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Amber’s Home and Office Organizing Blog index

7 Tips to Slim Down Your Files

My office garbage can fills the fastest compared to the rest of the house garbage. I think it’s because back in the beginning of 2009, I set a goal to try to file less paperwork. I found myself tossing a lot anyways when I’d have my annual purging day so I was determined to waste less time filing this year. Try these tips to slim down your filing cabinet and fill up your garbage. 

 

7 Tips to Slim Down Your Files

1. Remove empty hanging folders or file folders. They’re taking up more space then you think
2. Choose when to be specific versus general. If it’s easier to toss all insurance papers into one insurance folder, do so. Don’t bother with 4 folders- life, car, home, etc. However, in the case of medical insurance, you might want to break it down if you track or refer back to paperwork. So in that case 3 folders for medical insurance : general plan information, statements (EOB’s), and doctor’s bill & receipts.
3. Don’t file paperwork of which the information could be found online. For example telephone bills, water bills, mortgage statements, banking statements, etc.
4. If you must keep the paperwork, scan as much paper into your computer to cut down on the amount of paper you keep. Neatreceipts and Cardscan are great companies to help you get started.
5. If you run a business from home, keep personal and business paperwork separate. Designate different drawers or different colored file folders for each. This will make tax time a whole lot easier.
6. Clean out “idea” files. We all have them for decorating, home improvement, recipes, household tips, etc. If you don’t go into those files when decorating, cooking, or improving your home, there’s no point in keeping them. Instead, buy the magazines or find helpful articles when you’re ready to tackle a project or work on a goal You’ll more likely to get up to date ideas, tips, and how to’s by using the resources on the market or online at that current time.
7. Get rid of some filing cabinets. If you have 4 drawers, try to get down to 2 drawers. There’s no sense in cluttering up your office or home with old paperwork. The 80/20 rule applies to filing cabinets just like anything else. Only 20% of what you put into the filing cabinet will ever be looked at again, so that means the other 80% could be recycled.

 If you liked these tips, read which filing supplies and kits we recommend.  

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