The (Document) Struggle Is Real

I swear, papers can multiply like rabbits! One day you have just a couple sitting on your table and the next it’s a huge overwhelming mountain. There seem to be so many questions surrounding what papers and information should be kept, how long to keep them for and how securely they should be kept. I feel that a lot of this is up to personal decision making, however if you can’t seem to decide, then follow the handy guide below to get you started.

http://getbuttonedup.com/tools2/howlongtokeepimpinfo.pdf

While this guide is extremely informational and helpful in getting you started, it doesn’t solve all of your paper problems. You’ll have an easier time with the decision making and feeling less guilty throwing away (recycling!) those papers you don’t need, but you still have an every day job. If you get mail every day, then you still have to pay attention to those papers every day! If you ignore the incoming items, they’ll in fact pile up again. Got kids at home? Documents, artwork and report cards coming home nearly every day need to be handled, too. Own your own business? All those receipts for business related purchases need to be kept in order!

The list for incoming papers can go on and on but you get the idea. If you don’t pay attention to and sort through your papers on at least a weekly basis it will continue to accumulate and overwhelm you! If you don’t have a great storing/filing system already, get one in order. Start by trying to figure out what sort of documents you tend to accumulate. Try thinking in categories such as medical, health insurance, car repair, home upgrades or manuals, business receipts, taxes, monthly bills, etc. Depending on your preference, get a filing system that works for you. It doesn’t have to be complicated but it has to work for you. You could have something as simple as one folder for each category or something complex as a hanging file storage drawer. Whatever will motivate you to put documents away more frequently is what you should select!

Try not to overthink it, keep up on those daily paper decisions and happy organizing!

If you need assistance in sorting through and filing away your documents, please feel free to contact me with your concerns or questions! You can follow this link to send me an email: https://www.organizemefrederick.org/contact

You may also feel free to call or text me at 240-242-7152

PS, you aren’t alone!