Put Your Paper Shredders and File Cabinets to Work

Decide which paperwork to pitch, scan, shred or save

Creating an organized system for household documents is a great way to reduce clutter and keep important files close at hand. Before tackling your paperwork, first determine which documents to keep, toss or shred.

Pitch It

The first step in organizing paperwork is throwing away unnecessary documents. Items like old birthday and holiday cards, newspapers, magazines, catalogs, invitations, desktop calendars from previous years and thank you notes can go directly into your recycling or waste receptacles. Items with sensitive information, such as bank and credit card statements, should be put into paper shredders before disposing. Paperwork that can be immediately thrown into waste receptacles includes:

– Receipts from everyday purchases

– Expired coupons

– Warranties from products no longer used

– Schoolwork from the kids (only special assignments should be kept)

– Outdated information like old contact lists

Save It

You might want to hang on to some papers for the short term, but other papers should be kept indefinitely. Invest in file cabinets   and labeled manila file folders   to create an efficient storage system for your saved papers. Then, sort your files according to the length of time you need to keep them. The following guidelines can help you determine what needs to be included in your long-term files.

Keep for the duration of ownership:

– Investment purchases

– Loan documents

– Vehicle records

– Product warranties

Keep for a year:

– Financial statements and year-end summaries

– Pay stubs

– Bills and bank records

Keep for seven years:

– Tax documents, including W2s and 1099s

Keep forever:

– Birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates

– Social security cards and passports

– Military discharge papers

– Retirement plan information

– Life insurance policies

Scan It

Electronic files are a convenient way to keep permanent records without the hassle of paper clutter. You may want to scan important paperwork with a document scanner and keep the electronic copy as back up. Then, save it on a hard drive, thumb drive, burned CD or an external hard drive. Some items to scan with a documents scanner include:

– Tax records

– W2s and 1099s

Shred It

Be careful throwing away any paperwork with personal information—especially anything that could be used to steal your identity. Even credit card solicitations can contain the valuable personal information identity thieves seek. Rather than throwing these sensitive documents in waste receptacles, where your information could be stolen, the safest plan is to destroy these documents with paper shredders. Paper shredders allow you to quickly dispose of confidential documents in seconds, including:

– Financial statements

– Medical records

– Credit reports

– Cancelled checks

Understanding what to do with paperwork can save you a lot of hassle and help you to better organize your home or office. Sort through papers a few times a year to determine what to save, throw away, scan or shred. Either utilize manila file folders to store documents in file cabinets or discard of unnecessary paper to keep your filing systems organized, consistent and efficient.

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Choose Day Planners, Wall Calendars or Desk Calendars

Discover the Calendar or Personal Organizer That Suits Your Organizational Style Best

Why not keep your own unique style while also keeping a schedule? When you’re looking for a calendar or personal organizer to keep you organized, be sure you find one that caters to your personal preferences. The more compatible the calendar is with your work, school or lifestyle, the more helpful it will be.

Academic calendars

Academic calendars are a great way for teachers, students and parents to plan throughout the school year. Teachers might consider dry erase academic calendars to write down class assignments from Monday to Friday. You can also find desktop calendars to keep notes and appointments in front of you. For parents, fill your academic calendar with vacation dates and school functions. Of course, students can take advantage of academic planners and calendars to keep track of assignment due dates.

Day planners

Whether traveling on business or just hopping between meetings, day planners provide the organization and note-keeping space you need in a compact product. Planners and organizers often have a monthly at-a-glance calendar to review your month, as well as a larger space for each day of the week. This allows users to fill out notes and appointments in more detail, making their day planners a source of organization and information. Some personal organizers also have a space to store business cards, take in-depth notes, record addresses or phone numbers and more. You can also keep everything you need on hand and protected with a personal organizer or day planner that zips closed.

Wall calendars

Wall calendars make it simple to view an entire month’s worth of appointments. Perfect for doctor’s offices, reception areas or your cubicle wall, you can find wall calendars with fun images to match your office décor. You might prefer wall calendars to day planners or personal organizers if you like to keep all your important dates at eye level. If this will help keep you organized, then a wall calendar may be right for you.

Desk calendars

Desk calendars provide ample room for scheduling and organizing while keeping information literally at your fingertips. Many offices choose to purchase them, since they can help keep desktops pristine and protected from scratches. Desk calendars are available as a pad or a base with refillable pages. Take advantage of the extra writing space with color-coded notes and appointment reminders. Since desk calendar pages are so large and not easily saved or transported, consider using wall calendars or day planners in addition to your desk calendar.

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