Can anyone help me to sort out paperwork chaos?

[UnorganisedMum]

I have tried --but failed-- to sort things in the past but I seem to end up getting bored of it, and also seem to run out of time cause other things crop up.
I really would like to get more organised so I can find things when I need them.

I know some of you will say "only you can do it" but how do I get sorted without getting completely bored out of my mind in the process.

I have various paperwork:
receipts, bills, newspaper, junk mail, kids drawings, paintings, important stuff, birthday cards, Christmas cards, letters from school etc etc. The list goes on!

Please someone "Help me"

I will try to return later as I have to go and pick up DD.

Sorry this is going to be a bit long, but do try to read it all if you can.

Receipts & bills, get a concertina fold wallet thing and label it up. Put the bills in when the arrive.

If you need to pay bills, have a section at the front that is just for that. Then as soon as you've paid them, move to the correct section.

Receipts I assume this is for stuff you have purchased that you need to keep them in case of returns etc. Use the back section and put them all in there. Once every 6 months or so, have a clear out of the ones you don't need anymore.

If the receipts are to reconcile your bank account, keep in a "bank" section of the folder and as soon as you have reconciled your statement, bin the ones you don't need and file the others in the "receipt" section.

Newspaper - chuck in the recycling as soon as you have finished it.

We have a bag in the corner of the kitchen and it all goes in there during the day and then out into the recycling dustbin at the end of the day.

Junk mail - same as newspapers. Look at it as soon as it arrives and chuck what you don't want/need. If you need to keep any of it, again have a section in your folder.

Children's drawings/paintings. Now I'm not sentimental about this, so keep a couple on the fridge and chuck them away after a month or two when new ones arrive.

Letters from school - keep in the concertina folder.

If, by cards, you mean ones you need to send - again the folder is your friend, for these. If you mean ones you want to keep that you have received, have a box somewhere to put them in (again I'm not sentimental about these and ditch them).

HOW TO START?

Start your new system with what comes in on the day you decide to begin. Then with all the stuff that "needs" sorting set yourself a target of 10 minutes per day or 10 pieces of paper per day. It is then not overwhelming and you will be able to accomplish it, rather than keep looking at it and not doing it because you're bored. If you can manage 10 minutes twice a day then it will only take half as long.

And, deal with it all as it arrives. it will only take a couple of minutes a day then.

Now, just so you know I'm not being a patronising bitch, I was horrendously disorganised and this system worked for me.

GOOD LUCK - YOU CAN DO IT !!

Another long post, sorry :)

I get bored with organising paperwork too. I used to try filing everything into lever arch files but it never worked because I'd always been in a rush and just pile the paperwork to one side and next time I look it would be a mountain of unsorted mess. This is how I work it now and although maybe not the most organised way it works for me.

Most of our bills are paid by direct debit and are sent through email/internet (paperless billing). I'll check them briefly to make sure it all looks okay and not being over-charged for anything. If all is okay I take no further action on that. If you feel you need to keep a hard copy then print and file, I don't.

Bills that do need paying and any other paperwork that needs action are secure to a clipboard for dealing with. Other bills that come through the mail but are paid by direct debit need no action so they go straight into my filing system. Once I've paid the bills that do need paying they also go into my filing system.

My filing system consists of a filing cabinet like this one and requires no punching paperwork so it's quick to file things away: www.amazon.co.uk/Bisley-Filing-Cabinet-Drawer-H672xW413xD400mm/dp/B0033W1U42/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341311942&sr=8-2

The bottom drawer has A4 sized suspension files, one for each month of the year. Paperwork that is not needed to be kept readily available long term, typically monthly direct debit bills, are put into these suspension files according to their month. Everything for that month is together, no nonesense of sorting into different categories like gas, electricity, bla bla like I used to try and do. Once a year I clear out these suspension files and put all the paperwork, grouped by month, into an A4 box file. It is labelled with the year and put into the loft in storage crates along with the previous years. If I need to dig out an old bill it's easy to find the year, pull out that box file and get to the month that I need. I've never yet needed to go back and retrieve an old bill so I'm not fussed about being over-organised, grouping by month and then year is good enough for me.

The top drawer also has suspension files but these are labelled by subject for example Medical Records, Education, Vehicles etc. Within each suspension file I have some A4 sized plastic pockets (the kind that open on two sides so easy to slip paperwork into), each plastic pocket is labelled forming sub-sections within the suspension file. So for example the Medical Records file will contain a plastic pocket for each member of the family, Vehicles will contain a plastic pocket for each car we own. The top drawer contains paperwork that I want to keep longer term and don't expect to file away each year, I want it at my fingertips all the time incase I need to refer back. These are things like school reports, MOT certificates and service records for our cars, medical letters and medical reports etc.

The children's drawings that I want to keep go straight into a large art folder, I have one for each child. I also have an old wooden toybox in the loft and any trinkets or bits that I want to keep relating to their childhood go in there. Other paintings and trinkets are displayed around the house.

To sort out what you have already I'd divide that into several piles and concentrate on sorting and filing one pile a day. Having the job broken down into smaller portions will seem less daunting and easier to manage. You'll feel much better once it's all sorted and you have a structured plan for dealing with the new paperwork coming into the house. Good luck :)

I second the filing cabinet. Have a file for each type of thing (eg each bank account, electric, mortgage, phone etc etc). Put everything in each relevant folder and once a year go through an throw out any old stuff that you don't need any more (stops the files getting over full). Older finance stuff stick in a box in the loft and keep for up to 10 years.

If you don't get to put things in the filing cabinet straight away put in a to be filed pile and sort through once a month (at least).

Kids drawings - stick on the wall, have a folder for any you want to keep long term, ditch the rest.

Notice board in prominent place for anything that needs acting on - eg letters from school.