90 – How to SORT Paper

Organize_365_Podcast_with_Lisa_Woodruff
Organize 365 Podcast
90 - How to SORT Paper
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I LOVE to sort paper! But I know even the strongest man will break out in a cold sweat at the thought of sorting a mountain of paperwork.

This week in the podcast, I am walking you through how I think about paper and where it all goes.

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Step 1: Sort

You have 3 choices for sorting paper: Shred, Recycle {trash}, or Save. When I am working with clients, we use my paper filing clips to label which box is which.

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Step 2: Save

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OK, here is where I think I lose you. WHICH papers go in WHICH system?!

In the podcast, I talk a LOT about how to decide if a paper is a Sunday Basket paper, Binder Paper, or File/Scan Paper.

Here are the basic “rules.”

  1. If you need to take ACTION on the paper or will FORGET where you put it, it goes in the Sunday Basket.
  2. If the papers are related to a larger project and you will use them as a reference or take them to a meeting, they go in a binder.
  3. If you are saving this paper because “you might need it someday” but it is not a CURRENT project or task, it gets filed or scanned.

Here are pictures of how I sort papers at a client’s house.

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Step 3: Maintenance

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Each system needs to be maintained.  The Sunday Basket gets checked every… Sunday. 🙂

I tend to go through my binders every season and my file cabinet at tax time each year.

DOWNLOAD HOW TO PROCESS PAPER PRINTABLE

 

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