Organizing Paperwork: Top 10 Tips for Unorganized People

Do you have a problem with papers scattered all over your home or office? Want to be more organized with your paperwork? If you have these problems or have goals to be more organized, you've come to the right place!

woman with many paperworks

The best way to start organizing your papers is to know some tips before you begin. Don't know where to start? It is okay, for we are going to be talking about the top 10 tips for how to organize paperwork.

The article will be split into two sections: 10 tips for organizing paperwork at home then 10 tips for organizing paperwork at the office. Ready to begin? Read this article to learn more about it...

10 Tips for Organizing Paperwork at Home:

Here are the first 10 tips on how you can save time by organizing paperwork:

Gather Papers and Throw Away Any Unwanted Papers
Scan Papers Onto your Computer
Separate Papers into Files or Filing Cabinet
Color Code the Files
Make Your Files Specific
Good Habit of Filing
Don't Just Use One Basket
Get a Fireproof Box
Separate Children's Work
Start Back to Step 1

1. Gather Papers and Throw Away Any Unwanted Papers

The first piece of advice is organizing papers by throwing away unwanted papers. To do this, get your papers together and go through them. Any junk mail, catalogs, receipts, etc. that you don't need should be thrown away. Documents you should keep are ones that are still valid.

2. Scan Papers Onto your Computer

woman in white taking paper from printer near laptop

If you have important papers that you might lose or want to be more super-organized, then it is best to scan papers onto your computer. That way, if you happen to lose a paper, you will have a copy on your computer. You can also send these papers to people via the internet rather than finding a physical copy.

3. Separate Papers into Files or Filing Cabinet

mom looking at the documents

You would want to get about 8 different files. These files should have the following labels: employment, car, finance, house, family, instructions, bills, and pets. You can also buy a filing cabinet to help you put your files in (if you have enough space, of course)

4. Color Code the Files

color coded filing documents system

If you get a rainbow of colors for files and labels, it will make it easier for you to find the right subjects for a certain paper.

5. Make Your Files Specific

no use of miscellaneous folder

If you can help it, don't have a 'Miscellaneous' file as you can lose papers easily. On the other hand, don't be too specific either as you can have separate sections for one paper. This can become bulky and confusing.

6. Good Habit of Filing

unfinished docs in two basket trays

Once you get files or a filing cabinet in your house, you should also get a basket. This basket will serve as a "to be filed" for papers that need to go into the proper accordance. Take a few minutes about the beginning of each week. If you keep a steady pace with this basket, it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to organize the papers.

7. Don't Just Use One Basket

An amazing alternative to the tried and true basket method is to use a Hanging Pocket Chart. This can not only save precious desk or drawer space, but easily allows you to have your important files right where they're visible. With the multiple pockets you can sort items by "To Do", "To Pay", "To File", and "To Read" as examples.

8. Get a Fireproof Box

This tip is good if you want to be extra careful with any paperwork that you can't replace. This paperwork includes birth/marriage certificates, passports, and wills.

9. Separate Children's Work

kids pile up documents in clear storage bins

For any person who has children at home and doesn't want to get their children's paperwork mixed with important papers, then get a file or box for your kids! You can put their schoolwork, drawings, and memories in this box/file.

10. Start Back to Step 1

Now begin the process again! Go back and sort each file for any paperwork that you don't need. Do it twice a year starting at the beginning of the year and then at the end of the school year.

10 Tips for Organizing Paperwork at The Office:

Now that we gave you organization tips for your house, let us talk about how to organize papers in an office:

Dedicate Time to Organize
Start by Cleaning Your Desk
Go Through The Files
Dispose of Any Unneeded Paperwork
Slog at One Project At a Time
Set Up a System for Incoming Papers
File Papers Immediately
Clean Your Desk Daily
Store Unneeded Files Away
Keep Up With Organization

1. Dedicate Time to Organize

woman looking at her watch

You want to find an appropriate time for organizing papers. Once you get time, you want to pick periods for breaks. The more you do it at once, the faster you can get the papers sorted out. Award yourself when you completely ordering the papers!

2. Start by Cleaning Your Desk

cleaning desk area laptop

The things that should be on your desk are your computer, the printer, the telephone, and the card file. Other stuff, like papers and tools, should be put away in the desk. By cleaning your desk, you will have more space to spread files and you will be more productive.

3. Go Through The Files

Every office should have an organized filing system. Filing cabinets and files should be listed alphabetically. Use a color code system as this can help you find a certain file. If you do have an organized filing system, bring out a few files and begin to go through them.

4. Dispose of Any Unneeded Paperwork

Old scrap paper, old printed emails, junk mail, or memos that you don't need should be thrown away. However, make sure you don't throw away anything important. If you are unsure about certain paperwork, set aside in a place you won't lose it then ask your boss.

5. Slog at One Project At a Time

If you have papers for a project that you are currently not working on, then it is best to put these papers in a file. That way, it will keep the papers your not using from getting lost or disorganized. Having one project at a time gives you full attention to one task at hand.

6. Set Up a System for Incoming Papers

Get trays that can separate incoming papers. You should put labels on each tray for the following: filing, papers that need immediate attention, and one for papers for other workers. Clean these trays daily. Organize incoming papers as this can save you time.

7. File Papers Immediately

woman sorting documents

Doing this will prevent papers from stacking up and prevent you from being disorganized. Put papers in correct trays and put files in the correct folders/binders. Having papers stack up a little is fine, however, too many papers in a tray can get out of hand.

8. Clean Your Desk Daily

After every shift, it is best to clean off your desk before you leave. This tip can help you start fresh every morning and important documents won't go missing or misfiled. It will make you stay on top of your organization.

9. Store Unneeded Files Away

Files will increase throughout the year. Pack away boxed files that are not used often and store them somewhere else other than your office. This will give more work and space.

10. Keep Up With Organization

While having an organizing system in your office is essential, don't let it slack you off, even if you are busy. Give yourself time to organize and put papers in their proper place.

Conclusion:

Organizing papers is not an easy task. It does take time and requires a system to keep papers in their proper place. However, don't let that discourage you. Start with finding time for organizing papers in your home and office, buy utensils that will be essential for building a organization system like baskets, files/filing cabinets, and labels; throw away any papers you don't need (as this will give you more space in files), and then sort out the papers. Doing this ensures that you now got a system going! Once you kickstart a system, don't stop!

woman looking at her document

Putting papers in the right place helps you prevent papers from piling up. Having papers stack up will backtrack you and will make you start back to square one. Having a well-organized home or office gives you these benefits:

You are more organized.
You are not bombarded with papers.
You threw away the clutter that is not needed, making files less full and less stressful.
You made a system for your house or office.
You can find papers easily with this system.
You separated papers by topic or subject.
Congrats, you accomplished your goal of not being disorganized!

If you have a goal of being less disorganized this year and want to know some tips on where to begin and what to do towards the end, check out these 10 top tips. You can find more tips online, but these stick out for being the best. If you don't know where to buy the necessary utensils for the home and office (baskets, files, and labels), check retail stores like the dollar stores (Dollar Tree and Dollar General have the best ones) and Walmart.

You can also check on online sites like Amazon for dedicated to bins, baskets, among other tools for organizing.

If you have room for a filing cabinet in your house, Office Depot has a wide variety of file cabinets. Some file cabinets are on sale, so get them while it lasts!

Lastly, if you want a fireproof box for valuable papers, check out the FireKings website. They sell the best fireproof file cabinets.

So there you go, the best tips for organizing are unveiled for your use. Don't wait, get started on being more organized!