How To Keep Paperwork Organized

Simple tips to help you keep paperwork organized and paper clutter to a minimum! This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fellowes Brands. All opinions are 100% mine.

Am I the only one that dislikes dealing with paper clutter? I actually enjoy purging and organizing our home, but paperwork, not so much. Well I finally found a system that works and enables me to easily manage our paperwork, and I’m sharing the details with you today.

How To Keep Paperwork Organized

Handle it immediately-

Just like house clutter needs to be constantly dealt with, the same can be said about paperwork. One of the biggest culprits of paper clutter is incoming mail. I find that when I allow our mail to pile up for a few days, it continues to grow until the mail basket is overflowing. Here’s some simple ways to keep the mail clutter to a minimum:

• Pitch all junk mail immediately.
• Open the rest of the mail and sort based on importance.
• Set time aside each week to take care of bills, etc.
• Create a filing system that is not overly complicated and makes sense to you.

Set up a filing system-

Having a paperwork filing system that is simple and easy to maintain is key to staying organized. I currently have two files where I keep our family’s paperwork:

Temporary: This is a small bin with hanging files that holds our bills, business contracts and things that need reviewed or signed. Once I’m done with these papers or forms, I place them in a “to be filed” folder to move to a permanent file.

Permanent: This is where our important documents go. Here I keep all tax forms, medical records, contracts, financial records and anything that needs to be retained long-term. I have a large filing bin to hold these documents and I periodically purge old documents that are no longer relevant.

Go digital-

Paper piles tend to attract even more clutter. I’m a pen and paper type of gal, but I’ve gone digital with many of our files. I find that it has cut down our paperwork tremendously and it makes it easier to organize.

This is what I currently do:

• Scan paid invoices, bills and business receipts.
• I have digital files with specific categories (similar to file folders) to save our scanned paperwork.
• I use a cloud service similar to Dropbox to store files.
• Save important documents and photos on a USB drive as a backup. This is in addition to cloud storage.

Shred the rest-

I’ve shared in the past how much I enjoy my Fellowes 79Ci shredder. Since some of the papers that I pitch have personal information on them, I don’t feel comfortable simply tossing them in the trash. I can shred up to 16 sheets of paper at a time with staples and paper clips still attached. So not having to stop to remove these is a huge time saver!

Since it has an extended 20 minute run time, I can continue to focus on work and being productive. I also don’t have to stop what I’m doing to fuss with paper jams, because its 100% Jam Proof System enables it to power through tough jobs. The 79Ci also has SafeSense® Technology which automatically stops shredding when hands touch the paper opening. Because we have a very curious toddler in our home, this feature is a must. It’s also energy efficient 100% of the time and ultra-quiet, double bonus!

You can purchase the Fellowes 79Ci on Amazon.

How are you staying organized in the new year? As always, I’d love to hear from you!