I am finding that paper is the one of the biggest struggles when it comes to getting organized. I have to admit, this is a tough one for me as well. I was putting together some suggestions for a client and had to stop and take a quick evaluation of my own paper practices. Am I a Marie Kondo follower or an old school paper handler?
For this particular client I was looking for a list (she is an avid list maker) of documents we should keep and how long we should keep them. I found a couple and they are very handy, but as I was compiling the list and time frames I couldn’t help think, “What is my practice and isn’t everything available on line?” So I took a minute to think through what I do and look into what REALLY does need to be kept.
I first had to start with my own practice. Most of the papers that come into my home are through the mail. This paper is easy for me. I sort from the mailbox to the house and any junk mail goes directly in the paper recycling that is located right off our entry. That way it does not even make it to our living area. If it is something that needs me to do something with I have a space in my home workspace that it all goes in and I try to keep this basket fairly empty. There are times that this has been used improperly and has become overloaded with tossable paper, but overall it is a contained area and even when it is full it takes a quick sort to fix.
When the kids were younger they brought home lots of fun arts and pictures. I found a place to display these for a short time and then they either made it into a scrapbook, their special memory box or it was disposed of. This system worked worked well for my family and helped the ever changing interests and ability levels to be appreciated. We had a similar system for cards. We displayed them for a time and then they were designated to a scrapbook, a memory box or disposed of. Sweet side note story: My mom kept every card she was ever given so when my dad past away, she would take out the cards on each holiday that he had given her and read them and display them. So If cards need to be kept – I understand, just find a place for all of them to live.
“Organizing is a journey, not a destination.” – Anonymous
My actual filing system is very minimal and I have worked to keep it to one small container similar to the Bigso Stockholm Desktop File box but I may be switching to something without a lid. For some reason that one extra step of removing the lid is monumental and some papers end up being stacked on top instead of filed immediately. But that is the beauty of organization – it can be modified as you go (that is a whole other topic, stayed tuned). All documents that I need to keep forever and don’t need to access regularly (social security cards, marriage and birth certs, passports…) are secured in a safe. Other items that are important and I may need to refer to throughout the year (tax information, dog records, insurance information and policies) are filed in my handy dandy desk top file box.
Getting back to the lists that I was compiling – For the most part I found that all the information you will need can be found on line. But for those of you that appreciate lists, I got you:
- Auto records: Keep as long as you own the vehicle
- Credit Card statements: If you have not gone paperless, keep until reconciled and file with your bank statements
- Dividend payment records: Until you receive the annual statement
- Health records: Permanently – very important to track for your children. Learned this one the hard way
- Insurance policies: Auto, homeowners and liability – As long as they are valid. Replace with any new policies
- Insurance policies: Disability, medical, life, personal property or umbrella – For the life of the policy
- Investment records: Purchase records as long as you own the investments. Sales records – six years for tax purposes.
- Mortgage or loan discharge: As long as you own the home or six years after discharge
- Pay – stubs: Until they are verified by a W-2
- Property bill of purchase: As long as you own the property
- Receipts: If you own a business you may want to hold onto those for taxes. Most purchases are done by credit card and can be tracked, so you can probably toss, but double check with your accountant
- Tax records: Current year and six years prior – again check with your accountant
- Utility bills: Once they are paid you can dispose – unless you are planning to deduct them as a home office expense
- Vital records and documents: birth and marriage certificates and medical records – Permanently
- Wills, trusts, estate plans: Permanently
For those of you dying to know what Marie Kondo recommends, she sums it up so concisely (as usual), “I recommend you dispose of anything that does not fall into one of three categories: currently in use, needed for a limited period of time, or must be kept indefinitely.” She recommends filing all of the “in use” papers in a vertical file all together. This would be any pending bills or projects, or anything that needs to be signed or returned. Anything that does not fit into those three categories can be disposed of.
“I recommend you dispose of anything that does not fall into one of three categories: currently in use, needed for a limited period of time, or must be kept indefinitely.” — Marie Kondo
One thing that I was SUPER excited about (not sure why I had not figured this out earlier)…I can throw away all of my manuals. Anything that I need to know I can find online. I love when I find more things that I don’t have to hold on to.
To conclude, I am definitely a Kondo follower (not really surprised). But I can also appreciate a good list made and followed.