Simple Manifesto #48 – Simplify your filing system

This is part of our series on The Simple Living Manifesto. We invite you to join us on the journey.

The 48th idea in the manifesto is:

Simplify your filing system. Stacking a bunch of papers just doesn’t work. But a filing system doesn’t have to be complicated to be useful. Create a simple system.

Scanning paperwork | Photo by Jonathan Blundell

I’m still working on my filing system both at home and at work.

We’re probably doing better at home than I am at the office.

My preference is to scan everything and toss it in the trash, but because of the nature of my job, that’s still not possible — even though it’s been requested that we move to a paperless office.

So typically, I scan everything (work related) at the office and toss everything that’s not legally required to be kept.

Unfortunately, it’s that pile of legally required paperwork that grows on my desk. Since it’s supposed to be filed in another location, it normally piles up over several weeks (or months) until I take the time to go file it elsewhere.

At home, I’d also prefer to scan and then toss everything, but we haven’t gone out and found a good scanner yet to do the job. (Got any suggestions?)

Instead, we typically clip our incoming bills to the fridge (so they’re visible), file any important papers in our one drawer filing cabinet (home, new home, newer home, truck, car, car insurance, health insurance, etc. etc.), and then throw everything else away.

No matter what you do, the key is to process your paperwork consistently.

Don’t let it pile up — because then it only gets that much harder to do.

Secondly, toss anything and everything you don’t need.

It’s far easier to process and file papers when you have less of them to process.

Finally, create a system that works for you.

Whether it’s alphabetical, by topic, or by date, create a filing system that makes sense to you and you can stick to it. I’m not going to be the one looking for your important papers, Leo Babauta wont, and neither will David Allen.

It’s got to be a system that works for you, keeps your paperwork easy to search through, keeps the number of papers to a bare minimum and keeps your clutter down to zero.

Got any other ideas for great filing systems? What’s worked best for you?