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Home-entertainment centers are all the rage, but maybe
what your family needs is a "home-information center"
-- a place and a system for organizing all the stray bits of paper
that get tucked into the first convenient spot and then seem to
take up permanent residence.
Stuff gets tossed on the dining room table or in a
spare drawer, where it remains unloved, unsorted and neglected.
Among the missing-in-action paperwork: bank statements, warranties
for household appliances, manuals for all the electronic gear your
family got at Christmas, financial information you need for taxes,
credit card statements, bills and so on.
Most people tend to fall into one of two categories:
pack rat or purger. Either they save too much or they toss out everything
in a relentless mission to eradicate clutter. The end result is
the same -- the inability to find information when it's needed.
It's a good time to do some spring cleaning and learn
how to sort things out. Below are some general tips from the experts
on how to get and stay organized by following one of several filing
systems.
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| Let's get organized! |
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What to keep
"The beginning of organization is exploration," says John
E. Sestina, a certified financial planner and president of John
E. Sestina and Company in Columbus, Ohio. That means gauging the
importance of information as it comes in and deciding whether to
keep or toss.
Take time to read through documents to figure out
what they mean. Then ask yourself, "What's the worst thing
that can happen if I throw it out? Can I get another copy? Is it
something that I'll need later on?"
"People are so afraid of losing something or
needing a piece of information," says Julie Morgenstern, a
professional organizer based in New York City and author of "Organizing
from the Inside Out." "What I try and do is not convince
them to throw everything out, but to determine what they truly need
to hold onto and then devise a system so they can find what they
need, when they need it."
"Don't pile, just file," is the mantra of
Chris Jones, an accountant and president of Progressive Solutions
in New York City and White Plains, N.Y. It's one you may wish to
adopt. If you start opening mail, finish the job. File bills appropriately
-- perhaps in a "bills to be paid" folder. If you need
a timely reminder, jot down on the calendar when payments are due
to ensure you won't incur any late fees.
Keep the most up-to-date copy of information. For
example, when you get a new homeowner's insurance policy, toss out
the old one, or when you get a new stereo, discard the manual for
the one you've just given to the Salvation Army.
Also, keep in mind your space limitations. People
blessed with large homes can stand to keep more papers than someone
living in a studio apartment in New York City.
Where to
keep it
A common mistake that people make when storing important papers
at home is to squirrel it away in various spots around the house.
Instead, choose a central location so you're not scavenger hunting
every time you need to find something. Make sure your storage spot
is convenient.
"I would say that 75 percent to 80 percent of
the clients I work with choose the wrong place for their files,"
says Morgenstern. "They tuck it away in some remote location
like a spare bedroom or in a basement."
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