Filing That Works: The Best Way to Organize Documents at Home
Is your home full of paper clutter? Old documents, receipts, and files build up quickly, cluttering our homes.
The best way to rid your home of clutter is effectively organizing your documents. You need a filing system at home that works for your needs!
First, you must get your files organized. Here is the best way to organize documents at home.
- Gather Documents
Please bring all your paper files into one place to sort through them. Set up the paperwork into five sections action, archive, household, recycle, and shred.
Action items are things you will keep temporarily until the bill is paid or the item is delivered. Archived items are important legal documents that you use from time to time. Household items are paperwork like user manuals or product instructions.
- Organize Documents
There are many ways to organize documents, but we will use the KonMari method. Set up three files of paperwork: files to keep forever, files to keep temporarily, and often used files. Organized all your paperwork from the previous step into these sections.
Although there are important paper files, many people keep online documents as well. Repeat the process with your online documents as well.
- Discard Clutter
Now you know what to discard, get a move on! Recycle what you can, but documents with private information need to be burned or shredded for safety purposes.
If you are unsure if some files are still valuable, this page will help you determine if that paper is worth keeping.
While you are discarding old paperwork, make sure you discard whatever system you were using. If it did not work then, it would not work now!
- Get a File Cabinet
A file cabinet is a perfect place to keep all your important paperwork. Do not let paper files gather in other places in your home.
Your paperwork is now organized into three sections: keep forever, keep temporarily, and most used. If you need sub-sections, then make sure you label your file folders clearly!
- Take Things Digital
Paper files are a permanent fixture in any household. But if it does not need to be on paper, why should it?
Limit the amount of paperwork in your home by taking documents online. Plus, it is better for the environment!
Organize documents in a digital filing cabinet where things are easy to file and easy to find!
- Shred Often
A great home filing system is one that is always re-organizing.
Make sure to discard documents as you use them! Files like bills, receipts, manuals are only valuable for a certain period of time. After the useful life is over, it is time to shred, recycle, or discard the document.
A Clean Home is a Happy Home
Now you know the best way to organize documents and how you can get there. It is time to get started!
For more organization tips, visit the How To section on Ways To Say!