filing systems 101

If you are the person who has to shuffle through a slurry of papers every time you need to find something...you are not in the minority! It is actually not that unusual considering the amount of paperwork that crosses your eyes on a daily basis. Between the mail, the junk mail, bills, receipts, advertisements, magazines, catalogs, business cards, school papers and all the daily paperwork required for you to do your job, it's no wonder you're drowning in paper.

Although cluttered desks and counter tops have become the norm, that does not mean they are acceptable and it surely does not mean you should have one! If you are committed to clearing the clutter from your work space and improving your productivity, we have several tips that will help.

This is DAY 1 of our Week-Long Paper Management Marathon. Each day we will give you one more tip to get your paper clutter under control.Keep reading to learn more!

filing systems 101:
first things first...if you don't have any type of filing system, you MUST create one! It can be a simple system but you have to have somewhere that papers can be stored in such a way that they will be easy to find when needed. All you need is a medium to large drawer, cabinet, closet or even a box that can accommodate hanging files, manila folders, labels, tabs and a dark colored pen.

Here are some ideas of how to organize your filing system:

• make an alphabetized list of all your major categories: (credit cards, directories, finances, insurance, manuals, medical, personal, pets, receipts, taxes, utilities, vehicles, etc.)


• divide all of your paper into these major categories and label hanging files with the category names
  


• look at each major category (credit cards) and divide it into sub categories (names of each individual card). Label manila folders with these category names
  


• it is helpful to keep all the hanging file tabs on one side (left or right) and put the manila folder tabs down the center

You can also use the method above for filing craft paper, stickers, coloring books, craft/sewing books, magazines, recipes or anything that is flat!

For more tips on how to manage your paper, check back throughout the week and also visit my website http://www.andreadekker.com/.