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The final step in your home filing system is to actually make time in your schedule to do your filing. To get started with your home filing system you will need to answer a few questions and gather a few supplies. So, you are combining a category based filing system with an alphabetical filing system. Papers related to your kids or other family members, etc.
Today’s technological advancement has also allowed us to go digital with our documents. If you have enough space in your home office, a mail station can add more control over the papers that come in or go out. In a wall grid, you can add pictures, badges, to-do lists, sticky notes, and so on.
Your Home Office Organization Can Stop Here
Setting up a home filing system to help organize all of your paperwork is a huge task. It’s hard to know what paperwork you need to keep and what paperwork you can toss. Creating an organized filing system that is easy for you to use will help reduce the paper clutter in your home. We're not just decluttering; we're creating a workspace that will help you be more productive. There's nothing wrong with having the kids' pictures and family photos displayed in your home - but your home office is not the place for them. Stuffing papers in the kitchen drawer or hall closet can be classified as record keeping, but obviously it is not the best system.
And the home and car files in the back based on how often she needed to file and find files. I’m still filling my file folders, so they’re thinnish at the moment. Maybe the tab thing will work itself out when they get a little fuller.
Plan to organize on a regular basis
White tape creates the boxes, and dates can be written in erasable ink or pinned with sticky notes. If you want help decluttering and organizing your filing cabinet, I offer professional organizing services and organizing mindset coaching. You can use a label maker if you’d like to create labels, but it’s certainly not necessary. Check around your home or office for existing supplies before purchasing items online or in store. By following the steps I shared in this post you can create and maintain an organized system with ease.
Different colour tabs with label inserts to mark the file folders. At the end of the year, remove all the folders, label fresh manila folders with the same category names and place them in the files. Go through the old folders to see if anything needs to be transferred to the current files, and place the rest in your archive.
Install a Wall of Cabinets
Under medical, I include dental, vision, chiropractic – anything to do with our health. This isn’t a very big stack of papers, but I can’t go all digital with this (YET – I’m slowly converting more and more to just scanning). The cubbies, computer stand, androomy woven basketson this desk are there to help keep everything organized. And the houseplants, terrarium, and framed art look warm and inviting. Plus, a set of lightweight desktop drawers works well as a catch-all for clutter. Avoid letting your filing pile up; it’s far easier to file five pieces of paper in one sitting than five hundred!
Making a simple paper filing system is key and must account for all the different types of paperwork you have. Plus, you have to stay on top of getting rid of papers you don't need to streamline the storage. I don’t have very many file folders , as I only have recently started doing taxes, and only yesterday acquired a vehicle. But I have a folder for my important documents already, and have been trying to keep my other related ones in folders .
A great way to organize your home filing system is by category – and then organize the files inside that category alphabetically. Most household paperwork falls into a group of common categories. But Randolph's School Papers would be in a completely different file cabinet drawer or further back at the very least. Your file cabinet would have files for ABC Bank, Abigail's School Papers, Acme Lawn Service all in a row. Using a top or category based system, you would set up your files by the type of content that you include inside. If you are still operating the old-fashioned way, but interested in going green, you can transition to paperless over time.
The best way to tackle paperwork is the way that works for the individual setting up their filing system. What works for one person might not work for another person, and that’s perfectly all right. To use this method, it’s important to go through the office or even the rest of the house, collect all paperwork, and put it in a specific location.
The following list may provide you with some background on labeling your files. You will also be able to forecast future profits or losses using this reference. Our business and organization will continue to reach new heights from proper filing mechanisms. These legal formalities include income tax, documentation of value-added tax, insurance, etc., to name a few.
It would take me a year just to get the last seven years plus our current paperwork scanned and in order. We also have a sideline home business, but thankfully we only have two years of records accumulated so far related to the business. I could easily get overwhelmed just thinking about the magnitude of this task. I do appreciate your helpful suggestions, however, I will have to come up with a system that works best for me. I do like the idea of scanning some records — those that are not legal, medical, major purchases or otherwise critical in nature.
To make things easier I did create a free organized home filing system worksheet to help you created an organized home filing system you can create with ease. Bulletin or message boards are a feature in many home offices. Alas, rather than keep us posted on up-to-date events and helping us to keep our lives organized, they often degenerate into cluttered time capsules.
You may have to spend some time sorting through papers, materials, and documents to match like items with like, but the essential structure of your files is already there. Check out my post on sorting papers for some quick tips here and read up on paper decluttering tips here. Once you’ve confirmed your final list of files name, you can organize the file names according to your filing system. You can write your list over on the same or separate piece of paper, or use a series of sticky notes to organize items one by one. You can use this point as a final check to make sure the filing system and file names work well with one another. I typed out my categories and then attached them to the paper provided and then added them to the hanging folder.
Develop a standardized naming convention for scanned files. This will make the files easy to find and search for in your paperless system. I hope this article has provided you with all the key points to remember while setting up your home office filing system. Don’t forget to put the things back in their designated areas after use. Once a week or so, go through your stuff on your desk and throw out pens that don’t work, unneeded papers, etc. Your desk must be the most organized place in your home office.
You may be tempted to color-code your files, use your computer to print file labels or otherwise make your files more attractive. However, when you have to make a change, such as adding a single folder, you will be unhappy if you find you're out of the right color folders or have to hand-write a file label. Use open shelves to organize and style your home office. In this office by designer Joanna Whittaker, the two white shelves put a substantial amount of empty wall space to good use while leaving enough room for a floor lamp. The chic arrangement is kept organized with the use of two large baskets on the bottom shelves that hold the messier work items.
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