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Organizing home office papers


How To Deal With Paper Clutter Once and for All

Managing important documents and sorting through paper clutter can be a struggle. So it's crucial to set up a functional home filing organization system that you will actually use. Making a simple paper filing system is key and must account for all the different types of paperwork you have. Plus, you have to stay on top of getting rid of papers you don't need to streamline the storage.

This paper organizer project will help you with the initial setup of your home filing system. The steps are easy to follow, though the time you spend on it can vary widely depending on how much paperwork you need to sort through and organize. By putting in the initial effort, you'll end up with a filing system that works seamlessly for you.

Below, learn how to organize your documents for a long-term paper solution in your household.

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

The 6 Most Common Types of Clutter

Equipment / Tools

Materials

  1. Gather All of Your Papers in One Spot

    The first step to decluttering paper fast is to corral all of your paperwork in the same space, so you can sort through it. Besides taking papers from obvious locations, such as your desk drawers and filing cabinets, do a sweep of the rest of your home to make sure you've accounted for everything, even old papers that you've never dealt with.

    Check common places where paperwork can accumulate, such as the kitchen counter or inside a work bag. Bring it all to one spot where you have lots of room to spread out. Sorting papers on the floor or on a large table can be effective.

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

  2. Separate Your Papers Into 5 Categories

    Now it's time to sort all of your paperwork. Organize years of paperwork by placing each document into one of these five paper categories: action, archive, household, recycle, and shred. Here's what to put into each section:

    • Action: These are the papers you need to take action on and then discard. Don’t confuse these with documents that go in the household category. Household documents are filed permanently; action files are used once and then discarded.  Examples include invitations, parking tickets, appointment reminders, homework, and bills.
    • Archive: This category includes papers you need to hang on to but don’t need to reference more than once or twice a year. Examples are tax returns, medical records, academic records, deeds, leases, warranties, and contracts.
    • Household: These are papers you use to keep your house (and life) running. Examples include coupons, recipes, user manuals, receipts for this year's taxes, and documents for upcoming travel.
    • Recycle: These are papers that don’t fall into any of the categories above and contain no personal information. Examples include junk mail, envelopes from paper mail, newspapers, magazines, old homework you don’t need, and used envelopes.
    • Shred: This category includes papers, such as paper mail that don't fall into the first three categories but do contain personal identifying information, including credit card offers, old bank statements, and bills.
    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

  3. Discard Documents You Don't Need

    Now that you've divided your paperwork into the five categories, you can clear some space by discarding the papers you don't need. Take out the recycling pile first, as this should be easy and just involve you dropping it into a recycling bin. Next, shred the sensitive documents you're getting rid of. If you don't have a shredder, you can remove paper clutter by visiting your local copier or mailing stores to have it shredded in-store. When you're done, you only should have the papers you need to file left sitting in front of you.

     The Spruce / Margot Cavin

  4. Organize the Archive File

    First, tackle the archive pile of paperwork. This pile can include very important documents, such as your passport or social security card. So it's ideal to put these papers in a fireproof box or safe to protect them.

    Split your archive pile into subcategories for more efficient organization, such as academic, car, employment, financial, health, insurance, personal identification, and real estate documents. Use a labeled file folder for each of your subcategories. Then, put those folders into the safe, fireproof box, or another spot where you plan to keep them.

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

  5. Arrange the Household File

    Now it's time for your household paperwork pile. You can organize your paper without a filing cabinet by using a binder, a box with folders, drawers on your desk, or another accessible spot. Many people prefer to keep their household papers in a binder with various sections and pockets. The main benefits of a binder are it doesn't take up much space, and it can be stored and moved to wherever you need it.

    For instance, you could create a binder with sections for coupons, vouchers, and gift cards; rewards and loyalty cards; receipts you're still referencing, and user manuals you occasionally need to check. Divide the paperwork into categories that best fit your lifestyle.

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

  6. Set Up the Action File

    Finally, you'll address your action category of paperwork. Because these papers involve items that need to be addressed, it can be helpful to store stacks of paper out in the open as a visual reminder for yourself, rather than tucked away in a filing cabinet. A desktop inbox tray can be a good option for storing action paperwork, but you also can simply put the papers in a file folder that you keep accessible.

    You could divide your action paperwork into categories, such as bills, letters that need a response, etc. However, it's often easiest to toss all of these papers in the same file and make it a routine to file at least once a week. At that point, you should take the appropriate action for each item. Then, you should recycle or shred the items you're done with and put anything you need to keep into your household or archive files. The goal is to keep your action file as small as possible.

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

12 Spaces You Can Organize in 15 Minutes or Less

15 Easy Paper Organization Ideas

courtesy of brands

Sorting through your email takes long enough — and that's just one type of document we're confronted with nowadays. Add tax forms, medical info, and even your kid's many (many) drawings into the mix and your office desk — and everywhere else — can get buried quickly. Fortunately, there's an easy way to curb the mess: by making a clearcut paperwork organizing system.

To help you get started, we've found the best paper organization ideas that will keep everything sorted (and your mind sane) when it comes to finally paying the cable bill. These ideas — from desktop letter trays and drawers to color-coded binders and personalized memory boxes — will make sure every piece of paper has a happy place to land. And for even more ways to never lose anything again, check out these easy desk organization ideas.

SimpleHouseware

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Amazon Best-Seller

Desktop Document Letter Tray Organizer

Now 23% off

$23 AT AMAZON

August Grove

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Best Desktop Organizer

Rustic Paper Drawers

Now 13% off

$64 AT WAYFAIR

If you want something a little more low-profile (with a chic wood frame to boot), these desktop drawers have two spots for labels — perfect for creating an inbox/outbox system.

The Container Store

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Best Paper Organizer Box

Container Store

Linen Storage Boxes

$13 AT CONTAINER STORE

Fabric boxes help hide the visual clutter that inevitably invades home offices. The Container Store's linen boxes come in multiple sizes, so you have options depending on whether you want to store recipe cards, photos, printed documents, or other paper mementos.  

RELATED: 16 Home Office Ideas That'll Motivate You to Work in Style

Snap-N-Store

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Best Filing Box

Snap-N-Store Letter-Size File Box

$20 AT AMAZON

Need a box you can fit hanging files in? This steel-handled container comes in multiple sizes for both letter and legal paper. The sides also unsnap and fold flat when you don't need it, and the extra-deep lid leaves room for tabs too. 

Blu Monaco

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Foldable Magazine File Holders

$40 AT AMAZON

Smead

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Color-Coded Hanging File Folders

Now 66% off

$18 AT AMAZON

Not only is this tried-and-true system pretty to look at, it'll also make hunting through papers way faster. All you have to do is look for the green folders when you want to find your tax info or blue for medical docs.

Smead

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Cascading Wall Organizer

Now 60% off

$12 AT AMAZON

More than 1,400 Amazon customers have given this vertical file folder a 4.5-star rating. "I purchased this to use as a part of our family's kitchen 'command center,'" one reviewer wrote. "I wanted something that was functional, low-profile, and not an eyesore. This organizer is PERFECT. There are enough pockets for each of our four family members, plus a few more that I've designated for bills and other correspondence."

Gracie Oaks

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Galvanized Metal Wall Organizer

$55 AT WAYFAIR

If you want something a bit sturdier than plastic, this mail file combines distressed wood and galvanized metal pockets big enough to hold whatever comes its way. 

High Road

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Glove Box Organizer and Document Case

$14 AT AMAZON

Keep your registration, insurance, and car maintenance information all in the same place. Five interior pockets stow important auto papers, and an included pen and pad give you a spot to jot down the last time you took the car to the shop. 

Think Clean Car

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Front Seat Car Organizer

SHOP AT AMAZON

And if you're a true road warrior, a clip-on organizer will save work documents from getting crumpled down in the foot well. (The extra cup holder never hurts either.)

Minne

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Baby Document Organizer

$30 AT AMAZON

Keep pregnancy reports, pediatrician records, immunizations, and your little one's ID certifications (you don't want to lose that social security card!) safe and together in a plastic briefcase. The folders come with stick-on labels, or you can customize your own. 

Simple As That

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School Memory Box

Don't let sentimental items get mixed up on your desk. Dedicate a bin to each of your children and divide it up by school age — preschool, middle school, and even high school.

SHOP HANGING FILE FOLDERS

See more at Simple As That »

Simply Fabulous Living

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Folders for Every Project

Your coworker's baby shower? Your family's holiday gift lists? Just because you won't need to reference these papers forever doesn't mean they aren't important. Create files for upcoming events so you stay on top of what's currently happening in your life.

SHOP FILE FOLDERS

See more at Simply Fabulous Living »

The Decor Fix

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Labeled Next Steps

Don't just dump papers in your filing system and then forget to look at them for the next month. Smart categories like "read," "file," and "this week" provide clear action steps for your bills and correspondence.

SHOP MOUNTED FILE HOLDERS

See more at The Decor Fix »

A Bowl Full of Lemons

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Color-Coded Binders

Organizing your papers in a few small binders makes it easier to tote one or two around with you to appointments. Try storing them upright and organized on the counter with the help of a dish-drying rack.

SHOP BINDERS

See more at A Bowl Full of Lemons »

From chaos to order! Solutions for organizing and storing documents in the home office

05/14/2020 , Leitz

A permanent or ad hoc transition to a remote work mode can cause a number of difficulties associated with the storage of various papers. We still deal with bank statements and receipts, as well as confidential documents that require GDPR compliance, so the issue of organizing and storing documents is relevant and is part of our daily life. From this point of view, everything is more or less clear with digital formats, but what about paper documents?

Intelligent storage systems

Paper documents organization and storage systems existed at a time when we could not even dream of remote work via the Internet from home. Modern technologies allow us not to be tied to a specific workplace, but what to do with paper documentation?

Here are some helpful hints to help answer this question.

Confidential documents that are no longer needed can be disposed of using a home shredder. If you are not sure whether you will need a document in the future or not, scan it and save an electronic version before disposal.

Benjamin Franklin, American politician, polymath, scientist and inventor, famously said in the 1700s: "To be a place for everything and to be for everything in its place." This statement perfectly illustrates the principle of organizing office documentation. Cleanliness and order have a beneficial effect on mental health and well-being. The 21st century is the time to reconsider your views on office supplies, because, thanks to modern design, they can become one of the components of the very stylish interior .

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How I organized the storage of documents at my home

In the fall of 2016, I took part in the course “Professional Organizer of Space” with Yuliana Myznikova.

One of the tasks of the course was as follows: it was necessary to organize the storage of some category of things.

I chose the organization of a shelf with documents, at the time of the training - this was my most "sore" topic.

Step 1 - assessment and plan

First, I made a questionnaire for myself and answered it, for example, here are a few questions and answers from it:

Why do you need an organization?

So that everyone in my house would be comfortable and beautiful, and it would also be convenient to find the right thing quickly for all family members.

How long have you had the disorder?

The mess in the documents for about a year - gradually accumulated after the birth of the 3rd child, before that everything was organized carefully.

What do you think is an obstacle to maintaining order?

Mother's lack of free time and not fully thought out storage system.

Does the family make efforts to keep order?

Only I put things in order with the papers, my husband returns the papers as they are used, but not always.

Do you have any special needs for the organization?

So that documents can be easily found for both me and my husband

Which organization works well in your home?

Previously, when I sorted out all incoming documents on time, this system worked well. All in folders. Daddies are signed. One separate folder with the most important documents.

What works poorly or does not work at all?

A separate temporary folder for folding incoming documents, it has become a permanent storage of all documents for the year.

What do you want to get as a result?

A well-ordered filing system that makes it easy for me, my husband and any other relative to find the right document.

What difficulties are expected?

How can they be overcome?

Organize stages when children are either sleeping or away from home (walking with dad or grandma, visiting grandma, staying in another room)

Next, I made a detailed organization plan based on the answers to the questionnaire. I determined the deadlines for the implementation of each task, correlated the plan with the available organizational materials and budget.

I had the following organizational materials available:

I had to buy three large cardboard organizers according to my plan, which I did.

Step 2 - sorting documents into categories

First, I wrote down the possible sorting on paper, correlated it with the existing structure, changed quite a bit.

I did it without perfectionism: in sufficient detail, but on a simple sheet in a notebook in 2 minutes.

This is what it looked like:

Then I started to estimate the amount of work.

Here are pictures of what I needed to disassemble:

Yes, I always had a lot of papers: I have a big family, there were and are quite a lot of directions for which I personally need to keep papers.

Step 3 - Minimize

Quick Document Disposal List:

Step 4 - put everything in its place and step 5 containerization

I divided all the remaining documents into 3 parts:

  1. documents that I always carry with me
  2. the most important documents we take with us in an emergency
  3. other documents

The documents that are always with me I placed in a small green plastic folder.

In this folder, I separated the documents for each daughter separately into three blue files.

Basically, I take these documents with me when I go somewhere with all my daughters.

But I can only take documents for one of my daughters. Now it is very easy and fast to do this.

The most important documents we take with us in an emergency.

Prior to the organization, they were all stored in one locked folder and it looked like this:

The documents were all together, but it was not very convenient to search for the necessary documents in this folder.

I have sorted these documents inside the folder into several categories.

I placed each category in a plastic folder of my own color, I signed the folder.

After that, I placed all the folders in the same large lockable folder, which is easy to take with you in an emergency (fire, for example).

It turned out very cool. The search for the desired document is now carried out in less than a minute. And not only by me, but also by my husband.

I also sorted the rest of the documents into categories and placed them in separate folders of different formats.

I placed the folders in large cardboard organizers to keep them from falling.

As a result, my shelf with documents began to look like this:

Separately, I paid attention to organizing the storage of magazines, clippings and printouts by type of hobby. I love needlework and devote a lot of time to it.

I organized storage by type: for sewing, for weaving and knitting on a fork, crochet, embroidery, various other types of needlework (quilling, scrapbooking, etc.)

I placed everything in separate folders, signed everything with the help of special stickers.

This is what it looked like in the end:

Step 6 - Disposal

All the papers that needed to be disposed of, I immediately sorted into three parts during the second step:

1) Drawing backs for children , I immediately put the children in a special organizer in their room,

2) Papers for kindling in the country or for collecting waste paper at school - I packed these papers in a large bag that we took to the country.

3) I tore some important documents with signatures into small pieces and threw them in the trash can.

Step 7 - Making a plan for further maintenance of order

After finishing all the paperwork, I created a buffer folder for bills and papers to sort.

Placed this folder on my desktop. To make it convenient to store the folder, I purchased a special convenient organizer for my desktop.

I now keep documents in it for sorting, as well as my diary and some books and notebooks for daily use.

I have determined that I will parse the buffer folder at least once a month , ideally once a week (two).

In order not to miss the analysis time, I appointed a specific day and time for the analysis of papers.

If I analyze once a month , , then it is convenient for me to do this after paying the bills, that is, after the 10th.

If I sort documents once a week , then it's convenient for me to sort documents on Wednesdays.

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