While I am always eager to get the new year off to a flying start, one thing that has always troubled me, was to take time to organize my old files. For I thought this was always getting in the way of my fast start…my new found focus…productivity and you know, results.

With some practice and the engagement of my good Jessica Dolan and her team at Room to Breathe-Home and Office Organizing, I am more energized and focused on what’s most important to me.

So, I asked Jessica to share some ideas on how to manage the paper and she offered the following:

10 Paper Taming Strategies

Notes, cards, magazine clippings, recipes, coupons, letters, mail, receipts, statements, sticky notes, newspapers, school papers, newsletters, warranties, instruction manuals–is it any wonder that most people feel as if they’re drowning in all their paper?

Here are 10 simple tips to keep your paper under control and to help maintain your sanity.

1. DO A DAILY ATTACK.
Rather than allowing papers to pile up for days, attack them throughout the day. This will ensure the piles never get overwhelming. Five minutes spent sorting through papers each day, will save hours later.

2. CURTAIL THE MAIL.
Handle mail every single day. Open it over the recycle bin, and immediately get rid of anything you don’t need. Then, sort through the rest of the mail, being sure to put:

-bills into a bill paying system.
-papers that need to be referenced into a filing system.
-papers that need to be read in a To Read basket/folder.
-papers that should be distributed to other family members in folders or trays designated for each person.

3. FREE UP YOUR FILING SYSTEM.
When was the last time you weeded out your filing system? If it has been awhile, you can probably reduce its contents by 50 percent or more. Set aside a couple hours over the next week (just 15-30 minutes a day), and go through each folder one by one. Recycle anything that is outdated (e.g. an advertising flyer for an item that was on sale in 1972, a warranty for a toaster you tossed 3 years ago, and so on), or anything that no longer interests you (e.g. a recipe you no longer intend on making, an article you meant to read that no longer applies to you, etc.).

4. MANAGE THE MEMORIES.
I know. I know. I’ve heard it all before. You just can’t bring yourself to toss your sentimental papers–old love letters, kids artwork, a card from a dear friend, vacation post cards, programs from every family member’s graduation, wedding invitations from weddings you attended years ago. And guess what? I don’t recommend you toss all of these things. Just like lots of people, I’m quite sentimental myself. However, I do recommend you put a limit on your sentimentality. I limit mine to 1 medium sized plastic storage bin. Once the box is full, I discard the papers that have the least sentimental significance. This way, the only papers inside are those dearest to my heart.

5. NIX NEWSPAPERS.
First, if you’re getting a regular subscription each day, week or month, be sure you actually have time to read it before the next issue comes. If you simply don’t have time, reduce the paper build-up by cancelling your subscription. You can always get news, tips, recipes, etc. on TV, the radio or the Internet. If you do enjoy reading your subscription, set aside time to read it each day or week, and recycle that issue before the next issue arrives. This way, your newspapers won’t turn into paper piles.

6. CLIP AND TOSS.
When you read a magazine, you’re bound to find an article or recipe you may reference later. When this happens, whatever you do, don’t keep the entire magazine for those one or two pages that interest you. Instead, clip the recipe or article you wish to keep and file it in your filing system, under Pending Recipes, or Pending Home Projects, or Pending Business Ideas, etc. This way, you’ll know where to find them, but you won’t be hoarding piles of magazines.

7. TURN OFF YOUR PRINTER.
Once computers came to be popular among the masses, there was talk of a paperless society. Last time I checked–and this number has probably increased in the past few years– there were 600,000,000 plus pages printed from computers every day! While it is occasionally necessary to print something you get on your computer, 99% of the e-mails and computer documents we receive on a daily basis do not need to be printed. Instead, delete anything you don’t need, and store any electronic documents you do need to keep on your computer hard drive or computer disks.

8. CONSOLIDATE.
If you keep your To Do lists, schedules, calendars, instruction checklists, notes, and other lists and information on paper, then be sure you’re using a system that will consolidate all of this information into one binder, or an active filing system. Loose papers can easily get misplaced. Papers in an efficient system will get used and will be easily accessed when needed.

9. CURB COUPONS.
First, if you never use coupons, stop clipping them. This may sound obvious, but I know lots of people who clip ‘em, sort ‘em, store ‘em–but never use ‘em. If you do use coupons, don’t toss them all in a shoebox. Instead, use a coupon sorter, which you can pick up at most grocery stores. When you’re clipping, be careful of coupon duplicates and triplicates. Most of the time, the expiration dates run out before you have a chance to use them.

10. BECOME DOCUMENT SAVVY.
Sometimes it’s difficult to decide what to keep and what to toss, especially when it comes to bank and credit card statements, tax returns, cancelled checks, ATM transactions, receipts and so on. Every person has his or her own individual financial situation, so it’s always advisable that you speak with your accountant or financial adviser to determine how long you should keep certain papers. However, the average person who is not in danger of being audited, can generally:

a. toss paid bills for non tax-deductible items and utilities after 1 year (only keep if you purchased a big-ticket item).

b. get rid of day to day receipts for credit card purchases and ATM receipts once the monthly statements have arrived.

c. recycle monthly stock or other financial statements once the annual statements have arrived. (However, if you’re going to be applying for a mortgage or a loan in the near future, it’s a good idea to have at least 6 monthly statements on hand and this are almost always easily printed off the fund website.)

d. ditch cash receipts for small-ticket items, like groceries, video rentals, shoes or outfits you don’t plan on returning, restaurants (as long as you don’t need to claim these for business purposes.)

By the way, there have been more and more reports of people having their identity stolen, from thieves who have found old credit card receipts, bank statements and personal documents in the trash. It is highly recommended that you buy yourself a shredder or use a professional shredding company. Shred all documents that contain any personal information before you toss them.

Just remember that even though you may be overwhelmed by paper now you can begin to tackle it. Once you gain a handle on it it’s quite easy to manage documents as they come in and never experience the build-up again.

So, there you have it, 10 things to help get you ready for 2012!

I hope this brings you piece of mind, productivity and the results you want in the new year.

Mike