Overwhelmed With Paperwork?

It's almost April and we're knee-deep in tax season so I've had paperwork on the brain. I work with clients on this often and know that paper clutter can attract more of the same so I thought I would provide a few tips on keeping the paperwork nightmare at bay...

First and foremost, create a designated spot where you place incoming paperwork to avoid piles elsewhere, use a basket or tray to corral it all. A long standing rule of thumb in organizing is the "touch it once" idiom. With that said, immediately discard junk mail and unwanted catalogs then categorize action items (bills and invoices) to be dealt with and items to shred. Go through your younger kids' school folders at least weekly and let go of the unnecessary, taking care of immediate action items and filing the rest.

Go digital when you can: enroll in paperless billing when possible and online bank statements are a breeze to access (less paperwork and shredding!). While you can scan important documents to your computer, the old person in me likes physical copies filed and kept where my family knows where to retrieve them if necessary, just saying!

Set aside 15 minutes or so to go through your paperwork weekly (whatever slot in your week works to create a habit); try to go through your files at home quarterly and assess what you can let go of (I'm particularly thinking about years worth of paid bills tucked away in files ). When in doubt, Google is your friend; for example, tax returns can be shredded 3 years after filing, but if you're more comfortable keeping 5 years, I can relate, hashtag guilty.

Paperwork is a hotspot for SO many people, I'm sometimes guilty of "I'll deal with this later" myself, but establishing habits like I've outlined above can set you on the path to be an organized paperwork champ!! Remember, there's no one size fits all and getting started can often be the hardest part and if you need a hand, you're in the right place!! I'm here for you!