Don’t Get Stuck in Your Filing System

I realized recently that the way I was organizing my business paperwork was not working. How did I realize this, you ask? Well, I was dumping all the papers I needed to keep into a bin and ignoring it. Not good. At least I was keeping the papers all together, and when I needed to find something, I knew where to look.

As you have probably guessed, I have embarked on the task of setting up a better system for myself.

There are many aspects to setting up a filing system as well as choices to make about the organization of it. For myself, I have always preferred handing folders with broad categories, with ordinary file folders sitting within the hanging folders. Sticking with what I know and know that I like, I began sorting my business papers.

The problem arose when I found myself getting frustrated with the broad category names I should give. Interestingly, on the NAPO member listserv recently there was a discussion on creative file names. This was fascinating to me as I have always been quite perfunctory with my filing labels. Yet I see the value of funny and silly names – it can be a way to make the dreaded filing more interesting, even bringing a smile when the names are personal to you. As Kate Varness of Green Light Organizing wrote, “The more a title makes her smile, laugh, or look aghast, the better she will remember it and the less she will dread it.”

There were interesting ideas shared on the forum and one was to call a file “Toupee” instead of the more typical “To Pay.” Now I do not even have such a file name, yet if someone uses this, the more creative name is undeniably more fun and silly. It can lessen the sinking feeling of pulling out the contents and sitting down to deal with it. Another idea was “Stuff I look for but can never find” and how great a file name if the contents do not fit somewhere else logically or easily.

Now, back to my recent filing dilemma. The whole point of broad categories is that there are several file folders within each, and this helps narrow down where things can go. Yet, with my business papers, I am finding that I do not have that many files. This makes broad categories seem cumbersome. Also, there are some papers that feel like they could fit into more than one broad category.

When helping clients with their filing, I advocate that the system meet their needs and function in a way that makes sense to them. I thought I knew what was best for me. I was wrong! It brings the point home that different things can require different approaches and how we need to always be open for revisions.

The files that I established years ago still work well for me. I know where things go and everything is logical for me. The business files are not even going to live in the filing cabinets. Instead, I decided I wanted to use an old file bin I had handy. I realized that if I was to put them in the filing cabinet, I would have probably just labeled a hanging folder “Business” and put all the files within that category.

My thinking needed to shift a little and I needed to reject the idea that I had to do things for my business papers in the same way I have done my other files. I have so much on the computer anyway that is well organized and the papers for my business are minimal. In addition, it is easy to create hanging file labels at a later point if it becomes necessary.

There are so many different ways to set up your filing system, from the everything is simply alphabetical to having hanging folders and file folders within them. Some people put the most recent item in front while others put them in the back. I’ve known people who have not even used files, but instead, used manila envelopes or accordion folders. There is no right way to handle your papers.

However you choose to organize things, it needs to make sense to you. You need to be able to put things away and even more importantly be able to find them. As I recently discovered, you also need to continue to be flexible, even when you think you know how you like things organized!

Purging School Papers and Why Saying Hoarding Should be a Crime

I mentioned that doing the room re-vamp is a good excuse to sort through some old papers. The truth is, the little 2 drawer filing cabinet I picked up in college contained these college papers so well, they were together and out of the way. With all the things in life that needed to be done, I had no pressing need to pull out those papers and go through them. That is, until we decided to empty the room and remove the little filing cabinet! Fortunately, by then I had already decided that I needed to go through them and purge them.

But first, before I go on, I have a confession to make. I hate labeling behavior. Doesn’t make a difference if it’s mine or someone else’s. I just do not see much value in applying labels and see that they can too often apply to a wider audience. The problem lies in the negative connotations that we associate with the labels and being reluctant to think of ourselves with these labels. I am thinking of “hoarding” and in writing this I decided to look up the definition. According to Merriam Webster, hoarding is “the act of collecting and hiding or storing (esp. valuable items) for preservation, security, or future use; treasure up (esp. money); store in the mind etc.”

I was working with a woman who had labeled herself in this way. I was talking to her and mentioned that I struggle with “hoarding” too. As an organizer, she dismissed my claim, unable to believe that I hold onto things more than I probably should. Yet, the truth is that there are things that I am reluctant to get rid of. I believe that we each have things that we hold on to, things that someone else might not see the value of, and organizing is about finding places for the things that matter to the individual. The important piece about holding onto things, is making a place to keep those things we value, and as long as they have a logical place and do not hinder life, it does not matter how or what we collect.

At this point, I am almost embarrassed by the fact that I have kept all my college and, even worse, many of my high school class notes and handouts, and a few from middle school. I have lugged them through many moves and cannot say that I have used or read them since I acquired them. Many years ago, I did gather each class together, in either a three-ring binder or a folder, and labeled each of them. They lived easily together. As I was moving them out of the room, I made sure to keep them all together.

Despite my not looking at them for so long, I think it is important not to just toss them. I have been going through them, looking at the name of the class, which helps me know if there are likely things I might want to save, and directing me on how much time I might spend on going through the papers.

One of the first things I discovered, which validates the importance of going through things before tossing, was some drawings my best friend made on some poems I had written for a class. I have found other things that I still value and want to keep.

As I continue the process of reviewing these, it has become obvious that I will need a way to organize and store the papers I still want to save. I am pleased because I also can see how much I have decided to get rid of and that far outweighs what I am keeping. The things I still feel are important also show me what I am still interested in and value having information on.

Here is a YouTube video of the process of going through old notes and papers.

Some of the notes and papers I have saved are the reproductions that classes have included as part of the required reading. I find this is one of the hardest areas to sort. I am an avid reader, and books are one of the things that I am loathe to part with, so I will take more time going through these photocopied essays and poems. They were useful for the class itself since they were organized by the order they needed to be read. One of the major reasons that they are not fully functional as they are currently is that I do not really know what I have amongst them.

Likewise, I have made another YouTube video for the reproductions from classes and how to approach the task of sorting and saving what is important.

Maybe I am unique for holding onto school notes and papers for so long, even finding some that date back to middle school, yet it was obviously something that I valued. Does it make me a hoarder? Does it matter? The crucial point is how we do not let our collections interfere with living life and to organize them so that when we want to appreciate those things, we are able to do so.