Six top ways to deal with the paper in your life

80% of filed material is never accessed again!Pull out old materials when you file their replacements.Archive old files yearly; box them and put them in storage. Keep 7 years of tax returns in a box and dump the last year when you put each year's in. Some sources recommend keeping tax returns forever, but you don't need the backup documentation after 7 years. Make sure to check with your tax preparer before you toss, though.Business:legal documentsbusiness financial informationclient notesup-to-date reference materialAt Home:legal documentspersonal financial information (banking and investments)medical recordsHousehold information (emergency, manuals and instructions)personal reference information (hobby, entertainment, personal growth, memorabilia, clubs and organizations)Keep the most important papers on top. If you can stay on top of your action items, your tasks are less likely to fall into the "urgent but not important" category.For high volume, prioritize by A, B and C.For date sensitive items, use a tickler file.Try an accordion folder with dates to keep paper in order.Business:orders to fillinquiries to answerbills to paycalls to make/returnAt Home:Bills to payPurchasing decisions (research a new washer, decide on a vacation plan, order seeds from a catalogue)Medical and financial decisionsStay current with reading. Old news is just old; you don't need it.Take reading material with you when you'll have downtime, in a waiting room, for example.Skim magazines and tear out what you want to read later.Let someone else archive it, like the library.Business:trade publicationsprofessional association newslettersvendor informationAt Home:NewsHobbies and interestsMembershipsView the list »
If you’re overwhelmed, don’t forget to delegate!Try to avoid perfectionism and micromanaging; big time wasters. Delegate and trust that it will be done right. Let people do the best they can and accept it. It empowers both of you to do that.
Business:to business colleagues (your division of labor can extend to who reads what)your assistant or secretary, if you're lucky enough to have oneto accountant. This is for personal as well as business.At home:to spouse (even if you make joint decisions, you can divide up tasks. one person can be in charge of paying the bills, one in charge of school issues, etc.)to kids (let your kids start handling their own mail as early as possible. Have them take responsibility for their own party invitations, school notices, subscriptions, etc. Many mothers find themselves challenged enough by their own mail, but they take on the rest of the household's mail too. If grown children are still receiving mail at your home, just set it aside for them to come get.)to friends and family (this basically means sending items on to others who may be interested in them. Be mindful that you need to get those things into envelopes and out the door because they can pile up quickly.)

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Believe it or not, there are really only five or six things you can do with any paper that comes into your life. You can delegate it, read it, action it, file it or toss or shred it. That’s all! Putting paper into these categories will make it much easier to handle.

The five things are Delegate, Read, Action, File, Trash (includes recycling) and Shred. Remember it with the acronym DRAFTS.

Use this system to divide and conquer paper. When you can identify and categorize things, they are much easier to deal with. Until you know what something is and why you have it, you're stuck. When you get stuck, you put off decision making. That's where piles come from!

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  • If you’re overwhelmed, don’t forget to delegate!Try to avoid perfectionism and micromanaging; big time wasters. Delegate and trust that it will be done right. Let people do the best they can and accept it. It empowers both of you to do that.
Business:to business colleagues (your division of labor can extend to who reads what)your assistant or secretary, if you're lucky enough to have oneto accountant. This is for personal as well as business.At home:to spouse (even if you make joint decisions, you can divide up tasks. one person can be in charge of paying the bills, one in charge of school issues, etc.)to kids (let your kids start handling their own mail as early as possible. Have them take responsibility for their own party invitations, school notices, subscriptions, etc. Many mothers find themselves challenged enough by their own mail, but they take on the rest of the household's mail too. If grown children are still receiving mail at your home, just set it aside for them to come get.)to friends and family (this basically means sending items on to others who may be interested in them. Be mindful that you need to get those things into envelopes and out the door because they can pile up quickly.)
  • Stay current with reading. Old news is just old; you don't need it.Take reading material with you when you'll have downtime, in a waiting room, for example.Skim magazines and tear out what you want to read later.Let someone else archive it, like the library.Business:trade publicationsprofessional association newslettersvendor informationAt Home:NewsHobbies and interestsMemberships
  • Keep the most important papers on top. If you can stay on top of your action items, your tasks are less likely to fall into the "urgent but not important" category.For high volume, prioritize by A, B and C.For date sensitive items, use a tickler file.Try an accordion folder with dates to keep paper in order.Business:orders to fillinquiries to answerbills to paycalls to make/returnAt Home:Bills to payPurchasing decisions (research a new washer, decide on a vacation plan, order seeds from a catalogue)Medical and financial decisions
  • 80% of filed material is never accessed again!Pull out old materials when you file their replacements.Archive old files yearly; box them and put them in storage. Keep 7 years of tax returns in a box and dump the last year when you put each year's in. Some sources recommend keeping tax returns forever, but you don't need the backup documentation after 7 years. Make sure to check with your tax preparer before you toss, though.Business:legal documentsbusiness financial informationclient notesup-to-date reference materialAt Home:legal documentspersonal financial information (banking and investments)medical recordsHousehold information (emergency, manuals and instructions)personal reference information (hobby, entertainment, personal growth, memorabilia, clubs and organizations)
  • Toss junk the minute you get it. Sort your mail over the recycling bin. Go to the FTC website and type "Unsolicited Mail" in to the search box. This will give you a page of resources for lessening junk mail, telemarketing, e-junk mail and more.Keep credit cards to a minimum. Have one for business and one for personal use. Ask yourself, Why am I keeping this?What’s the worst that could happen if I get rid of it?Can I get it again, at the library or off the Internet?To be a competent professional in my field, do I need this?To be a sane, fulfilled and productive person in this lifetime, do I need this?
  • Shred any document that includes your name and any account number, such as bill statements.Especially shred anything with your social security number on it, and request an ID number that is randomly generated.Shred credit offers, especially those blank checks your bank sends out every so often.
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, Oakland Organizing Examiner

Claire Tompkins, the Clutter Coach, blogs about organizing for home and office, managing time and getting things done at www.cluttercoach.net. In over ten years as a professional organizer, she's worked with a wide range of clients and has learned what works and what doesn't to get people...

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