(2 minute read)
My Top 10 paperwork tips
Paperwork has a habit of quietly multiplying. Add chargers, notebooks, post, stationery and everything else that lands on a desk, and suddenly your workspace isn’t working particularly well anymore.
The good news is you don’t need a complicated filing system. Start by making things simpler.
1. Start with a clear desk
Take everything off your desk and only put back what you regularly use. Your desk is a working surface, not long-term storage.
2. Gather your paperwork together
Before organising paperwork, find it. Gather papers from drawers, bags, kitchen worktops and anywhere else they’ve accumulated so you can see what you actually have.
3. Declutter before you file
Don’t spend time beautifully filing paperwork you don’t need. Recycle or shred what’s no longer required first.
4. Create simple categories. Avoid dozens of complicated files. Start with broad categories that make sense to you, perhaps:-
- Important documents
- Banking
- Investments
- Pensions
- Utilities
- Housing
- School
- Cars
- Pets
- Health
- Warranties / Instructions
5. Create a ‘To Action’ place
Have one clearly defined place for paperwork requiring action: bills to pay, forms to complete, appointments to book. Check it regularly.
I prefer not to use paper ‘in trays’ with paperwork items lying down, as items tend to get lost under each other. Try a narrow container, where paperwork can be stored upright and is easier to see.
6. Separate ‘To File’ from ‘To Action’
Paperwork you need to keep shouldn’t be mixed with paperwork requiring you to do something. Give them different homes.
7. Be realistic about stationery
How many pens do you need? Test them, remove the ones that don’t work and keep a sensible amount of what you actually use.
8. Give technology a home
Gather chargers, cables, headphones and spare technology together. Recycle obsolete technology responsibly.
Research suggests that UK households throw away an estimated 26 million cables every year. In addition to discarded wires, people across the UK hoard roughly 627 million unused cables in drawers and cupboards (ref. Not for profit- Material Focus)
9. Reduce what comes in
Go paperless where it genuinely makes life easier, unsubscribe from unwanted post and think before printing something. Return unwanted post free via post box with ‘Return to sender and remove me from my mailing list’ written on it.
10. Make your system easy to maintain
The best filing system isn’t the most elaborate one. It’s the one you will actually use.
And remember, being organised isn’t about having a perfect desk or beautiful files. It’s about being able to find what you need, when you need it, and having a workspace that helps rather than hinders you.
Imogen x
The Little Organising Company
For ideas on where to donate your unwanted items, see my Donation Directory