Get Organized Debbie Williams is an organizing strategist and founder of OrganizedTimes.com. She is the author of  "Common Sense Organizing" from Champion Press. Getting Rid of Paper Clutter Question: I am very organized at work, but sloppy at home. I have several interests and hobbies and clutter ensues, beaucoup paper clutter. I am packrat and a paper hound. What is the best way to file old bank statements, old telephone and utility bills and investment reports? I write essays, articles and collect clippings. What is the best filing methods? I have folders in plasic storage bins, and cardboard storage boxes which are beginning to show wear. Bazil Answer: Paper clutter is such a culprit, and can easily take over our homes, filling every cabinet and drawer to overflowing. There are a few simple techniques that you can use to organize your system, then try to keep it maintained on a regular (daily and weekly) basis. Use 4 steps to set up your system: Plan, Sort, Organize, and Maintain. Plan -- Jot down some notes to determine what you have, where it should go, what you need to store it, and how you will keep it up once established. Then start sorting! Sort -- this is the fun part, which you can easily do in front of the television or while listening to upbeat music. Label a few sturdy boxes and begin sorting through the paper piles, sorting into stacks as you go: To Pay, To File, To FollowUp, To Trash, Undecided. Make a point to avoid reading every single piece of paper you pick up-- this is crucial to getting through an otherwise easy stage of organizing in a quick manner. Do this all in one sitting if you have the luxury of that big of a time block, or just take 10-15 minutes a day until it's complete. Since you're just sorting and categorizing by genre (catalog, bill, articles, essays, magazines) or action (needs paying, paid and should be filed, subscription to be archived for future research), it's easy to breeze through this once you get into the rhythm of sorting. Organize -- now that you've recently purged your current papers, it's time to organize them so you don't have to keep repeating this dreadful step each month (or week, in some cases). Create two sets of files, Current and Archived. Current Files consist of things you access daily or even weekly such as: bills to be paid, appointments to be made, and anything else requiring action (either today or in the near future). Create simple categories for these items with names that make sense to YOU and keep the stacks separated in manila files or stacking bins. (I recommend folders so that I can store them vertically-- stacking bins are just one more place for folks to add to your clutter!) Color-code if you think it will help you stay focused, either by using colored folders or colored dots on plan manila ones. Store in a vertical stair-step rack on your desk or countertop, or in hanging files in a small crate or desk drawer. Just don't file these away so safely that you forget where they are and stop using them! Archived Files are those you've processed but need to retain such as: paid bills, receipts, warranties, tax records, business expenses, and so forth. Store them in your file cabinet inside hanging folders, and purge on a regular basis. Paid bills such as utliities and mortgages can be moved from your file cabinet to bankers boxes on a yearly basis to make room for the next year's paperwork. Be sure to label your boxes before storing so that you can find papers in a hurry for taxes or when selling a home. Sort your paperwork as it arrives in your home, in categories such as TO FILE, TO TOSS, TO PAY, TO CALL, FOLLOWUP LATER, etc. Those become the titles or labels on your file folders, and make this whole process easier to deal with. Store your papers together in manila folders, pocketed folders, a binder with pocketed dividers, or an accordion file. The tool doesn't matter, but your system DOES. Perhaps you've used a system at work; don't hesitate to bring that concept home with you to make paperwork easier. Maintain -- as for those articles and the rest of the daily paper deluge, try to clip & toss as much as possible. Clip the article, file it in a binder or photo album with magnetic sheets, or even a pocketed folder. Keep it in a folder TO BE READ until you have time to peruse, or once read, file in your cabinet for future reference. You'll find there's no need to keep the entire magazine or newsletter for one small article or recipe. 3. Maintain --- since you know what types of files you need to organize, it's time to keep that system running smoothly. Your papers should be processed routinely, same time same place. Try to get in the habit of being the one to open mail, and read it in the same place each day. This avoids scattering and possible loss, which occurs when too many people have access to the incoming mail. Happy Organizing! Good luck, Debbie Williams Also see: Ask Debbie your questions Recently answered questions Home office organization