Easy Does It Filing System , Part 1
Are you plagued by paper clutter?
Paper clutter is the most common form of clutter out there.
If this is something you live with, know that you are not alone. I have looked into how other professional organizers deal with papers and was not at all surprised to find a wealth of articles, blog posts and YouTube videos, all with different points of view, perspectives and good advice.
In other words, the paper clutter struggle is real, Folks!
However, before I start rocking your paper clutter and filing world, let me begin with a disclaimer. I'm not a Financial Advisor, Accountant or Tax Attorney. It is important to seek and heed their advice along the way with any question regarding your important papers and tax documentation.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let get crackin' on overhauling your papers and files!
After working with umpteen clients on paper piles and files, I started to see a pattern -- a few common factors that contributed to paper clutter.
Here they are:
Inconsistent processing of mail when it comes into your home or office.
Overcomplicated, wackerdoo (My professional term) filing systems.
No filing system.
Mixing file types
Using the wrong filing system.
Lack of filing skills is by no means our fault! As far as I know, they don't teach us how to file papers in school. Certainly no one taught me.
Much of my own adult years were spent being completely frustrated by paper clutter and filing. More often than not, I would just plain avoid dealing with my papers, which occasionally incurred late fees, and caused them to pile up. Once things were filed, I would labor over retrieving important papers because my file cabinet was overstuffed with a confusing category of files and sub files that, ironically, I thought would make things easier to find.
It wasn't until I watched an HGTV show called Neat, featuring a Canadian organizer, Helen Buttigeig, that the light bulb over my head went on and I began to understand why my traditional filing system that is stored inside a traditional filing cabinet would never work for me.
I'm a pile-er, not a file-er -- And I would describe nine out of ten of my clients in the same way.
Once I got that straight, I was able to implement the Easy Does It Filing System - a way to file that is flexible, easy to customize, and I'm happy to report works to this day!
Over the next few blog posts I will be delving deep into the steps you need to take to regain control of your paper chaos. I invite you to follow along because FILING IS A BIG TOPIC!!!
It's going to take some of you a little elbow grease to get your papers and files under control. You will definitely need to shift your paradigm over what a filing system looks like. But I promise you it will be worth it! As in no-more-late-fees-raise-your-credit-score-stop-tearing-your-hair-out worth it!
Sounds good, no?
Part 2 coming soon!
