Hello, Friends!
810.348.1772
betty@logicalplacement.com • www.LogicalPlacement.com
January 2022 – Happy New Year! Time to Start Filing Instead of Piling!
Now that the cold weather is upon us, let’s attack those piles of paper all around you!
If your paper piles are ready to fall over, this New Year is the perfect time to address your filing nightmare — plus, as you might have guessed, Income Tax Season is just around the corner, so let’s kill two birds with one organizing stone.
FIRST, INVEST IN a good filing cabinet. Sure, you can buy a filing cabinet for as little as $30. But, this piece of furniture is going to follow you through life, so why not invest in it in the first place and be happy with your decision?
When buying a new filing cabinet, make sure it allows for maximum drawer extension. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to scoot your files to the front of the drawer so you can see them, when your drawer only extends half-way.
Another nice feature of quality file cabinets is to have drawers with high sides. I have worked with many different filing cabinets, and nothing irks me more than having the filing rails fall apart or the hanging files not staying on the rails because the cheap rails keep moving.
IN CONSIDERING HOW many drawers your file cabinet needs, consider how much paperwork you really need to keep. Most filing cabinets have either two-drawer or four-drawer versions. When in doubt contact a local tax preparer, but many experts say forms should be kept for seven years.
File completed forms in the lower drawers of your cabinet, since you probably won’t need quick access to them. Some people choose to place current tax year forms in the bottom drawer, while storing older years in a banker box elsewhere, such as in a dry area of your basement.
Your filing cabinets’ upper drawers should hold ongoing paper work that you access more frequently. These might include monthly bills and important quarterly or annual forms. You can organize your paperwork alphabetically or by category and then alphabetical within it. For example, you may put your bills together, but then break them down and organize alphabetically — perhaps AT&T, then Charter, then Consumers etc… But most clients file their paperwork alphabetical.
IF YOU ARE going through your filing cabinet and paper piles, it makes good sense to also have a recycling and a shredding box to speed up your progress. Also, you should have extra tabs, manila and hanging folders to make forms easier to find and file the next time you are searching for a particular paper.
And remember to use your sharpie marker to help label all the tabs and manila folders. Some clients like to use pocket file folders, but I prefer manila ones because the paper sits nicer in them, and it doesn’t interfere with the closing the drawer.
LASTLY, GIVE GOOD thought to were you place your filing cabinet. If you store it in that damp corner of your basement where lighting is poor and spiders tend to live, you probably won’t be attacking your filing pile any time soon. Put your filing cabinet somewhere accessible or at minimum with good lighting. As we age, it should be kept on the main floor so you don’t have to worry about going up and down the stairs too often.
Get comfortable when you attack piles of papers. You can always listen to your favorite music while filing or set a timer to tell yourself that you will only spend 30 minutes filing. Then, move on to your next project. Usually, when you are focused for 30 minutes, you can make a lot of paper piles disappear!
IF YOU WANT to limit how much unwanted “junk mail” you receive, here are several options:
| 1. | To reduce or eliminate “snail mail,” call 888-5-OPT-OUT or go to optoutprescreen.com |
| 2. | Another choice is trying dmachoice.org — where you can opt out of entire categories of unrequested mail for $2 for 10 years |
| 3. | You can also consider the app PaperKarma, which costs $4 per month or $25 per year. |
A NEW YEAR BONUS: Here is a helpful article to help you start this new year by getting better organized:
http://www.theorderexpert.com/how-to-organize-a-filing-cabinet/
I'm speaking at the following libraries — please contact them
to register for each local event:
Salem-South Lyon District Library on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 from 6:30-7:30 pm. Location: 9800 Pontiac Trail, South Lyon, MI 48178.
Harrison Township Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022 from 1-2 pm. Address is 38151 L'Anse Creuse, Harrison Township, MI 48045
Clarkston Public Library on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 6:30-7:30 allowing time for Q&A. Location: 1200 S. Canton Center Road, Canton, MI 48188.
Best wishes for a more organized and calm year!
Your local professional organizer,
Betty Huotari
P.S. If you would like to share this email with a friend, please pass it along and if they would like to be added to my list, have them send me an email. If you would like to unsubscribe to the monthly newsletter, please send an email to betty@logicalplacement.com.
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