If your home office documents, family medical records, bills, and kids’ school reports dance between a pile on the kitchen table and an unmarked box in the garage, it’s time to develop a proper filing system.
What you need
- pens
- sticky notes
- a label maker (optional)
- document binders or hanging file folders
- storage containers for paperwork, such as this one, this one, or this one
- a document safe
- a paper shredder
How long will this take to clean?
Be prepared to spend at least 15 minutes on the task to make some progress. Don’t be surprised if it takes you a few cumulative hours over a weekend to get everything organized. The good news is, once your documents have a proper home, you’ll only need a few minutes a week to maintain the new system.
Below we walk you through how to organize your paper files. Here’s a hint: Use it as a time to think about ways to reduce your paper mess more permanently. As you organize, keep a running list of bills, notices, and other documents that have an option to go paperless, and set aside time to set them up. (And yes, we’ve got some advice on how to organize your digital library, too.)
Evaluate what you have
First, determine your end goal. Do you want to organize every document in your life? Or do you prefer to get rid of as much paper as possible? Then, touch every document and decide where it should go. Divide those documents into piles that make sense to you. As you sort, keep each pile organized with sticky notes. Here are some category suggestions:
- Actionable: permission slips and pending bills
- Household: vehicle registration, home insurance, tax documents, and medical bills; reevaluate annually
- Recycle: generic junk mail, envelopes, and loose notes
- Shred: anything with your personal information
- Relocate: anything that belongs to someone else, such as a neighbor’s mail or employer records that you need to return to the office
- [Name]: family members should have their own designations
- [Project]: bathroom renovation receipts and paint swatches, or pool remodel paperwork
- Archive: irreplaceable items, such as birth certificates, deeds, immigration paperwork, passports, social security cards, and estate plans (these should always go in a fireproof safe)
Develop a filing system
Give each file folder a recognizable name, such as Immigration, Medical, or Taxes [year]. Then, collect everything into document binders or hanging file folders for a file bin or cabinet. Individual three-ring binders work best for smaller piles of documents, such as your Actionable stack with this month’s bills and receipts. (You can also store these in a 1-gallon freezer bag and sort through them later.)
Place your filing system in a secure location that is easily accessible but out of the reach of messy kids. Don’t store that fireproof document safe in a corner of your cluttered garage. “Being organized is about finding what you need when you need it,” said Ashley Hines, a holistic home organizer and founder of Thee Tailored Life.
Adjust when you need to
It’s important to not let yourself get overloaded. Our experts say decluttering affects the head space as much as it does the physical space. “It’s important to recognize that [the] goal is to simplify things and make things more efficient,” noted Katrina Green, a licensed interior designer and professional organizer with Badass Homelife.
If you’re stressed, consider breaking the task into manageable chunks and limit your work to just 15 minutes a day. Or take time to tackle it while watching an episode of your favorite show.
If you feel like you still aren’t making progress, professional help might be the way to go. “Organizing doesn’t have to be a lonely process,” Green added. Trade groups like the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals, and National Association of Black Professional Organizers can help you find certified professional organizers and productivity experts in your area.
This article was edited by Brittney Ho, Amy Koplin, and Sofia Sokolove.
Meet your guide
Kaitlyn Wells is a senior staff writer who advocates for greater work flexibility by showing you how to work smarter remotely without losing yourself. Previously, she covered pets and style for Wirecutter. She's never met a pet she didn’t like, although she can’t say the same thing about productivity apps. Her first picture book, A Family Looks Like Love, follows a pup who learns that love, rather than how you look, is what makes a family.
Mentioned above
- The Uni-ball Jetstream RT is the best pen for most people. It’s affordable and quick to dry. And it writes smoothly and won’t skip or bleed.The Best Pen
- A label maker can restore order where chaos reigns and provide context where it’s needed, and the best one is the Brother P-touch Cube Plus.The Best Label Makers
- With the right setup of folders and file names, you’ll always be able to find what you need on your computer.How to Organize Your Digital Files
- We’ve tested more than a dozen safes over the years, even burning five of them in a controlled fire, to find the best fireproof document safes.The Best Fireproof Document Safe
Further reading
Don’t Try to Declutter Your Whole Life. Start With Your Fridge.
by Elissa Sanci
You want to declutter your home, but you don’t know where to start. We’re here to help.
6 Productivity Tips for Your New Hybrid Work Life
by Melanie Pinola
Working remotely part of the time and at the office for the rest of the week can be challenging. Let us help make it easier.
The Best Portable Document Scanner
by Arriana Vasquez and Ben Keough
After more than 160 hours of research and testing since 2013, we’re certain that the Brother ADS-1250W is the best portable scanner for most people.
How to Get Rid of Old Electronics
by Sarah Witman
If you take the time to recycle your electronic devices, there’s a good chance they’ll actually get recycled—or at least parts of them will.