Simplify your life {Week 29: Paper and Information managament}

One of the biggest areas of household management is dealing with information – papers, mail, email, research (everything from a new car to that holiday you want to take), kids school papers – both administration and their school work, taxes, warranties and manuals for household goods, and more and more paper.

When not managed well it can lead to clutter, chaos, late payments (or worse), missed deadlines and appointments, increased stress and wasted time.

An investment up front into systems in this area can simplify an otherwise potentially complex and stressful area of home life.

This week we are going to tackle these systems and make sure you have a set up you like for what I consider the 4 key aspects of information and paper management.

1. Set up a collection point for paper and information {collect}

This can vary for your paper and digital information so don’t feel you need to print off every bit of digital information unless you are very paper based and forget to check digital sources regularly.

You need a holding place for what comes in the door (or virtual in box) – file folders, a tray system, pinboard, magnetic white board, clipboards, etc. Whatever works best for you and your space is fine.

2. Have a system for taking action and processing your in-tray or holding space {action}

What needs to happen now? What action will you be taking – note appointments, deadlines and due dates in your calendar, add next steps to your planner / to do list, etc.

If you pay bills weekly or more place the due dates into your calendar at this point and then come back to the process of bills on the day you assign to the task.

What information is vital to know?- get that information and move on, do not over-research things. If something is a large project or task, break it down and note what you are looking for. If you have a document with only a date you need to reference, make note of that and leave the rest (ie recycle or trash it).

Where will you keep items that need action? Similar to the holding places above, you need a place for action items. Usually you would extend the same system throughout unless something better works for you. So if you use trays have one for incoming and actioning. If you like file folders / manila folders you can use a step file system (looks like a toaster rack). If you like having everything in front of you consider a pin board, whiteboard (magnetic) or clipboards. You can separate out each project or have a board / space for each category (ie bills, home, kids’ school etc).

If you like lists this is when you keep updating your master to-do list. Any action items from your incoming papers get added to your master list to be tackles as you have time, energy or money. Note a book to order, a quote you need to call for to compare for a project, an email you need to send to follow up on something etc.

3. Have a system for filing and archiving information you need to keep {Complete}

Pick a system that works for whomever will be doing the actual filing – this is the key to maintaining filing rather than accumulating 6 months of paper in a massive pile.

You can use binders, a filing cabinet, an accordion file, scanning papers in to go completely digital, etc. For ongoing reference papers, menus, schedules you may want to set up a household notebook. I use my household notebook for things I will reference regularly (ie takeaway menus, school notes, store vouchers) and my filing system for archiving (ie bills paid, things related to our home or car, family documents like birth certificates).

In my case our family had been using binders for years, but I never stayed on top of filing. I had a spare accordion file on hand and set that up on a whim. I have not fallen behind on filing since then. The fewer steps involved made things easy enough for me that I knew it would take a minute every week or two so I was happier to do it regularly.

Replace old information with new and toss the old – If you get a new tuck shop/canteen menu from school recycle the old, same for takeaway menus, schedules for activities and commitments, insurance information or any policies or reference materials.

4. Have systems and supplies that work for you {routines}

If you don’t currently stay on top of paperwork look at your systems and supplies. Just because your husband likes binders, or your office always used filing cabinet systems, does not mean that is the only way. This is where “find your simple” really comes into play – with systems they need to work for you if they are to work at all on a regular basis. As soon as you see resistance on your part, stop and figure out why.

Are your files in one room and your mail sorting and bill paying happening in another? Do you detest paperwork and maybe need to “funk it up” with some cute folders and stationery supplies to get you interested in this task? Is your system a monthly one that feels overwhelming and perhaps a weekly 10 minutes would suit you better (or vice versa)?

Decide when and where you will process your papers? A big clue for the where might be wherever you currently pile up papers. If it is not possible to set up your whole paper system there (ie the end of a counter versus the office space you have at the other end of the house) you may want to at least set up your capture point here (ie a tray or step file holder)

When will you pay bills? As I like to batch tasks I never pay just one bill (I use online banking for the few things that don’t have automatic bill payments set up). I note the dates things are due in my calendar so they are never missed. I clip all my to-pay (or to-file for the statements of those automated bills) to a clipboard in my office and when the first date comes up due I pay whatever else is on the clipboard, setting the payments dates according to the bill. Then everything gets filed in one hit. Rinse and repeat… You might like a set day each week to process whether there is one or three bills due. The key to never missing a payment is to have a system – any system – in place.

This applies to digital information as well - will you clear your email box daily? weekly?  Set a limit for emails so you never end up with 1000 emails sitting cluttering your inbox. It is no different than letting the piles of paper grow out of control. For me, when I realise my inbox has stretched to a 2nd page (or worse) I stop and dedicate myself to the task of inbox zero as I know that it means I either left stuff there that can be trashed or archived or now owe answers to too many people (and I hate to leave people waiting).

 

Challenge this week – work on whatever areas you need to for paper and information (digital or paper). For some of you this will be a total overhaul as you finally address your lack of systems and others might just need a tweak or hit one area hard (ie finally tackle your email system and set up files like you have for paperwork or catch up on filing and create a better system that works for you).

 

Find your simple,

Deb

 

Link up any simplify your life posts here  and take a few minutes this week to visit those who link up – support and learn from each other.

Tagged as: household notebook, information management