by Charles Simmins

Created on: January 24, 2009   Last Updated: June 28, 2010

Organizing paperwork can be one of the most time consuming and least satisfying tasks in any home or business. It has to be done so here are some paperwork organization tips.

Above all is rule number one: Handle a piece of paper once. In real life that means handle paperwork as few times as possible. Don't spend your time managing stacks of paper; do something with them.

Set aside some time every day to organize paperwork. Open the mail, look at the memos, take those pieces of paper into your hands. Then, take action.

Place a box nearby and toss into it all the paperwork that you don't know how to handle. This is your "discard in six months" box because you are going to dump it every six months. If papers have been in that box for six months without you needing them, the odds are that you never will and they can be disposed of.

You will also need two other piles, one for paperwork to toss out and one for paperwork to shred. If you work in a company, it will have a policy about shredding. If you are organizing your paperwork at home, plan on shredding anything a criminal could use to steal your identity.

What will be left to organize will be the paperwork that you know you need and must keep. Bills, memos, letters - all of the paperwork that you will have to take an action on. You may choose to pay bills and then answer letters at this point. If there are a lot of items that need your attention, you will want to organize them even further.

You can organize the paperwork by due date. Set up a series of folders with labelled with dates as far into the future as necessary and file away.

Other tips suggest a folder system by category. Group like papers together, and handle them as a group. This works if you like piles of paper but you can use folders or drawers to keep the categories separate.

Still another suggestion is to handle each paper as you come to it. Do what needs to be done and then move on to the next item.

Prioritizing the paperwork has some utility. Two folders, one that is labelled "Urgent" and one that is not, could form the basis for this method of paperwork organization.

Folders are a must for any type of paperwork organization. They let you separate the paperwork into groups that mean something to you and allow you to proceed with a plan. Whether you need two folders or two hundred, you will need folders.

One last tip for paperwork organization. Do not create more paperwork. Do you have to print out every e-mail or make a printed copy of every memo? If a document can be scanned and kept in electronic form, do you need to hold on to the original?

Get rid of the junk mail. Use a "discard in six months" box. Use folders to organize the paperwork into a system that you understand and that lets you set priorities. Handle paperwork as little as possible. These are some tips for organizing paperwork.

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