Getting on Top of the Paper Pile

Getting on top of the paper pile is a job that I think most of us avoid because it can be boring and time consuming. I think the key to getting the job done is to try and make it more fun. I have quite a paper pile of filing to get through, so my plan is to put on some music, set a timer and take a few coffee breaks until the pile is reduced. I think I might also try and use more colourful and pretty stationery in future, to make this mundane more appealing. From now on I would also like to try a "little and often" approach instead of letting the pile accumulate to a point where it is painful to deal with it!

Photo by Andrew Pons

The following tips and suggestions are ways in which I find it helpful to conquer the paper mountain when it threatens to become overwhelming!

Step One:
Starting to deal with paperwork requires gathering all the bits of papers around the house as step one. At least having a central paperwork place will help things from getting mislaid or even lost. There are some lovely "Command Centres" on Pinterest that can act as inspiration for an area in which to deal with paperwork on an ongoing basis.

Step Two:
The next step is to categorise the papers. Some can be immediately thrown away as either junk mail or no longer relevant. Remember to shred personal information! Some useful categories that I use include:

1. Important Documents and Records to Keep Indefinitely
2. Action Items: Incoming Bills to Pay/Paperwork that Requires a Response
3. Children's Artwork and Keepsakes
4. Receipts 
5. Papers to File
6. Manuals and Guarantees

Step Three:
Step three is to consider the systems to keep in place to deal with the different types of papers and to use them! I have different systems for the different types of paperwork. Using the categories above as examples:

1. Important Documents and Records to Keep Indefinitely: These need to go in a safe place, which is at least locked, preferably even in a fireproof box. It might also be helpful to have scans of these in case they are damaged or lost. 
2. Action Items: These need to be kept to hand, and ideally the actions that need to be taken diarised or done immediately. They can have their own file that needs to be kept on hand and checked regularly. When the bill is paid or item is actioned it can be moved into the filing system or shredded and recycled. I need to set up an accordion type file for these.
3. Children's Artwork and Keepsakes: I have set up a big plastic box with a number of plastic envelope-type folders inside it to put in special artwork, greeting cards and certificates each year. Anything that we want to keep goes inside this box. Other artwork can be temporarily displayed and then recycled when new ones are created. I keep large artwork and 3D projects elsewhere, and my intention is to take photographs of these as a memory and then recycle the original project.
4. Receipts: I have a glass bowl where all the current month's receipts go until they are recorded. At the end of the month they all go into a labelled ziploc bag to be kept until the end of the tax year when they can be shredded and recycled.
5. Papers to File: This is my most problematic category as I tend to have a build up of papers to file that need to go into our manila folder filing system. At the moment there is just a pile of these papers that sit in the drawer until I can get to them. This is the paper mountain I need to tackle! These also need to be categorised and filed away on a more regular basis. We have gone onto electronic billing as much as possible, but there are still a few paper based ones that need to be dealt with.
6. Manuals and Guarantees: I staple the receipt onto the manual as a proof of purchase and then they all go into a plastic box where I know I can find them for future reference.

I hope that these tips and suggestions inspire you to get started on your own paper pile! Please comment with more ideas for tackling paperwork.