How to Organize Your Personal Files
By Matthew Martinez
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The way you organize your office can have a direct effect on how efficiently you run your office. In particular, office files and folders can become a disorganized mess if you don’t establish a uniform filing system. Once you get your file cabinet, folders and labels, you have a couple of options for organizing your files and folders in a practical manner so that you and your employees can access materials quickly.
Basic Alphabetical Organization
Organize your office file folders in a basic alphabetical system if you have a large group of customers or contacts that you need to maintain. Use standard manila or colored folders to represent each contact.
Write each contact’s last name, a comma, then the first name on a label and place it on the lip of each folder containing his information.
Sort all of your folders by last name and first name if you have two files with the same last name. Insert the alphabetized folders into each draw of your file cabinet from top to bottom.
Label the outside of each draw by the first letter of the last names contained in that drawer for easy reference. For instance, “A to F,” “G to L,” “M to R, “S to Z.”
Category Organization
Purchase a series of large hanging file folders in addition to standard manila or color file folders if you have a variety of different categories of files to organize. For instance, you would use this file organization system you might have a group of employee files, some customer files, invoices for individual suppliers, and signed contracts to organize.
Write the name of each category you’re organizing on each label included with your large hanging file folder. For instance, “Invoices” or “Contracts.” If you need more space, you can set aside more than one hanging file folder for each category. Slide the label into the plastic tab and insert the tab into the top of each hanging file folder.
Order each manila file folder for each category alphabetically by the last name or company name. When done, you’ll have separate piles in alphabetical order.
Place the large hanging file folders in your drawers first—order them by priority. For instance, if you need to pull invoices frequently, put those at the front of each drawer. You can also order the hanging file folder categories alphabetically as well.
Insert each pile of manila folders into the correct hanging folder.
Last Updated: July 24, 2020 References
This article was co-authored by Christel Ferguson. Christel Ferguson is the owner of Space to Love, a decluttering and organization service. Christel is certified in Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture, Interior Design & Landscape and has been a member of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO) for over five years.
There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 12,184 times.
Organizing personnel files can seem like a daunting task, but choosing a method and sticking to it can really simplify the process. You’ll probably need to organize hardcopy paper files and electronic files separately. Choose to organize your documents chronologically by each employee, or sorted by individual document type. Make sure you label files carefully and protect sensitive information with proper security measures.
Christel Ferguson. Professional Organizer Expert Interview. 17 December 2018. This type of organizational system is best for people who tend to look at the bigger picture more, though personal preference is the main determining factor. For this type of organization, you’ll need to group files by document type, keeping all similar files together for every employee. For example, you could have one file that contains all of the employee drug tests, another one for all employee performance evaluations, and yet another for necessary medical records. [3] X Research source
- Within each document type grouping, you should organize the files alphabetically to make it easier to find each employee’s forms as needed.
What’s on your bucket list? Maybe you want to travel to Paris, hit a hole-in-one, or simply spend more time with family.
Each of us has a unique list of things we want to accomplish in life, but one activity that should be on everyone’s to-do list is getting affairs in order. This includes gathering and organizing personal information, financial records, and legal documents.
After a death occurs, loved ones are often tasked with many responsibilities. By compiling, sorting, and organizing these important papers, you can relieve your loved ones of this work.
Continue reading to learn the most important personal information you need to gather and how to organize it.
This article on important planning documents is provided by Everplans — The web’s leading resource for planning and organizing your life. Create, store and share important documents that your loved ones might need.
Your personal information will be essential for your family to wrap up your personal affairs.
By organizing your personal information, you can help your family more easily:
Learning how to organize personal information, is very important and should be one of your categories when you set up your paperwork system. On the page which discusses your home filling system, I talk you through picking a consistent system, which will work for your needs and the way you think. However, when you organize your personal information there tends to be a mix of paper based and electronic files, not to mention all those codes and numbers which belong to each individual person nowadays. This page looks at all of those tricky bits of information and aims, to give you a host of ideas which will help you to organize personal information in your household.
Read more: Organize personal information via Declutter and Organize
We’ve all experienced the frustration of looking for a document on our computer that you know is there but, no matter how hard you search, just can’t find the file you need. You can use File Explorer’s search tool, of course. But you’ll need to remember at least part of the name of the file for that. If you can’t, though, you’ll need to trawl through folders to find it. That is, of course, if you use folders. Lots of us still leave files lying on the desktop or loose in My Documents. It’s chaos.
It doesn’t have to be like that, get organized and your files will be much easier to find. Organizing files and folders might sound like the kind of boring job that you can put off until another day, or get round to doing when you have nothing better to do. Don’t. Start today.
Ways to organize files on Windows
One place for all documents
Store all your files in the My Documents folder. That way, when you need to search for one, you can eliminate other folders on your PC, making it much quicker. Don’t store them loose in My Documents, however. Use sub-folders to organize documents of different types.
Name sub-folders logically
It’s much easier to find files if the folders you put them in have names that mean something to you. So think carefully about how you want to organize documents before you start. Having one folder for all your PDF invoices is fine when you start out, but after a few months or years, finding the file you need becomes tricky. So, create a folder for the current year, then inside that, create one for the current month. And then add new folders for each new month as they come around. Do the same when a new year comes along.
Clean up PC clutter
Getting rid of files you don’t need doesn’t just keep your PC tidy and well organized, it can help it run faster too. Whether it’s uninstalling apps or clearing out Windows’ Registry, it’s a good idea to give your PC a regular spring clean.
We recommend you try CleanMyPC. It makes it easy to uninstall lots of apps with one click and can clear out Windows Registry database very quickly and easily. Download CleanMyPC and start bringing your PC into order.
Make file names descriptive
You might think that if you store files in lots of sub-folders, you don’t need to worry too much about the name. For example, if you create one invoice a month for a client, you could just call it “clientname_invoice” and save it in the folder for the current month. What happens if you need to share that file, though? The name could create confusion for the person you share it with. It’s better to be descriptive in a file name, even if that replicates part of the sub-folder name. It will also help Windows find it if you need to search for it.
Use consistent naming conventions
Naming conventions are important, especially if you work as part of a team and even more so if that team is based in more than one location. If everyone sticks to the same naming conventions, everyone else knows what to search for when they’re looking for files. If the naming convention includes a date, it also reduces the chance of having multiple files with the same name.
Even if you work on your own, having naming conventions means you don’t have to think about what name to give a file when you save it.
Use abbreviations carefully
The downside of using descriptive filenames is that they can become very long. The answer is to abbreviate words. However, you need to be careful how you do this. You probably won’t have any trouble working out that ‘Feb’ is February, but other abbreviations may mean very little in a few months when you’re looking for the file.
File documents immediately
When you create a document and save it, save it to its correct folder straight away. Don’t put it on the desktop and rely on your future self to come along and tidy it away. They won’t thank you for it.
Archive files regularly
If there are documents that you’re unlikely to need in the future, archive them. Copy them to an external disk or online storage service and then delete them from your computer. Don’t forget to keep a backup of your archive and make sure you name archives with the date they were created so you can find documents easily again.
Create ‘Favorites’ for regularly used folders
Windows’ Favorites menu sites on the left hand side of every window and if you store folders you need to regularly access there, you can find them easily,, with when you want o access a file inside them and when you want to save a file to them. To add a folder to Favorites, just drag it onto Favorites in the sidebar.
Organize your notes
If your the type of person who keeps Notepad files or word processing documents full of notes on your desktop, it’s time to change. Replace those scraps of notes with tool like Evernote or OneNote. Both these apps will keep your notes safe and allow you to add more as well as tag and search for them. Best of all, they’re all kept in one database file, so they don’t clutter up your PC.
Keeping your PC organized may seem like a painful and laborious process, but it doesn’t have to be. By adopting a few simple rules and conventions and being disciplined enough to stick to them, you can make it very simple. Combine that with using CleanMyPC to get rid of files you don’t need, and a backup tool to archive those files you might need in the future, your PC will run smoothly and securely for years to come.
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Organizing documents is an important aspect of running an efficient home or office. Important paperwork can become a burden when it is not properly stored, so utilizing one of the many different methods of organization can help keep a filing system running smoothly. Paper and electronic storage systems are the two most popular methods. Within each there are many opportunities to organize by alphabetical standards or by importance. In addition, there are a few rules about getting rid of documents that help keep any file organization system at a manageable level.
Documents can be organized into folders and then stored in filing cabinets.
The most traditional method for organizing documents is by using physical folders and filing cabinets. This system of document management allows for large quantities of documents and paperwork to be stored. Thick cardboard folders are filled with documents and then placed within a filing cabinet. Most filing cabinets allow the folders to hang from a set of metal rails for fast movement and reorganization.
A more modern solution to keeping paperwork safe and continually available is by using computers. Whether the documents are scanned and saved online or organizing software is utilized, this helps reduce clutter. Electronically organizing documents places a digital replica of important documents either online or on a hard drive so they can be quickly accessed at any later time. This eliminates the need for storing paper files, which can take up a great amount of space in any home or office.
No matter if documents are stored electronically or in physical form, there are a few different methods that can keep the files from becoming a confusing jumble. Alphabetically sorting electronic and physical files is a simple way of organizing documents that makes them available for fast retrieval. Organizing files by category is also useful because dividing digital and paper folders into “Car,” “House,” “Tax,” and various business categories increases efficiency. Another method is to divide physical files by importance so if documents need to be removed in case of emergency, the most necessary pieces are quickly available.
Discarding files is also a great method for organizing documents because it keeps both the electronic and physical file collection from taking up too much space. A general rule is that all tax documents should be kept at least three years. Hold onto complicated tax documents, like audit information and self-employed paperwork, for six years. Other items, however, should be kept forever, like social security cards, birth certificates and marriage certificates.
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Discussion Comments
I used to have filing cabinets filled with endless folders and papers but I have been able to turn my office into an entirely paperless operation. I got rid of anything I didn’t need and scanned the rest.
As much as possible I try to get all correspondence and documents in electronic formats. I have a pretty detailed filing system within my computer but it is still much easier than dealing with a mountain of dead trees. Ivan83 March 16, 2012
No matter what your system is, make sure that you have a system for organizing important documents. Pick a system and be consistent because having your documents out of order can be a huge hurdle to your business.
My parents ran a small business for a number of years but my mom was terrible at clerical work. She had a mind for business but was kind of scatterbrained. There were folders and papers strewn all over several offices. Important items would go missing because of a total lack of document organization. The business survived but they could have saved themselves a lot of headaches by using a filing system nextcorrea March 15, 2012
I have a masters degree in Library Science so organizing documents is kind of my thing. A lot of people think about the Dewey decimal system when they think of organizing lots of information in one place but there are actually other cataloging systems that are used widely.
I will spare you a long boring list of them but it is worth mentioning that there is a new system that has been in the works for over a decade and will be rolled out sometime soon. It is called FRBR – Functional Reference for Bibliographic Records. It promises to expand and elaborate on all the other systems while offering new chances for research and discovery to the user. It is hard to convey how exciting this is but it might change the way we organize information forever.
Can you quickly locate last year’s income tax return? Do you have the contents of your wallet and your account information recorded somewhere in case it is stolen? Can you find your homeowners insurance policy? If you can’t answer ‘yes’ to these three questions – don’t panic – but you may need to take some important steps towards getting organized.
The benefits of organizing your records include simplifying your finances, reducing stress, being prepared for unexpected events and having more time for fun activities. You will need to identify what to keep, who will maintain the records, where to keep items and when your files should be updated. Most importantly, communicate to a family member or friend what you have done so they can help if needed.
I suggest the following 10 categories to separate your documents (with examples):
1. Financial Management – bank statements, credit card information, loans records
2. Investments – stocks and bonds, IRAs, savings bonds
3. Income Tax Information – tax returns, supporting documents including charitable gifts
4. Insurance and Annuity Documents – original policies and recent statements
5. Estate Documents – wills, powers of attorney, trusts, living wills
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6. Legal Documents – real estate settlements, birth/marriage/divorce records, passports
7. Employment and Military Records – employee benefits, military service and discharge papers
8. Home Records – major renovation receipts, appraisals, list or video of home contents
9. Medical History – doctors, current medications, allergies, summaries of recent appointments
10. Leave a Legacy – personal letter of instruction, family history, wishes for family members
If you have made it this far you are probably wondering what you can get rid of or how long to keep old records. While there are many opinions on this matter, here are my guidelines. Please err on the side of caution if you think you want or need to hang on to something longer.
Keep 7 Years – Year-end bank/brokerage/retirement statements, cancelled checks, credit card statements, major expense documentation, income tax returns and supporting documents.
Keep Until Disposal – Home improvement records, cost basis of investments, vehicle titles, service contracts/warranties, real estate deeds and settlement sheets, loan statements, stocks, bonds and CDs.
Keep Until Updated – Listing of safe deposit box contents, monthly bank statements, quarterly retirement and pension statements, list of credit card numbers, annual insurance policy statements and inventory of household items.
Everything Else Should Be Kept Permanently – If you have a large volume of files you should definitely consider scanning and saving to your computer or other hard drive to save space. Permanent records should be kept in a safe deposit box or a fire-resistant safe. All other documents should be kept in an easy to access file. All documents scanned to computers should be backed up regularly.
Once all of your hard work and planning is complete, don’t forget to communicate where things are to someone else!
Do you have financial records that you don’t know what to do with? Do you have stacks of unopened bills? Do you stress out at tax time trying to find all your required documents? And are you lacking a system for managing all this mess? Well, you aren’t alone. Most people could use a thorough financial house cleaning right now and a little regular maintenance to keep their financial records in good shape.
If you’re ready to put an end to the mess, the following steps can walk you down the path of organization:
Gather all your financial documents.
This should include paperwork, bills, and unopened mail.
Set up a filing system.
Use the following table as a guide to organize your personal files. For most of the primary subjects, you need only one file. You may find that fewer or more files are necessary depending on your personal situation, preferences, or number of documents you have for a particular file.
| Folder | What to Keep There |
|---|---|
| Advisors | List of names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the important people in your financial life. |
| Auto | Car or truck title and maintenance record. |
| Bank Accounts | Keep your monthly statement until it is reconciled and the next monthly statement has come in. |
| Bills Due | Immediately after opening mail, file bills you have to pay here. |
| Contracts | Legal agreements (like divorce papers) and employment contracts. |
| Credit Cards | An annual credit report, your current monthly statement, and older statements that contain expensive items that are under warranty through your credit card company. |
| Education | Enrollment records, diplomas, certificates, grade cards, transcripts, and progress reports. |
| Employment | Employee handbook and benefits handbook, paycheck stubs (the most recent if cumulative data appears on the stub), employee evaluations, current resumé. |
| Healthcare | Medical records, vaccination information, receipts. |
| Home Repair and Maintenance | Records and receipts for any home services, repairs, or equipment (such as lawn mowers). |
| Insurance | Any insurance policies you have: home, life, auto, medical, personal property, and so on. |
| Investments | Bank investment account statements, brokerage account records, mutual fund statements, retirement plans, IRAs, and other investments. |
| Loans | All documents pertaining to a loan for as long as you owe money on the loan. |
| Read | Important financial materials that you’ll read at a more convenient time. File it in the proper place after reading. |
| Tax Records | W-2s, 1099s, charitable contribution receipts, and other items pertaining to the current tax year. Keep tax returns and supporting documents for at least three years. |
| To Do | Pending finance-related projects. |
| Utilities | Current monthly statements for water, gas, electric, phones, and cable or satellite TV. |
| Warranties | Keep warranty information on file until an item is no longer under warranty. |
| Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning | All current, executed estate-planning documents, as well as a list of beneficiary designations. |
Separate your paperwork into four stacks: Bills To Be Paid, To Do/Read, File, and Shred.
Place the Bills To Be Paid stack into your new Bills Due file, place the papers in your To Do/Read stack into your new To Do or Read files, file all items in your File stack in their appropriate files, and shred the remaining papers.
Every time you retrieve the mail or obtain additional paperwork from work, from the bank, and so on, immediately follow Steps 3 and 4.
Image by Jo Zixuan Zhou © The Balance 2020
Keeping your electronic documents organized can be quite a chore in today’s “wired” world.
In addition to storing documents locally on desktops, laptops or mobile devices more and more businesses are using the cloud for basic business applications and file storage.
Further complicating the storage issue is the need for many businesses to share documents between employees. Within an office, this is typically accomplished by using a file server or network attached storage device (NAS).
If shared mobile access is required, documents can be stored in the cloud and shared by assigning access permissions.
The result of all this can be a file management nightmare with some of a person’s documents stored in the cloud and some locally, and even individual documents stored only in one place or the other.
Organization Is the Key to Electronic File Management
Wherever the documents are stored it is important to keep them organized and up-to-date. The goal of electronic file management is to ensure that you can find what you’re looking for, even if you’re looking for it years after its creation.
Most business folks have at one time or another been in the embarrassing position of having a customer call and not being able to quickly locate the relevant invoice or other important customer documents. Equally annoying is scrambling around at year-end trying to find documents pertaining to company accounts for the accountant or even worse, the taxman.
Proper organization of digital documents is especially critical in a shared environment – if one of your employees is absent (temporarily or permanently!) you should be able to easily locate any documents created or managed by that person.
The potential loss of data issues with disgruntled, departing employees is one more reason to protect your business data.
These file management tips will help you keep your files accessible:
1. Use the Default Installation Folders for Program Files
Use the default file locations when installing application programs. Under Windows, by convention application program files reside under the (Drive Letter:)->Program Files directory. Installing applications elsewhere is confusing and unnecessary.
2. One Place for All Documents
Place all documents under a single “root” folder. For a single user in a Windows environment, the default location is the My Documents folder.
In a file sharing environment try to do the same. Create a single root folder (called “Shared Documents” for example) and store all documents in subfolders inside the root folder. Having a single location for all electronic documents makes it easier to find things and to run backups and archives.
3. Create Folders in a Logical Hierarchy
These are the drawers of your computer’s filing cabinet, so to speak. Use plain language to name your folders; you don’t want to be looking at this list of folders in the future and wondering what “TFK” or whatever other interesting abbreviation you invented means.
4. Nest Folders Within Folders
Create other folders within these main folders as need arises. For instance, a folder called “Invoices” might contain folders called “2018”, “2017” and “2016”. A folder named for a client might include the folders “customer data” and “correspondence”. The goal is to have every file in a folder rather than having a bunch of orphan files listed.
Do not create complex, deeply-layered folder structures. Wherever possible use descriptive file names instead.
5. Follow the File Naming Conventions
Some operating systems (such as Unix) do not allow spaces in file or folder names, so avoid this if your computing environment is mixed. Instead, use the underscores as a delimiter (e.g. Doe_John_Proposal.doc.) Other characters such as / ? : * | ” ^ are also prohibited in file or folder names under Windows.
Use descriptive file names for easy identification and retrieval but don’t go overboard – file/path names have length limits which vary between operating systems.
Under Windows the maximum full path length for a file (e.g. the drive letter + folder names + file name) is 260 characters. Use common abbreviations wherever possible, such as Jan for January or Corp for Corporation.
6. Be Specific
Give electronic files logical, specific names and include dates in file names if possible. The goal when naming files is to be able to tell what the file is about without having to open it and look. So if the document is a letter to a customer reminding him that payment is overdue, call it something like “overdue_20180115”; rather than something like “letter”. How will you know who the letter is to without opening it?
If you are sharing files via email or portable devices you may want to have the file name include more specific information, since the folder information will not be included with the shared file.
For example, if your document resides in My DocumentsInvoices2017CustomersDoe_John_20180416.doc and the file is shared or emailed all the recipient will see is the Doe_John_20170416.doc and may not be able to tell that the file is a customer invoice without opening it.
7. File as You Go
The best time to file a document is when you first create it. So get in the habit of using the “Save As” dialogue box to file your document as well as name it, putting it in the right place in the first place.
8. Order Your Files for Your Convenience
If there are folders or files that you use a lot, force them to the top of the file list by renaming them with a ! or an AA at the beginning of the file name.
9. Cull Your Files Regularly
Sometimes what’s old is obvious as in the example of the folder named “Invoices” above. If it’s not, keep your folders uncluttered by clearing out the old files.
Do not delete business related files unless you are absolutely certain that you will never need the file again. Instead, in your main collection of folders under your root folder, create a folder called “Old” or “Inactive” and move old files into it when you come across them.
10. Back up Your Files Regularly
Whether you’re copying your files onto another drive or onto tape, it’s important to set up and follow a regular back up regimen.
Good File Management Makes Finding What You Want Easy
Managing electronic documents should be part of an overall document management strategy for your business. A proper document management plan should include all aspects of handling documents, including storage, retrieval, backups, and security.
The search function is a wonderful thing but it will never match the ease of being able to go directly to a folder or file. If you follow these file management tips consistently, even if you don’t know where something is, you know where it should be – a huge advantage when it comes to finding what you’re looking for. Good file management practices will save your business time and money.
Your personal computer can be a wonderful tool. It can provide you access to the Internet, give you a place to store photos and documents, and allow you to easily do many tasks that might have once been difficult. However, your computer can become as cluttered as your desk if you don’t know how to keep it organized. Keeping the files on your computer in order will allow you to gain access to them more quickly.
If you have had your computer for a while, odds are you have accumulated many files, photos and e-mails that you simply no longer need. Having a bunch of unused files on your computer can eventually lead to a slowdown of your operating system and may make finding what you really need a chore. Organizing the files on your computer may not have even crossed your mind. Many people think of actual documents — written or printed — when they think of files, but you will learn that the files on your computer can become just as disorganized as any pile of paper.
When setting up a filing system on your computer, you can choose to follow whatever system works best for you. Whether by date, description or a combination of both, there should be a way that makes sense to you and accomplishes your ultimate goal of getting your desktop and hard drive organized.
So where do you begin? First, you need to take stock of what you have and determine its importance. You may not want or need to keep everything that is stored on your computer. You may even decide to store some of your files externally on a source other than your computer. Read on to the next section to get tips on how to take an accurate inventory of the files on your computer.
Once you decide to organize your computer files and take stock of what you have, you need to decide what stays and what goes. While you are in the process of taking inventory, you should also take the time to back up all the files you deem important, especially any personal files.
You may want to try a systematic approach to sorting through your files. For example, instead of just diving right in, you may want to start by separating all of the photos and images and going through them first. You might be surprised at how many pictures you have. You can always transfer some or all of these images to a CD or external hard drive to give yourself some extra space on your computer. Or you could try going through all of your Word documents first and weed out the ones you won’t be using again. However you decide to proceed, remember that the effort you spend getting your computer organized now will probably make finding important files easier later, saving you both time and energy.
Watch out for doubles of pictures and images when you are performing your inventory. If you upload pictures from a digital camera and do not delete the images from the memory card, the next time you go to upload photos, you may unintentionally upload duplicates of images you have already stored.
Try to be realistic about what needs to be stored on your computer, and keep in mind that less is usually more. Check out the next section to get some tips on different methods for organizing your files.
The trash can, or in this case the trash/recycle bin on your computer, can be your best friend. If you don’t need it, trash it. Free yourself from the clutter of old files and pictures. Deleting things can free up a lot of memory on your computer and leave you feeling a little less overwhelmed about organizing the rest of your files.
Your computer most likely uses two different types of files: program files and personal files. Program files come from programs you’ve installed on your computer. Microsoft Office and Adobe Illustrator are examples of program files. Personal files are those that you have personally created to store pictures, documents, spreadsheets and more. Personal files do not have a disc from which their content can be recovered and reinstalled. If you lose personal files that aren’t backed up, they are simply — and sadly — gone.
Once you have determined which files are personal, you can begin to group them into subcategories, designating them perhaps as images, music or documents. At this point you will want to decide how you are going to go about organizing the files, such as by date or project name.
If you choose to organize by date, try to use one format consistently. For example, you might use “March2010” or “031510.” Pick one style and stick with it, or you may find yourself having to reorganize your files yet again.
If you organize your files by project name, try to keep a uniform capitalization scheme throughout the files, and don’t use special characters or spaces — most operating systems won’t even allow this [source: Organizing Computer Files].
If you are using a Windows operating system, there are tools built in that will help you find and edit files. The “My Computer” function and the “Windows Explorer” function both allow you to look for files and edit their names or locations. You can also delete files using the same applications.
Grouping by application is another useful way of organizing computer files. You can sort files labeled “documents” or “downloads” into separate locations.
Once you have decided on a method for organizing your computer that works well for you, the next step is naming the files you have decided to keep and putting them in their proper folders. Need some tips on what or how to name your folders? Check out the next section to get some useful tips on properly labeling computer file folders.
A 2005 study conducted by Ontrack Data Recovery showed that the first reaction by many people to their computer freezing or crashing is to vent their frustration on it [source: Sullivan]. Of those surveyed, 7 percent said they reacted by hitting their computer, and 13 percent said they yelled at it. These kinds of reactions can make things worse, so relax, call a technical support company, and leave the fixing to the professionals.
10 Clever Ways to Get Your Papers Organized.
Paperwork! If you’re like most people, you probably feel overwhelmed at times with all the paper clutter you need to deal with and organize. Unless you’re getting e-bills only, then you’ve got monthly bills and account statements to sift through, on top of junk mail, medical records, insurance documents, warranties, receipts, manuals, your kids’ school papers, tax documents, and more! That’s a lot of paperwork to keep track of! And the bad thing is that you could be in big trouble if you wind up needing one of those documents and aren’t able to find it. Luckily, there are many different ways to get a handle on all the paper in your life! Check out these 10 Handy Ways to Organize Your Personal Papers!
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I’ve seen ads for some websites that offer to keep your personal papers safe and organized online for you. While I like the idea of my documents being always available in the cloud and safe from fire or water damage, I also know that any website can be hacked. So I currently prefer to still go old-school and have a home filling system that handles my paper organization methods. If you feel the same, you’re sure to find these home paperwork organization ideas below to be very helpful!
10 Handy Ways to Organize Your Personal Papers
1. Personalized Mail Organizer
This is both a cute DIY project, and a great way to organize your mail! I like that it includes a place for things you’re planning to send out in the mail as well. You can customize the labels to say whatever you want to better fit your lifestyle. Find out how to make this great personalized mail organizer by following Her Tool Belt’s tutorial! If you don’t have time to DIY the main mail organizer structure, you can find a cute pre-made one on Amazon that you can add labels to.
2. Receipts Organizer
This is such a great way to keep receipts organized, without using up a lot of space. And you can make different organizers for different categories of receipts! Head on over to I Heart Planners to find out how to put together your own clever receipt organizer, plus her smart receipt organization tips! You can get a color coded receipt organizer to use for this on Amazon.
3. Tabbed Files Organization
If you keep your files in just a few folders, or have a lot of folders that are unmarked, then you could benefit from this system using tabs! Child at Heart gives her advice on how to organize documents, and some of your other papers, too!
4. School Papers Storage System
You wouldn’t believe how much paper you’ll collect from your kids’ school years! Between the report cards and official papers, to the art, photos, and other keepsakes, you’ll wind up with a big stack before long! Simply + Kierste explains a simple way to organize your children’s school papers (and free label printables are included!).
5. Cabinet Door Bill and Receipt Pocket Organizers
This is such a good idea! You can customize these to say whatever you want, and can make as many as you can fit inside your kitchen cabinet, or any other cabinet you may have! Follow Organizing Home Life’s tutorial and make your own handy cabinet door bill and receipt pocket organizers!
6. Old Book Mail Organizers
This is so cute and creative! Easily sort your bills, junk mail, magazines, and more by following Beyond the Picket Fence’s explanations on how to make adorable DIY old book mail organizers!
7. Grab and Go Binder
You can’t call your papers officially organized if you don’t have easy access to the most important ones in an emergency. Arador explains how to easily put together a grab and go binder that will kept your most vital papers organized and ready for any worst-case scenario!
8. Color Coded Files
A system that you could use instead of or in addition to the typical labeling method for organizing important documents is color coding. A Bowl Full of Lemons explains how to make your filing cabinet neat and organized with a handy color coded file organization system! You can find colorful hanging file folders on Amazon.
9. Cloth Mail Sorter
This is a cute paperwork storage idea! If you prefer to sew things, then you may like to make a mail sorter out of cloth! Bright and Blithe explains how to sew cute cloth mail sorters, and includes free printables to help you organize your sorters further!
10. Home Management Binder
A home management binder is critical to managing your home! It’s a convenient spot to organize your important personal documents and other papers, like chore lists and menu plans. Make life easier and keep your personal papers more organized by following my tips for making a helpful home management binder!
How do you keep your personal papers organized?
You may also be interested in: 10 Useful Back to School Organization Ideas
by eFileCabinet | Feb 22, 2013
Today, we use so many files that it’s easy to lose track of where they have been stored. In the busy world we live in, most people don’t have the time to go on a wild goose chase for that picture they loaded onto their computer 5 weeks ago, but just can’t remember where it went. Finding missing files takes time and is almost always preventable. Whether they are work files, pictures, school papers, videos, or any other kind of files, they are worth keeping track of. Follow these steps to keep track of all of your files at all times.
1. Decide Which Filing System Will Work for You
There are many ways you can store files, and I think it would be wrong for me to say that there is only one right way to do it. The first thing you will want to do is choose a filing system that will work and make sense for you. An easy way to test this is by organizing a few different folders, taking a 20 minute break from your computer, and then trying to find one specific file, and see if your system made sense. If it passes the test, then you’re cleared to move on to the next step.
2. Choose a File Naming System—Be Consistent
There are hundreds of possible ways to name documents. When you are organizing your documents, several of them will need to be renamed to fall in line with your new filing system. We wrote an entire article on file-naming conventions earlier that will help you with consistency of file naming. The main points are: create clean and simple file names; avoid using symbols, spaces, and underscores; include the version or date created; and use all lowercase letters. Getting used to a new file-naming convention takes some time and practice, but is worth it in the long run.
3. Separate Personal and Corporate Files
Many people use separate computers at work and at home, and that makes this tip easy for them. But there are many people who use the same computer, phone, tablet, or other device for anything and everything. If this sounds anything like you, then it’s important for you to separate personal and work files for quick and easy access.
4. Organize Files into a Hierarchy of Folders
This is where the organization part comes in. Once your files are separated, organize them in a way that will make them easy to find, following the filing system you decided on earlier. An easy way to think about this is like a filing cabinet with drawers, folders, and sub-folders. Files can live at any point within the hierarchy, but the more detailed you can be, the easier it will be to find documents later on.
5. Get Rid of the Clutter—Keep No Unnecessary Files
I consider myself a bit of a pack rat when it comes to keeping old files. About every 6 months, I go through all my folders and files. If I find files that are only getting in the way and are no longer necessary, I go delete them from my computer. Occasionally I find files that could be important down the road but are just taking up space at the time, so I create a new archive folder and move the files to that folder, where I can find all of my archives in one place.
