Puzzling Papers

Tax season is here and many can be found scrambling for what they need to take care of this annual task.

For our Make Room to See the Joy challenge, we have been focusing on getting our papers in order this month so that we can move forward without stress and build some new habits in the process. Staying on top of your papers also creates TIME and SAVES YOU MONEY. Say what?!

I’m sharing my best tips + tricks below for everything from junk mail to filing, digitizing to all that kids artwork. If you need a resource to help you discern what to keep, you can find my Paper Checklist in the shop. Print it out and keep it at the front of your file system. (Please always discuss any questions with a financial expert).

I’ve been sharing on Instagram how to get to the root of the paper clutter that seems to drown so many of us. It gets so out of hand, we aren’t sure where to start, and then suddenly there is 20 years, 40 years worth of papers. There is definitely a shifting mentality around going paperless than even 10 years ago, so how do we create habits that make sense now? And how do these habits save you time and money?

How does it come in the door?

• How are you comfortable with minimizing?

• What areas can you go paperless?

  • E-statement delivery?

  • Autopay bills?

  • Unsubscribing from junk mail - this is a no brainer and some low hanging fruit you can immediately act on! We all complain about junk mail - limit how much you receive and save lots of paper in the process. Sustainable win!

• The less time you spend on papers coming IN, the more time you have to manage the papers/information that matters. You are more likely to MAKE and stay on top of a budget, work on your savings, invest in accounts that will make you money over the long term. This sounds worth the hump of tackling those piles TODAY, right?!

Action + Reference

Papers fall into these two categories before you break them down into more specific categories. Either you need to DO something, or you need to SAVE something for future reference.

Actions include paying a bill, setting up e-delivery, scheduling something, adding a date to the calendar, filing or digitizing for future use. Mostly likely these would live on your desk. Believe it or not mine are just in a small pile with my paper planner - because that’s how I process quickly. For most people I recommend a small vertical file like this for ACTION folders - i.e. for bills, school, and work.

Reference might be: tax papers, medical history, current appliance manuals, school documents, insurance coverage. These might live in a temporary reference zone like a command center, a digital file on your computer, or a filing cabinet.

Quick Sort

I often talk with clients about that low hanging fruit. This basically means start small and easy.

There is a sense of accomplishment that comes from weeding things out that MOTIVATES you to keep going… that leads you to that light at the end of the tunnel.

To quick sort, gather up all your loose piles - mail by the door, papers from the counter, your desk, your dresser. Do a quick sort to weed out the obvious into recycling/shredding, like junk mail, receipts, opened envelopes, scrap paper random doodles.

Mail Habits

• In addition to unsubscribing from direct mail and catalogs, start processing mail the second it comes in the door.

  • Move junk mail to the recycling

  • Add “unsubscribe” to your to-do list for said junk mail

  • Set-up autopay + e-statements for the business paperwork that comes in

  • Create an “ACTION” file by the

A home for everything

Do you have a home for:

• Receipts to process

• Tax paperwork

• Action items

• Files to keep

• Gift cards

• Kids art

• Keepsake paper like a card from Grandma or Grandchild

• Calendar items

• School project details

Filing

• Choose ONE location in your home for files to keep.

• One filing cabinet should provide a limit for how much to keep AT MOST

• Digitize to your comfort level

• General Categories to consider

  • Tax

  • Home

  • Car

  • Medical

  • Kids

  • Financial

• Keep in a safe: social security cards, birth certificates, insurance policies, passports

Kids Art

• Corral it as it comes in with a landing spot, which also provides a limit that TELLS you when it’s time to sort through

• Incorporate keepsake boxes - these can hold paper keepsakes as well as baby keepsakes, art, photos, and more. You are choosing what goes in, things that freeze moments in time you might want to share with them later. I recommend folders for each year.

• At the end of a school year take stock - you’ll probably see themes emerge (lots of potato head drawings, lots of rainbows. Choose your favorite and recycle the rest or use as birthday, anniversary, valentines day and other cards for family and friends throughout the year)

• If you’re feeling extra creative, turn those preschool finger paintings into one piece of special art to remember those uninhibited brush strokes

Command Center

• This might be your refrigerator or a bulletin board in the kitchen or mudroom. It might include a calendar or forms to return to school. Think of it as a TEMPORARY holding zone for action items - sports calendars, birthday party invite, homework calendars - a visual spot to refer to at the ready.

• I try to input everything I can directly into my digital calendar, but I’ve also found that I prefer to not have to run to my computer or phone to look something up, and also have a space other family members can refer to if they have a question.

• Add Family calendar (dry-erase!) that everyone can see

• Meal calendar - What’s for dinner, mom?!

• Backpack hooks - give your kids a landing zone.

Calendar

• This looks different for everyone. Shared digital google calendars became imperative once I got married.

• Also easy to color code for each member of the family!

• You can schedule appointments while you are out and about

• I transfer items from the digital calendar onto my personal paper planner ( I love a pretty paper planner I can refer to daily, doodle in and have fun with ).

• I also transfer appointments onto our dry erase family calendar so EVERYONE can be on the same page, even if mom isn’t around to answer all the “when’s such and such” questions.

So there you have it. Start working on that low hanging fruit (junk mail!). Then create ONE zone for papers, and also keepsake boxes for kids (and adults!) so those don’t get mixed up in those action items. Create an action file today for tax items coming in (you can also create a digital folder on your desktop for any PDF versions). Purge those papers right off your plate, friends!