This question came in from someone who is also pregnant with twins.

Seeing as you are the queen of de-clutter, I thought I would ask you where the best place to buy storage boxes is?

I need to start on my spare room cupboard (babies room) this weekend and have lots of files and papers that need to be sorted out.

My advice is actually contrary to what you’d expect – don’t buy a thing until AFTER the declutter is done. Just look at all the stuff I threw out here and what Anne, our makeover blogger, threw out here

I’d use the tops of photocopy paper boxes (or similar, like large shoeboxes) to sort the paper and once you decide how you want to store the paper, whether in files, plastic display folders, etc, then go out and buy just what you need.

When I’m organising people’s offices, all I take with me is a permanent marker and post-it notes and then only when it’s all done, we get the stuff if they don’t have it.

This post is about business filing but look at the pictures and apply the principles to your household stuff.

Some more posts on organising and storing paper

How to file

Different categories of paperwork

And more on paper organising

Hope this helps!

Any other tips for this pregnant mom?

When people join my mailing list, I send a question out in the autoresponder with their Organising Success Pack that says something like, “tell me your biggest organising challenge”.

I love it when people respond because not only do I get to know them better, but I also get blog topics

Amanda in Australia writes…

I have one monster thing I still need help with and that is organising my filing cabinet.

I start and have done well I thought..but I have problems with working out what headings to have to make this job easier if you get me…I mean..I have one hanging file marked ‘phone‘ and in there I can quickly put all my paid phone bills..and another for ‘House Rates‘ etc..and ‘Electricity‘ those are easy..but I have so many other things to do with my work that I have no idea where to put them under what heading..that I pile them altogether and then can’t find them if I ever need them again.

Invoices for example..do I file them under supplier name? It sounds stupid as I was a receptionist and can file really well..it’s the working out the filing system that I am not having luck with at my home..how come I can do this at work and yet when it’s my own I am stumped???

My paper clutter is still my biggest issue. Ok..well best keep moving..you asked what my biggest challenge still is..there ya go!

Here’s my suggestion for Amanda

1. File the same way you think
Ask yourself, “if I were looking for this piece of paper, what would I look under?”

I happen to know Amanda makes hand-made soaps and toiletries so if she has several suppliers, maybe she’d like to have a file binder called Suppliers, and then have separate dividers to file according to the individual names.

Something to look out for is this: you don’t want to be switching file dividers all the time. E.g. I file my insurance by Homeowners, Content, Car, Life so that even if I switch underwriters (as I did at the beginning of this year), I don’t have to rewrite the headings. Yes, I’m lazy.

In Amanda’s case, especially if I only have one supplier per type of material, I would have one divider per material supplier.

2. First general, then more specific
Take a pile of those papers and a separate page to make notes. For each piece of paper, write down a general category and then specifically, what you may want to call it.

E.g. a credit card statement from Absa would be general – credit card; specific – Absa.

Go through the whole pile and soon themes will emerge. You might realise that you have 3 credit cards so you need 3 dividers, but only one essential oils supplier, so you just need 1 divider for the essential oils stuff.

3. Keep your system fluid
Before you make a new file or filing section, check to see if you already have something similar. If you realise that you don’t like the old name you chose, change it.

Also, if you’re a person who hates filing and you know full well you’re never going to punch any papers, get hanging files so you need to just drop the papers inside. See the picture above for examples of hanging files

Nothing is set in stone – after all, this is YOUR filing system and must work for you.

These buddy drawer systems also work well for the lazy filer. I have the big drawers but you get systems with drawers about one-third the size too which would suit invoices, etc. a lot better.

Hi Marcia, My biggest organising challenge is trying to find a way to keep (and later find to use again without tearing the house apart) all my different teaching worksheets and the accompanying examples from arts and crafts and science things that I do. I teach several different classes that range from three-year-olds all the way up to teaching English to executives. Therefore I have a wide assortment of materials that I use, much of which I have made myself. Any ideas? I do not have an extra room or even a closet at home for all this. Besides private classes, I work in two schools, where in one I have no space to leave anything and in the other I have a small cupboard. So most of the stuff goes home to our three bedroom apartment – with nine people living in it! Susan

Here’s my answer.

Wow, Susan, that IS a challenge. Teaching all those classes with no storage space. And then having to bring it home to your apartment.

I have a couple of suggestions for you.

1. Go through everything you have and declutter as much as possible
It’s even more important to have only what you need when you have limited space.

You might find that you’ve been teaching a particular subject for years and you know it so well that you don’t need half the stuff you think you do. (I’ve found this to be true for my goal-setting and time management workshops)

2. Categorise and label
Now that you have less stuff, it’s going to be really easy to sort it all out into files and label it.

The better you label, the easier it will be to find.

I’d tend to sort first by subject, then by level. E.g. English – 3-year-olds, executives, etc.

3. Dedicate a place for all your teaching worksheets
You now have less stuff and it’s all organised. Now you know exactly how much you have to store.

Definitely use the small cupboard in the one school; if possible, I’d try to fit everything you need at that school into that cupboard.

Then dedicate a small space in your apartment (even if only a banker’s box) for the rest of the stuff.

By the way, there’s more on paper organising in 7 easy steps to organise your office.

Any other suggestions for Susan?

Anne here! It is Week #4 and my desk is still clean!

Clean, but honestly, for me, this week was the most difficult by far!

Why? Because Step Four is all about the Paper Clutter. And not only do I have tons of paper clutter on my desk, but I have tons in my drawer, tons in my files and more hidden in boxes in the Long-Term Storage closet. My oh My!

Where do I even start?

I started by clearing off the top of my desk, clearing out the drawer, pulling all long-term files, and pulling out all the regular files.

YES… I took everything out of everywhere! And to make sure I worked on it, I piled it on my bed… no sleep for me until it was better!

I know what you are thinking…

Why, yes! It would have been, and considering I have been taking the easy way out for years, I thought that the only way I would finish this step was if I did something drastic! (Marcia here - don’t you love her spirit? LOL)

Mountain of paper in the middle of my bed = drastic!

1. The old tax and real estate files will go into the tubs and into Long Term Storage in the big closet.
2. The Action and Reference Idea files will go in the desk drawer.
3. The rest of the files will go in the file cabinet. I am going to make them fit! Surprise! It won’t be as hard as you might think! When I culled through all the files, I reduced the amount down to one action file drawer, one tub of long term, one drawer (not full) of manuals, and one drawer of Current tax, bills, medical, insurance files. REALLY! That is all that is left! I KNOW! I can’t believe it myself! (Marcia here - Anne, I’m so proud of you!)

Let me give you some specific examples of what I did:

My piles of actionable papers were reduced into good looking Immediate Action Folders located on the desktop and As Convenient Action Folders in the desk drawer. (Marcia here - Gee! those are very good-looking files!)

Business cards were input into My Contacts and then tossed.

Notes and ideas on little pieces of paper, previously stuffed in the drawers, in my inbox, in the pockets of my planner and in my purse were added to the Notes section in my Franklin planner, appointments listed on my calendar and tasks noted on my Master To-Do List to be referenced when I do my weekly planning.

Bills were also noted on my calendar then put in an action folder.

I consolidated 3 notepads -full of lists and ideas and thoughts -into one notebook with the plan to make notations ONLY in this one place. (Marcia here - this is going to work out so well – no more looking for that “bright idea” in several places)

My projects were planned step-by-step to help track goals and documentation/supplies were filed in separate labeled folders and buckets for each project.

WHEW! But I didn’t stop there.

I made new folders for my bills… I threw away all the old statements. I only kept account policies and such.

Then I added an information sheet to the inside of each folder on which I listed all the contact information, website, password, APR and such. Now the folders will only need to be referenced if I have to make contact and can be kept in a more long term storage area. (Marcia here - I absolutely LOVE this idea!)

Part of clearing the paper clutter involves keeping the volume of paper to a minimum.

Keeping this in mind, I went online and went paperless on as many bills as possible.
I now also review the day’s mail over the trash can, tossing all ads and junk immediately.
Then the rest gets handled immediately… Bills listed on the calendar and stuck in the BILLS to Pay action file. When the bill is paid, it is crossed off the calendar, noted on a yearly financial spreadsheet that is in the BILLS folder, and filed in the monthly file.

“But Anne,” you say, “doesn’t this just give you more email to deal with?”

Why, yes! It does!

And when you join me next week for Step Five… we will talk about how I dealt with my electronic clutter –all 40 Gigs of it!

Marcia here - I can’t WAIT to see how she handles the email clutter – can you?

Anne, this was an outstanding effort on your part and I’m sending all my clients (past and present) to this post to see how beautifully you broke the whole process down!

Anne’s busy working through 7 easy steps to organise your office. If you’d like to check it out, have a read.

I haven’t done one of these favourite organising tools posts for a looong time.

And every time I use this particular tool (every single day of my life) I think, “I really should post this” so I finally got my act together.

You all know how much I love plastic envelopes. Here in South Africa, I’ve only ever seen the bigger ones (A4 – for my overseas readers, that’s the size of printer paper) so imagine my delight when I found A5 ones (half the size of A4) on our visit to the UK in May.

If you’re interested, I got this one at Tesco’s for the grand sum of 89p My cost per use is already less than a penny!

Why I love it

• The PERFECT size for carrying in your handbag or in your hand
• Nothing falls out
• I can see the contents because it’s transparent
• Pretty pink colour always helps

I always have stuff with me to read, to work on (business planning), blog notes, etc and I keep all that stuff in here because I like things contained.

Do you use these plastic folders? What do you use them for?

P.S. This one is called Snopake Polyfile A5

If you’re ever going to keep up with all the paper in your life, you have to decide on a system and keep tweaking it.

You can read about how to deal with mail clutter and decide if that system will work for you, or if you need to make slight adjustments.

I’ll talk more about actual filing in later posts but before I do, I like to go back a step.

1. Examine the sources of all the paper in your life. Write them all down.

• Magazines
• Mail
• Printing emails
• Notes from school
• _________
• _________
• _________

2. See where you can eliminate or reduce the flow of paper into your life.

• If you get accounts by email and in the mail, email the company and stop the mail.
• If you and two friends read the same magazine, buy one every 3 months and pass it around.
• Sign notes from school immediately and send back the next day. Don’t leavethem on your counter a minute longer than you have to.

3. Decide on your comfort level for accounts/ filing

• I only keep 3 months’ worth of statements except for our water and electricity bills and that’s because it is a crazy nightmare dealing with Joburg Connect to get queries sorted out. There are MANY great things about South Africa; that’s not one of them
• I have one place in my study for “things to file”. Since I don’t keep a lot of paper, my comfort level went from once a week (about 18 months ago) to once every 3 – 4 weeks. I can still get through that pile in less than 10 minutes so it does work for me.

Your turn. What are your good ideas on dealing with paper?

Resource
7 easy steps to organise your office