Turning Over a New Leaf

Paper, paper and more paper.  When you work from home you can feel buried in paper! How do you keep on top of it? Tools and a little knowledge about paper categories, sorting and storage will take you a long way to getting and keeping it under control.   

If you’re not sure what outcome you are looking for, organizing paper can seem daunting. You might be surprised to know that perfectly labeled, color-coded files and obsessively neat desktops are not the meaning of “organized.” Organizing is a tool, a means to an end, but not always necessarily “neat.”  So, what does “organized” mean? It simply means you can find most anything you need in about 5 minutes. That’s it. What “organized” actually looks like depends on your work style, personality and the space you have available for your home office.  

Paper Categories

Did you know the average home office has approximately 3,000 pieces of paper? No wonder so many of us feel overwhelmed by it all! So how do you get your paperwork to fly in formation so you can find what you need in 5 minutes? First, let’s talk about the “Big Three” categories of paper:

Action Paper: you need the actual paper and the information it contains to accomplish a task. 
Examples: calls to make, forms to fill out and submit or data entry.   

Projects: paper associated with a longer term project. 
Examples: client projects, board position paperwork, planning exercises, tracking and contract negotiations.

Reference: needed for backup, legal, business or personal reasons.
Examples: insurance policies, financial statements, retirement planning, taxes, education, client files, lifestyle or hobby files.  

Sorting It All

Keeping these categories in mind, it’s time to sort the paper.  It’s simple to get started, but it will take time. Here are some tips to get you started:

Supplies: banker boxes (about 4 to start), manila folders, pen/pencil and trash/recycling bin.

Chances are you won’t get your entire office sorted out in one day. Don’t worry! Fifteen minutes a day (and a timer) will add up to big changes over the course of a few weeks. If you’re feeling especially motivated, work for two hours or more at a time. Also, be smart and use pockets of time like waiting on hold, conference calls (which don’t require your full attention), listening to an e-book or watching a movie. 

How do you decide what to keep and what should go?  To move your sorting progress along quickly, ask yourself these questions:

Do I need it?  (for legal reasons or future reference)
Do I use it?

How to Store It

Once you have it all sorted, it’s time to store it. The three paper categories are important to know, because they will be stored in different ways.  Here are a few suggestions:

Action Paper: within arm’s reach in a desktop file or step file system
Projects: binders, tabbed expanding file or labeled magazine file boxes
Reference: archival boxes, banker boxes or filing cabinet

Keep in mind that 80 percent of the paperwork you file, you will never look at again. So don’t “over organize.” Be honest with yourself about how much detail you are willing to keep up.  Setting up a filing system is worthless if you ultimately don’t use it.

Honesty and patience with yourself and your progress are keys to long-term success. And remember to use your creativity on storage options and systems. Be true to who you are and how you work, and the possibilities can be endless.