​Welcome back to our series about organizing all your papers in just one week! In the last two posts, we talked about prepping your work space and identifying your documents to produce the initial phase of paper organization: labeled folders. Today we’re talking about how to create homes for every folder (and its contents) so you’ll never have to go on another wild goose chase for that missing field trip permission form again.

Zoning Your Files
Before we get started, we need to have a chat about zones. I’ve mentioned their value before, but I can’t stress enough how effective they are for helping you FIND things and PUT THEM AWAY. Zones are defined as areas where you do specific activities. In your kitchen, you’ve got an eating zone, a food prep zone, a food storage zone, and a cleaning zone. Although your zones may overlap, they all have a primary purpose, and you organize each zone a little differently in order to make it the most effective. For example, you would never keep your dish soap in the food prep zone. You’d keep the soap in the cleaning zone because that’s where you clean. Your files deserve the same consideration.

You are going to establish three zones for your printed papers: temporary, seasonal/annual, and long-term. While some files might move in between the three, for the most part, these three zones will help you know where to begin your search when you need to locate a document and where to file something new that enters your home.

Temporary
Temporary files contain actionable tasks and belong close at hand. These documents will move in and out frequently, with items living here no more than 30 days at a time. Some folks choose to keep these files in command centers. Others deal with them immediately and completely skip the need for any temporary files because “out of sight” equals “out of mind” for them. You need to find what works best for YOU and stick with it. Once you've completed whatever action was necessary, toss the item or, if completely necessary, file it. Temporary (actionable) files typically include:

• Bills to Pay/Checkbook
• Coupons (only if you ALREADY have a system in place to USE them ---- otherwise, toss the coupons)
• Invitations/Announcements to Mark on Calendar
• Magazines/Subscriptions to Read
• Names of People in Home Receiving Mail That You Don’t Open (rare)
• New Recipes
• School Papers to Sign

Seasonal/Annual
Seasonal/Annual files change less frequently and may rotate every three to twelve months. You need them close at hand, but you don’t need to be dropping them into files or pulling them out all the time. Instead, these can be kept in a notebook with plastic sleeves or slash dividers. These documents will include reference items that you cannot quickly find online. (Any document that can easily be found online, should be tossed.) ​Files you might find in a home management binder or notebook include:

• Birthday Lists
• Current IEP for the School Year (special ed)
• Current Year Tax Documents/Donation Receipts
• Frequently Used Contacts/Menus
• Home Maintenance/Cleaning Schedules
• Medical Information for Family Members/Pets
• Monthly Statements for Investments
• Recipes (that you actually use)
• Sports Schedules

Long-Term
Important (difficult to recreate or high sentimental value) and vital (extremely difficult to recreate) files change very little and are rarely accessed. Sometimes your annual items will get transferred to your long-term, such as tax documents and IEPs. These items do not need to be stored close at hand and can be stored in filing cabinets, bankers boxes, or fireproof boxes kept in home offices, closets, attics, or basements. If you’re computer savvy, please strongly consider converting your long-term files into electronic files. Scanning is a pain, I get it. But the amount of physical space you stand to save when you convert long-term documents into electronic files is unfathomable over a lifetime. If you find you like it, and you regularly access computer documents in other settings, you may consider converting your seasonal/annual files too. Long-term documents might include:

• Banking/Credit Card Information
• Birth/Death Certificates
• Home Improvement/Mortgage Information
• Insurance Policies
• Investment Year-End Statements
• Kids' Old Cards/School Papers (if you're sentimental and can't part with them)
• Marriage Licenses
• Medical Information
• Tax Documents
• Wills

Based on the information above, let’s take a second look at all the files you created.

• Are there any similar files that should be combined? If so, combine them and update the folder name if necessary. Remember that names should be simple, broad enough to cover a large category, and based on retrieval so you know what you’re looking for when you go searching.
• Are there any files that are so large they should be subdivided? If so, look again. The only folders that should be bulging are taxes, investments, and possibly medical and special ed paperwork. Subdivide these by year, sort in reverse chronological order so that the most recent is always first.
• As you pick up each file, sort files that are constantly changing into the Command Center pile, files that you regularly need to reference into the Home Notebook pile, and files that you need to keep and rarely change into Long-Term.

Containing Your Files
Organizing the limited number of files for Command Centers and Home Notebooks is relatively easy using the file names you’ve already come up with. Long-term storage requires two more steps to make it as efficient as possible. I recommend taking your long-term documents and sorting them into 4-5 broad categories and assigning a colored hanging file folder to each category. These categories might include: Education, Finance, Health, Home, or Vehicles. If you're keeping your kids' stuff, I would recommend setting up a memory box for them using one hanging file per grade level (K5-12th), one file for preschool, sports, and college. This will help you maintain an organized stash of sentiment as well as set healthy limits on how much you keep. 
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Now that you’ve got everything sorted, filed, and ready to be stored, take a few minutes and measure. One of the biggest mistakes I see all the time is clients buying containers BEFORE they know what’s going in them. Papers are no exception. Your command center may look very different from the person’s next door, so wait until you see what form you need to best fit your needs. The same is true for seasonal/annual storage and long-term storage. 

Resources & Recommendations
Command Centers

• Basket – Good for those who don’t have many files (3 or less) OR file any reference, important, vital documents as soon as they come in the door and only need a holding area for actionable items. The basket provides you a “drop zone” to hold your temporary items as you hang up coats, get dinner on the table, and take care of other tasks. You can trust that your bills will be patiently waiting for you to deal with them in the next few hours.
• Slim Hanging File Box – Good for those with 6 or less files. You can quickly sort the paperwork as it comes in and deal with it at the end of the day or once a week, like on Thursday nights.
• Standard Hanging File Box – Good for those with less than 10 files. If you have more than 10 files, you may consider making one of those a “Reference” file to hold the documents you aren’t interested in putting into a Home Management/Reference Binder.
• Hanging Files – Single color is best for such a small group of files.
• Form Over Function – Typically I would tell you function always trumps form, but when you’re storing your papers in plain sight, invest in a container that you enjoy! If you don’t like the container, you most likely won’t use it no matter how efficient the system is.

Family/Home Notebooks or Accordion Files

• One Binder – Depending on the number of documents you need to keep here, you might use a 1-2.5” binder. I use a 3” binder on occasion, but they’re rather bulky.
• Multiple Binders – Good for those with a lot of documents to reference. You might use a series of 1” binders. Go for a uniform look to make the space feel more organized even though you’ve still got a lot of papers on hand.
• Binder Accessories – I recommend using slash dividers, plastic sleeves, and a sturdy 3-hole punch when working with binders.
• Accordion Files – Good for long-term projects with different parts to reference. I like to keep all information related to home improvement in an accordion file divided by room. It makes it easy for me to find paint colors, carpet samples, and landscape designs. I do not recommend accordion files for Command Centers just because they can be annoying to hold open while accessing multiple tabs, but to each their own. Find what works for YOU.

​Long-Term Storage

• Filing Cabinets – These come in a variety of styles, depths, and sizes. Most homes don’t need more than a two drawer. I often recommend using a plastic container that can easily be moved. Rolling files are great too!
• Bankers Boxes – Good temporary solution. They are easy to move around, but the files don’t always hang/slide with the ease of filing cabinets. If you don’t plan on using hanging files, these bankers boxes will work perfectly with your manila folders.
• Fireproof Boxes – Perfect for vital records. You can also keep copies of credit cards in here just in case your wallet is stolen and you need to know exactly what was in there to cancel/recreate. These boxes have a key. Be smart about where you store your key. If the point of the fireproof box is to survive a fire or other severe event, keep your key in a place that will SURVIVE those events and can be easily found. Some folks choose to leave the key in the lock so that the two will remain together.
• Hanging Files – Color coding hanging files are great for creating categories in your long-term storage.

In my last post, you learned exactly how to prepare to conquer your paper dilemma. How did you do? Were you able to find a proper staging area and work space? Remember, this won’t be a forever job. You only need the space for a week (or less if you’re motivated). If you find yourself overwhelmed at the start, don’t hesitate to ask for help from a friend, family member, or professional organizer. It’s important that you are empowered to reach your goals --- we can help you with that!
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Now that you’ve collected all your papers and gathered the necessary tools to help you get the job done, let’s identify what you've got! 

Pick It Up. Begin by picking up the first piece of paper nearest you. Take a deep breath and determine that whatever stack you started with, that you’ll finish that stack before venturing to the next.  This trick will help you easily return to work after taking a break.

Name It. Identifying each paper is only as helpful as the name you give it. File names should be simple, broad in scope, and based on retrieval. For instance, it would be better to “name” a paper/file as “bill to pay” rather than “Greenville Water January bill” because “bill to pay” is actionable and will enable you to find it when you need it, along with all the other bills you need to pay. Your names should work for YOU. Everyone organizes differently and filing is best achieved when the person who will access the files, labels the files based on the associations he has in his mind. So grab a clean manila folder and label it with whatever word or phrase popped into YOUR head when you identified it. Remember, you can always change it later. Don’t waste time agonizing over label names right now. We’ll evaluate them one more time before putting them in their final homes. 

Place It. Put your file over to the empty side of your work space. You’ll end up with quite a few of these, so having a banker’s box or other container to help the folders stand up is handy but not necessary. I recommend putting these files in alphabetical order, so that as you identify similar documents (i.e., another "bill to pay") you can quickly find the correct folder and drop the document in there.

Repeat. Grab the next sheet of paper on top of the same stack you started with. Go through the process again. Do NOT under any circumstances label a file “Miscellaneous” and start dropping items into it. That’s not okay. Misc files are delayed decision making. They are what’s been plaguing you this whole time. Fight the urge to turn back to what you know! It wasn’t working for you then and it won’t magically start working for you now.

At the end of this exercise, you will have NO MORE stacks of paper. Every piece you’re keeping will be contained in a handy dandy manila folder, unless you ran out. If you did happen to run out, I hope you labeled those non-filed stacks with a post-it. Post-its are my trusty backup when I’m folderless. The next time we meet, we’ll be talking about where to store these “contained” papers. I hope you’ll join us.
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I'm so glad that you're joining us for this incredible journey! No one should have to worry about papers, especially you. In just one week, you’ll be able to capture every piece of paper in your home and give it a place to park so that you’re not always chasing it down or stumped on where to put it until you can get to it. This task is not for the faint of heart, but I promise you it's worth it. If you're tired of the papers, now is the time to reclaim your joy, your energy, and your wits!

I want you to share how your experience is going in the comments below as we progress through each post. There is nothing new under the sun and the snags you face aren’t new either. When you share your struggle, others are encouraged and questions can be answered. I can’t wait to partner with you as we embark down this path!

The first big step in conquering the paper clutter is to prepare your workspace.
You’ll need a large flat surface to work on, so a table or floor will work beautifully. If you’ve got young kids or pets around, I’d recommend using a bedroom that you can close off OR your dining room table as long as it’s high enough to avoid sticky fingers and wagging tails.

Next, lather your hands with lotion, layer up with some nice gloves, and grab all the papers in the house.
Every single scrap and stack of paper. Watch out for paper cuts, because you’re going to get it all. This collection includes all of the files from your current system too. You know, the one in the filing cabinet you never use. You may leave all your documents in those folders for now, but you gotta grab ‘em. If you’re going to tackle your papers, you have to know exactly what you’re up against. (Warning: if you only want to tackle loose papers and not all the papers, you can. Just be aware that you’ll eventually need to incorporate your old filing system into your new setup so that you know where everything is. Waiting typically doubles your work. If you don’t want to double your work, then grab those files now.)

As you collect your papers, DO NOT TRY TO SORT THEM.
I know it’s tempting, but getting side-tracked never helped anyone achieve their goals. Getting off-course only creates more micro-goals, and let’s be honest, who’s got time for that? Not you. Try to complete this one task from start to finish without adding more steps.

Stack your papers, overstuffed folders, and piles on your work space.
Don’t stack more than a foot high at a time or they’re liable to fall over, creating more work as you re-stack. Keep the stacks on the left side of your work space if you’re right handed or on the right if you’re left handed. Having a large, clear work space is crucial. You’ll end up using the opposite side to hold all of your sorted piles in the near future, so respect the space.

Position your organizing materials at the top of your work space.
Go ahead and invest in a 100 count box of straight filing manila folders. I recommend using the straight line filing folders (that have the label tab in the same spot for all of them) because they allow you to easily add and move folders without having to worry about your tabs all flowing in a pattern of left, middle, right; left, middle, right. If you’ve got old tabbed folders, just reuse those for now. You’ll also need a pencil with a decent eraser for temporary labeling of your files. For most people, the temporary names become the permanent names. But for others, the temporary files may merge together into one broader category, so pencil is best at this point. You’ll also need a trash can (or box to contain the documents you want to recycle), a shredder (or box to contain all the items you need to shred if you don’t own a shredder), and a notebook to record to-do’s and reference information that you’ve been jotting down on random sheets of paper (before you toss those sheets away).

Do you have any loose papers in your home? About how many? 5? 10? I’m talking individual sheets of paper, not the number of piles. Wait, you’ve got piles too?
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Don’t freak out, you’re not alone! Welcome to the majority, we're glad you're here.

Computers promised to transform homes and offices into paperless environments, but decades later, we’re still swimming in colorful sheets of information. The act of filing hasn’t gotten any easier either. Indeed, no big improvements in the filing world have occurred except for the addition of colored hanging files to the traditional green-grey selection. You’d think after so many years, someone would come up with something revolutionary! But at the end of the day, we’re still storing our printed documents in those blessed hanging folders, because going paperless requires a lot of trust in technology and we’re just not that motivated to make a complete switch.

All this paper clutter is weighing you down. Literally. Studies have shown that tasks left incomplete create a level of anxiety that can only be eliminated when the tasks are completed. For some, this anxiety is motivating. The multitasker has ten projects going on all at once and thrives off of completing a task just so a new one can take its place. For others, the thought of having unfinished work is terrifying. The procrastinator can’t stand open loops and incomplete tasks, so she waits until the very last minute to start. But even procrastinators can’t avoid the anxiety that creeps in as papers are left on the kitchen counter, the entry table, the steps, and the dining room buffet. Eventually, the paper clutter must be dealt with because it becomes it’s very own incomplete task. It’s time to cross this one off your list.

​Over the next few days, I'll be sharing a new series with you teaching you how to prevail over the paper piles! I’ll give you actionable tasks that will help you capture every loose piece of paper and give it a home, as well as incorporate all of your previous (inefficient and unused) filing systems. The final goal will be to easily and quickly access the documents you need when you need them! You’ll never have to panic over that lost paper again.

And we’re going to do it all in ONE week! Who’s with me?!

Just now checking out the series? Here's part 1, part 2, and part 3 so you can quickly follow along.

If you’re really motivated, you could knock this out in a few hours’ time with my friend Lisa Woodruff's Organize All Your Papers in One Weekend program. If you’ve only got 15-30 minutes a day, the results will be the same but at a slower pace. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to catch all the paper-processing details!