Organize the Paper Overload
Given a choice, I believe that I would throw away most everything in my house except the books and computer-related paraphernalia. Without question, however, I married one of the all-time greatest hoarders of "stuff" on earth. (I won't elaborate on the time my dear husband saved the loopy half of a seven-inch piece of purple velcro for six years. You'll just have to trust me!)
Add to this equation six kids who are homeschooled, with all their priceless possessions and schoolwork, and it becomes necessary to perfect a vast array of organizing skills. One of the most useful skills is learning how to manage the flow of vast amounts of paper. Over the years I have developed a system to keep us from being buried in piles.
Documents
Important and irreplaceable documents (wills, deeds, home inventory records, diplomas, photo negatives, birth certificates, passports, etc.) are filed away in a fireproof safe. (Some readers believe that a safe deposit box is preferable, but first find out the ramifications of having a will in a safe deposit box when one of the box's owners dies.)
All other documents (bank statements, utility records, etc.) are filed alphabetically in a filing cabinet
At the end of each year, the files are sorted. Tax-related documents are filed and archived by year along with that years tax returns. Any other items that aren't long-term reference matierial, are purged, leaving only the past 12 months for short-term reference.
In addition, we have a Next Actions folder that goes right up front. This is for immediate action items: bills to be paid, orders to fill out, letters to answer, etc. The immediate action folder could be expanded to include a few more specific folders to meet your needs. Currently our immediate action section includes folders for: Next Actions; Current Adept; Current Prosapien; Receipts (for credit card, deposit, and other receipts that have not been entered into Quicken); and Reconcile (for account statements that have not yet been reconciled in Quicken; Financials (paystubs, deposit slips, credit card receipts, etc., that have been recorded, but that I keep only until they show up on the bank or credit card statement in case a discrepancy occurs).
In addition to these folders I have one for items to Forward and those to Hold while waiting on someone else. The last set of folders is a set used as a Ticker File for paper items, using the system described by David Allen
Each member of the family also has a Personal Annual File, labeled with their name and the year. This will hold any memorabilia that they might want to save or include in a scrapbook someday, when/if any of us ever decides scrapbooking is a priority.
Newspaper clippings, class notes, workshop handouts, and pamphlets, as well as the magazine tear-sheets mentioned above all go into the Master Filing System as well.
The anxiously awaited postman can be the ruin of an organized home! My kids race to the mailbox, scanning the stack for letters from relatives and pen-pals, favorite magazines, product sample, and ads for their favorite products. There is a great temptation to tear into the good stuff and leave the not-so-good stuff scattered or piled about the house—if it wasn't already dropped by my five-year-old on the front walk. But it only takes about two days for the collection to seem insurmountable to an adult and very enticing to a toddler!
When the mail arrives, have the discipline to set it aside until you have 10–15 minutes to go through it in an organized manner. In our home, we have a wall-mounted magazine holder near the garage door, with enough large slots for each person in our family. When the mail arrives, it is simply "delivered" to the appropriate mailbox to await the recipients sorting process. If you don't have a such an area, simply create an "inbox" for yourself somewhere convenient to store these things temporarily and neatly.
When you find (or make) a few minutes to deal properly with the diluge of paper, sit down at a clear desk or table near your filing area. Open each piece of your mail and deal with it appropriately before moving on to the next piece. Toss the junk mail. Be ruthless, it will make you life so much easier! Letters that require answers go into my Next Actions folder. New magazines are set out while old ones are removed. Catalogs are filed, replacing older issues. Business correspondence is placed in the appropriate business folder and dealt with all at once when I'm officially "at work." Bank statements are placed in the Reconcile folder to be reconciled on the next banking and bill-paying day (which occurs weekly).
Bills are an important matter. If you lose them, you're in big trouble. If you misplace them and pay them late, it can be costly. Handling them with care only takes a moment, but it can make a great difference when you show up at the bank looking for a new mortgage!
When a bill arrives, scan through the extraneous materials enclosed and file or throw them away as appropriate. Then I pay it immediately, scheduling an electronic payment one day before the actual due date. This allows me to keep my money as long as possible, while still ensuring that bills are paid in a timely manner.
Before I used an electronic system (that I would not be without now!) I immediatly wrote a check to cover the bill, placed it in the return envelope, and wrote a date on the back of the envelope that was one week prior to its due date. Then I sealed and stamped the envelope and put it in my outmail box. Each day I would simply check the envelopes in the outmail to see if any needed to be posted that day.
Once the bill is paid, I place the statement in either the Reconcile folder (if it is a credit card or other reconcilable account) or in the appropriate folder of the Master Filing System (if it is a utilty or other such statement).
When all the bills are paid and the envelopes stamped and sealed they are placed on a shelf (away from little hands) reserved for out-mail. Each morning I check the out-mail shelf and put any mail with that day's date into our mailbox.
Catalogs
If the company has a secure ordering web site, record the URL and toss the beast before you put it down. If not, keep only the latest issue of those you actually use. Be merciless! When the new issue arrives, chuck the old one out on the spot. I keep the few catalogs I actually keep in magazine file boxes, by category (computer, homeschool, etc.) and stick them on a shelf in the office.
Don't keep the sample copy of Super Teen Stuff if your oldest is still in diapers. If you truly can't bear to part with a catalog that you can't use in the near future but may want "someday," write down the company's web site in a "For Future Reference" notebook. (Remember that the catalog won't be current "someday" anyway.)
Magazines
With very few exceptions, I only keep the current issue. Like catalogs, when a new one arrives, the old one goes into the recycler.
With magazines, however, I allow myself to go through the publication and rip out any pages that have items of particular interest. Immediately you can reduce the paper to be stored to a fraction of its original size. These well-chosen items are then stapled together, if necessary, and put into my Master Filing System under an appropriate heading, such as "Travel" for a great article on family friendly destinations.
A few thoughful moments of advanced planning can save you many hours of frustration and aggravation. And you home will be the better for it.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
The Organizing Sourcebook : Nine Strategies for Simplifying Your Life