Do you have piles of paperwork that are laying around your home that you have been wanting to organize, yet don’t know where to start? Here are some simple steps you can take to declutter, organize, and create a sustainable system to process your mail/paper to give you that breath of fresh air, and mental ease you have been longing for.
Phase 1: Declutter
1. Start by taking all your piles of mail and loose paperwork around your home and putting it in one spot.
2. Then, take one paper at a time, and sort all your paperwork in 3-5 categories. If needed, you can even use a sticky note to help remind yourself the category name of the pile. Here are some possible categories you can sort them in:
· To Pay/Action—i.e. something to pay/cancel/submit/apply, someone to call etc.
· To File—Or, things you would like to scan and file electronically if you are more of a digital person, i.e. tax documents, receipts etc..
· To Recycle/ Shred
· Other options: Coupon, kids, Receipts, Project A
3. Act on your “To Recycle/Shred pile”
4. Act on your “To Pay/Action “pile
5. Act on your “To File” pile.
· If you do not own a shredder, scanner, or filing cabinet, this is probably a good time to invest in one to help you stay organized.
Phase 2: Create a paper processing system
6. Create a sustainable mail/paper processing system by designating a specific area in your home for processing all mail/paper that enter your home.
· Use labeled trays, baskets, or wall mounts, by the door, near the entryway, in the kitchen, or office to help keep incoming paperwork organized in 3-5 main categories you determined you wanted in phase 1.
· Ensure the area is stocked with supplies to help make processing mail/paper easier. For example, have a shredder, recycling basket, and waste basket nearby. Or, perhaps have a calendar nearby to write down important due dates.
7. Form a habit of checking your mail frequently and sorting it preferably as soon as you get home.
· For your “To pay/act” pile, you can mark the due date on the outside of the envelope, or mark it on the calendar so you don’t forget.
· If you have to hold on to an action item, you can use a sticky note attached to the document to remind yourself of important information l.e. confirmation number, when the bill was paid, what still needs to be done etc.
8. Dedicate a specific day/time of the week where you go through the sorted mail/paperwork, and complete the category action.
Phase 3: Create a filing system
9. Now that you created a mail/paper processing system, you need to have a dedicated filing cabinet to file your paperwork.
10. There are different ways to organize your filing cabinet. Yet, one way to organize it is by using hanging folders, and creating different color tab labels to depict the category that file is in. See below for some example categories:
· Green Category: Financial papers
o Budget sheet
o Bank statements, and checks
o Mortgage Statements
o Utility statements (i.e. heat, electricity, water)
o School Loans
o Other: Savings statements (i.e. 401k, retirement accounts, investments, bonds), Credit card statements (have photo copy of card front and back), Appraisals (i.e. antique, jewelry), life insurance etc.
· Red Category: Permanent papers
o Birth/death certificates
o Passport/ID/ (Have two photocopies of your passport/ID in order to leave one home, and the other to carry in your luggage when you travel)
o Social Security number card, citizenship, green card, selective service registration card
o Marriage (i.e. License certificate, pre-nuptial agreement, divorce, final settlement or custody agreement)
o Auto Records (i.e proof of insurance, auto insurance policy, State’s vehicle certificate of title, DMV notice of transaction submitted, DMV secure odometer)
o House deed
o Trust/Will (i.e. Living will, estate planning, DPOA, Health care proxy)
o Other:Educational records (i.e. diplomas), Information specific to your job/career, Government/Legal.
· Blue Category: Tax papers
o Receipts
o Tax filings & Tax returns sorted by year.
o Wage & Tax statement (aka W-2 form), Interest, personal property etc.
o If you are self-employed: 1099 form, payroll, Staff, copyrights, trademarks, patents, or business agreements. etc.
· Orange category: Temporary papers that are frequently replaced by updated records.
o Health records (i.e. insurance card, after visit summaries, test results, immunization records, paid bills, medical insurance policy and summary of benefits for medical dental and vision)
Other potential categories:
· Purple- Hobbies/extracurricular
· Yellow- Return labels, passwords.
· Brown- Business, or Real estate documents
11. If a file gets too big, remember to take out the folder to the mail/processing center in your home and purge of old paperwork.
What is your favorite method of organizing your paperwork?
Photo source: containerstore.com
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