You don't need to save any but the most recent of most monthly bills. If you think you want to use envelopes as note paper, there will be plenty more coming in.  Right now your goal is to get the stuff out of here!  If it's not a record of something you've actually done or paid, you don't need it.

I recycle all junk mail and only shred if it contains account numbers or other personal information. I figure anyone can find my name and address with just a couple of clicks, so I don't worry about it, but some people prefer to shred anything that has a name or address on it.

This process can take days, or even months.  You're not going to do it all at once, so get over the idea that it's going to go quickly.  Grab a batch to do while you're watching t.v. or bribe the kids to help you. If you can get in 30 or even 20 minutes a day, you can make some good progress.

When you're done getting rid of all the junk, you'll be left with a relatively small amount of stuff in the "keep" pile.  Next, you'll be setting up files.

And if you find yourself getting bogged down, remember, your friendly professional organizer is only a click away!

Resources for finding an organizer:
National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)
NAPO Wisconsin , click on "Find an Organizer"
NAPO: How to Hire an Organizer
NAPO Organizer Directory
Also: Find My Organizer

For solutions to your organizing challenges,

to schedule a free consultation,

or have a conversation about your organizing needs:

Call Linda Palmer
262-784-3957
createorder1@gmail.com

at Create Order

Home Organizing and De-materializing Service

You've Got Mail!

When people and businesses started using PCs, did you envision a paperless future?   I know I did.   That was many years ago, but paper clutter is still one of the top reasons people want to work with a professional organizer. For some reason, we still struggle with those piles, bags, bins and boxes of paper.

Most people think they have to organize all of the paper they have, sort it all out, set up files and THEN they're ready to be organized with what's coming in.   That thought alone can send us running for our favorite avoidance strategy (t.v., ice cream, Facebook, etc) .

The good news is that the backlog doesn't have to disappear before you can set up a system, if you start with today and think only about going forward for now.

The very FIRST step is to set up a system for handling the paper that's coming in today. You can even put all of the old stuff in a bin or box and set it aside for now. You could probably light a fire under it and never miss it, but I won't recommend it.

This is what has worked for many organizing clients:  You'll need three baskets or trays, or mail sized containers.  I use wire baskets because they're easy to move and things don't fall out of them easily.

OPEN AND TOSS (5 minutes)
When you get today's mail, IMMEDIATELY (today!)  recycle or add to the shredding pile any and all junk mail, brochures, catalogues, etc.  If it's not something you intend to act on NOW, it goes out.  Unless you're a really organized coupon person and you use them all the time, get rid of those too.  You can lose more money as a result of disorganization than you'll ever save with the coupons, and they won't be there to torment you about not using them.  Now the mail goes into the Holding Basket.  

THROW IN HOLDING BASKET AND FORGET IT FOR NOW (1 minute)  The holding basket might be in your kitchen or entryway, or wherever you normally put the mail down when you bring it in.

Basket #1 is your Holding Basket.  This one is kind of controversial.  Theoretically, you're supposed to sort your mail the minute you bring it in, but the problem is, no one does that!  I throw mine in this basket and then open and sort it every few days, or at least once a week.   I also put in receipts I need to keep or other information I have to deal with or file.

SORT AND TAKE ACTION ( 5-20 minutes at least once a week!) This is when you get everything out of the holding basket and put it where it belongs.  These baskets would be located in your office, or wherever you do your paperwork.

 If you can pick the same time each week to sort, it's so much easier to remember. When you sort ( at least once a week) everything goes into basket two or three.

Basket #2--Action Basket.  Doesn't that sound great?  You're going to take action!  These are things such as bills that need to be paid, classes you're going to sign up for, invitations to RSVP, permission slip forms that need to be signed, and anything else you have to take care of.

Anything that's due the following week should be taken care of at this time (at least once a week)  I pay bills once a month, so the bills stay here until bill-paying day.

Basket #3 --Reference Basket.  Here's where you keep information you're absolutely going to want to refer to IN THE NEAR FUTURE.  "Might want to use some day" doesn't fit into this category! "Can be found on the internet" doesn't fit into this category, either.   It might be schedule of community classes you want to sign up for, or store sales and coupon notices.   I recommend NO catalogues, unless you know for certain you're going to order something.  Each time you sort your mail, you'll get rid of outdated stuff in this basket.

To be filed--this can be a file folder.  In here you'll have things that should go in your yearly files, such as bills that you've paid, receipts, statements, etc.  You'll be filing these at least once a month.

(Note:  the HOLDING BASKET is now EMPTY.  Yes, you heard me correctly: empty!  No exceptions).

Yay!  Now that you have a system going, you've made a HUGE first step in dealing with all that paper. Watch this spot for strategies to deal with the backlog.

If you need help getting started, remember that your friendly home organizer is just a phone call (or email) away.

For solutions to your organizing challenges,

to schedule a free consultation,

or have a conversation about your organizing needs:

Call Linda Palmer
262-784-3957
createorder1@gmail.com

at Create Order

Home Organizing and De-materializing Service