Welcome to My Paper Management Workshop
Photo Credits: By Upupa4me
I would like to begin by telling you a little information about myself. I am a registered nurse and I also earned by diploma in medical transcription.
I have several years of nursing experience and I even had the wonderful opportunity to write and teach a few online medical assisting courses on the college academic level.
However, I have always had a great passion for organizing my house. I studied many resources about home organization and decluttering a house. There is so much helpful information to learn. I decided to continue to pursue my interest in this field.
Now, I am very proud to tell you that I am a trained Professional Organizer. I successfully completed the program listed below and I enjoyed my training very much.
We support the Institute for Professional Organizers™ Fast Track Method™ Training Self-Study Program developed by experienced organizers.
You can learn how to start your professional organizing business and how to organize. The program includes 8 hours of online videos, a comprehensive manual, and personal coaching. You can study from the comfort of your own home.
So, now you are a little more familiar with my training. We will get onto our topic of paper management. I thought it would be fun and interesting to start with one of my favorite videos. As you get to know me, you will soon find out that I am a visual person and I truly enjoy many helpful videos regarding home organization.
Video Below Titled "How to Organize Your Files with Freedom Filer Filing System"
Video Below Titled "How to Organize Your Files with Freedom Filer Filing System"
I wanted to mention the fact that people are not born organized. Organization and paper management are important skills that can be learned just like learning how to cook, ride a bike, or drive a car. It takes motivation, time, and practice.
Please keep in mind that paper management is not a one-time event, it is a process and it involves maintenance.
Learning Objectives of My Paper Management Workshop
The A.R.T. of Paper Management
Positive Benefits of Organizing Your Paper Information
How to Develop a Paper/Information Processing Center
Where to Start with Paper Management
Filing Strategies
How to Know What Paper to Toss and What Paper to Keep
Where to Keep Your Paper Information and How to Maintain Your Files
Helpful Products and Systems for Organizing Paper Information
Helpful Products for Tracking Finances
Benefits of Organizing Your Paper
A major benefit of organizing your paper is you will know exactly where to look for the specific information you need for many important transactions such as:
Financial and Estate Planning
Investments and Bank Statements
Bill Paying
Tax Preparation
Health Records
Educational Records
Property Records
When your paper is processed, acted on and maintained in the correct manner, you are rewarded with the positive benefits of efficient financial record keeping. You will be able to quickly and easily find the information you need when you need it.
You will have a less cluttered environment. You should be able to focus on your priorities and goals, not piles of disorganized paper.
The A.R.T. of Paper Management
Information comes to us in many forms such as emails, letters, etc. The most important factor is what we actually do with the information after it arrives.
Three Important Categories for Sorting Your Papers
1. Action - The paper/information needs your action, such as current bills to be paid.
2. Reference - You may need the paper/information for future reference, such as tax receipts.
3. Toss - You don’t need the specific paper/information and you don’t need to take action on it.
Create a Paper Processing Center
I would like to include a helpful video at this point in our Paper Management Workshop that correlates with our discussion.
Video Below Titled "Solve your Paper/Filing Problems: Command Center for Paperwork"
Assign a specific area for each activity within the paper processing center including:
Action papers
Reference papers to be filed
Trash
Recycling
Shredder or separate container
Move items needed to support each paper processing activity to their proper zone such as reference papers to file, action papers, recycling, etc.
Where to start
This may be a great time to include an appropriate video regarding this topic.
Video Below Titled "Paper Organization - How to Set Up a Filing System"
Once you have processed your most recent papers, you can work on your piles of paper and filed papers in old systems.
File strategies
A common question I hear from people is “how do I know what paper is important and how long do I keep it?”
Before you decide whether or not to keep a certain piece of paper, you need to decide its purpose.
Action vs. Reference Information
Is it information you will need in the future or is it something you need to take action on?
If it is information you will refer to later, do you need to keep it in paper form or can it be safely stored electronically?
If it is information you are actively working on now or will need in the next few weeks it is an “action paper”. Action papers may sit out appropriately on a desk or work space for quick and easy access.
If it is something you will need to refer to "at a later date in the future," such as last year’s income tax records, you can file it in a reference or archive filing system.
What to Keep and How Long
Each situation is individual for the person. For financial records, always seek the professional advice of a CPA for your specific requirements.
You may want to keep your tax returns indefinitely.
Where to Keep Your Records
Once you have sorted through your papers and decided what to keep, you need a place to safely store them.
Products and Systems for Your Action Papers
When creating your own filing system, you may wish to choose a labeling system that works best for you. Think of how you want to access your information.
Action Papers: Keep action files in a vertical manner on the desk top in a file box.
Meetings scheduled
Bills to be paid
Cards to mail
Invitations
Registrations to be mailed
Invoices
Appointments
Phone calls to return
Products/Systems for Your Reference Papers
Now, is a good time to introduce another helpful video for our workshop presentation.
Video Below Titled "Quick Tip: How to Organize Your Filing Cabinet Files"
Your reference papers should be filed in a Reference Filing System. You can label your files by category alphabetically or chronologically. You can store your reference documents in a filing cabinet.
Create a hanging file folder tab for each main category and manila file folder and label for each subcategory. The labels should make it easy for you to find the contents.
Products/Systems for Your Reference Papers
At this time, I would like to add an excellent video presentation regarding this subject.
Video Below Titled "The easiest way to label your file folders: Freedom Filer"
You can use prepackaged labeling products or create your own labels that work best for you.
Some common categories or labels for reference papers are:
Finances
Taxes
Insurance
Personal Property
Vital Records
Health/Medical History
Employment Records
Education Records
Products and Systems for Your Reference Papers - Tax Records
Pocket accordion files can be useful for the following:
Receipts
Tax Filing
Investment Documents
Bank Statements
Credit Card Statements
Income Statements
Charitable Deductions
Medical Expenses
Miscellaneous Expenses
Child Care Expenses
Business Expenses
Products and Systems for Tracking your Finances
There is Financial software such as Quicken or Quickbooks.
Products and Systems for Digital Financial Records
Actually, the more paper information you can store in a digital format, the less physical space you will need to store information.
The Neat scanner is one tool that can help you in storing information digitally. Neat is a desktop scanner and digital filing system that can scan receipts, business cards and documents. A great advantage is that it includes software that identifies and extracts the important information and automatically organizes it for you.
Helps you organize:
Receipts
Bills
Medical Forms
Business Cards
Bank Statements
Credit Card Statements
Maintenance
You should regularly process your papers to keep your information maintained and organized. You can sort your incoming papers using the ART of Paper Management system. A good habit is to file your reference papers once at least once a week. File your important information in your reference file system.
Summary
When your paper is processed, acted on and stored properly we are rewarded with the benefits of efficient financial record keeping.
You be able to find the information you need when we need it. You should have a less cluttered environment and be able to focus on your priorities and goals.
I hope you enjoyed our Paper Management Workshop. Please take a look at our Declutter Workshop when you have a chance. I am looking forward to developing my Time Management Workshop in the future. Please check out FreedomFiler by clicking on the image below. I have two of their filing systems and I just love them.
