Why Willy-Nilly Filing Systems Suck – Plan Ahead for the Best Filing System

With the New Year right here upon us, you may have set a goal for finally getting those papers, brochures, and other important documents filed properly. You can get motivated, go nuts, and fast track a filing set-up, but the chances of it fulfilling all your filing needs, or lasting for the long-term, are slim.

The number one best thing you can do is make an outline BEFORE you set up your filing system. Why?

You likely have tons of various documents, warranties, and other important papers. If you’re going to be able to find them, they need to be filed in a way you’ll understand and use. Before creating a system, you’ll need to decide what sort of system to use and if that system will work for all your papers.

An outline allows you to see what you should keep vs. what is disposable. As you go through that stack of papers, with filing in mind, it doesn’t make much sense to keep useless items. Making an outline of what you have helps you to decide what to keep and what to toss.

Without a plan, it’s very easy to get frustrated and give up. Then, all you have is that stack of papers sitting there, without a home.

Overall, a filing system serves three major purposes:

• A good system allows you to find what you need fast.
• A good system keeps paper clutter off your desk/floor/table.
• A good system allows you to feel secure; i.e. you can always find old taxes, health insurance papers, or that gift receipt.

If you don’t plan, you may end up with a system that does none of the above. Trust me, I’ve been there-done that. Why make mistakes if you don’t have to? That said, In the next post or two, we’ll look at what belongs in your filing system outline, and some common filing outline/system mistakes.