Plowing through paperwork

I receive many calls from potential clients who are completely overwhelmed with the amount of paper that comes into their homes. What do I recycle? What do I shred? How long do I keep things for? What if I make a mistake and throw something out I will later need?

Winter is in full swing and many of us are trapped indoors some evenings, escaping the cold weather and potentially succumbing to the doldrums of winter if we don’t keep busy in our homes. March is the perfect month to get a handle on your paperwork and as an added bonus; everything will be in perfect order for tax time. Imagine having your taxes done well in advance of the deadline — getting your return early as a reward for getting your paperwork all organized!

Step 1

Get started today! Don’t let your fear of not being perfect get in the way of getting this important task completed. I advise clients to keep forever their “life documents” which includes birth and adoption records/certificates, marriage and divorce paperwork, wills, passports, social insurance cards, death certificates, etc. Anything that is related to life and death needs to be kept. Keep those originals in a fire safe box.

Step 2

Say goodbye to 2007. Anything that is taxation paperwork must be kept for seven years. The minute you file your tax return for 2014, start saying goodbye to 2007 — for some of us that is good news! The years before 2007 are done and never need to be revisited!

Step 3

Stop the insanity. Stop the flow of new paperwork into your home. Almost everything is available online. For example, I used to keep power bills. What if we sold the house? The new owners would want to know how efficient the house is. Forget about it. All your historic bills are available online. Don’t waste valuable space in your filing cabinet and in your life for unnecessary paper clutter. Take a snowy evening and send requests to all utility companies, credit card companies, banks, etc. to send you electronic copies of monthly statements. In a lot of cases, this will save you money as we are charged a fee for the privilege of receiving paper copies.

Step 4

Shred, shred, shred. Identity theft is a risk. Burn or shred pretty much the rest of your paperwork. Have files handy for “personal” items and other filing categories such as insurance, vehicles, etc.

Want to take it to the next level? Create a recycling/shredding area to deal with paper as it enters your home. Need help creating a filing system? I have the tools to help you. I’ll bring my powerful shredder and a label maker to create a filing system for you that will be easy to maintain and any secretary would be proud of!

Dartmouth’s Lisa Macdonald is a member of the Professional Organizers of Canada. Referred to as “Halifax’s Answer to Martha Stewart,” her organizing work consists of seniors downsizing, move management, estate organizing, setting up filing systems for small businesses, helping busy professionals and working with families to create a calm and clutter-free existence. Contact Lisa for a complimentary consultation at www.allorganized.ca.