How I Finally Organized My Papers with a Paper Management System That Lasts! NO more paper piles!

Рет қаралды 36,205

Күн бұрын

I'm showing how I finally organized my paper once and for all by setting up a paper management that has stood the test of time. I set this up two years ago and it's still going strong. Now I have no paper piles. I'm sharing some of the things I did that finally worked to conquer the paper clutter.
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Пікірлер: 85

@charonnortrup6770 2 жыл бұрын

I noticed you using a Scan Snap for your papers. I have one but I don't quite understand how to use it. Could you make a tutorial for the Scan Snap? I would sure appreciate it. Thank you so much for your videos. Charon

@karenlebeter4196 Жыл бұрын

Make sure all digital files are duplicated/backed up. When I moved, I lost important files and my laptop. My house was robbed between 2 trips back to the house. I moved over 100 miles and money was tight for gas (my son was changing jobs and I was moving in with him).

@bitrudder3792 Жыл бұрын

So great that you knew you wanted to go paperless and could design your plan of attack accordingly. The preparation is just as important as the work. It’s good to think about just how much paper you’re dealing with before you sit down and do this job. When I had 20 to 30 years of backlog to deal with, it really helped me to think in terms of Freedom Filer method. Being able to sort files into dated archived folders without having to make immediate decisions about them, along with the other categories of active, remove/replace, permanent, Current tax related, current financial, projects and reference… That was really helpful having sections set up for all of that. It was a lot easier to tackle what absolutely needed to be done first and then go through and shred a lot of the rest of it. Because they were things that were not immediately identifiable as shreddable…And I didn’t realize that until after I shredded some things I should not have shredded. I do love shredding😅.

@kimbartholomew8129 Ай бұрын

I once shredded my Birth certificate I had to pay for a new one.

@bitrudder3792 Ай бұрын

@@kimbartholomew8129 - uh oh! When it comes to things like birth certificates, passports, voter ID, professional licenses… They get their own dedicated folder… Sometimes with a stick-on pocket inside of the folder to make sure The most important things don’t slide out the side!

@juliemelder4584 Жыл бұрын

I love watching your videos, I always learn something awesome! You’re really inspiring! ❤

@michellewood9646 2 жыл бұрын

This is the biggest job I so need to tackle it’s been building for 10 yrs as we have moved so much and had many serious medical situations. But this is next on the list a massive job but I can’t wait to do it. As I burn and shrewd the papers they seem to be multiplying behind me lol

@cynthiamayer6506 Жыл бұрын

My shelfie is really helping me organize my paper. Thank you!!!

@cherylgonzales4146 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for responding to my question and allow me to congratulate you on your decision and commitment. You gave up your free time until the project was completed. My problem is I start off well but easily get distracted and allow other things and people to take up my time. You're an inspiration!

@elizabeththomson2579 5 ай бұрын

The scanning idea is brilliant, had never thought of that one. I am currently renting whilst our new house is being built and this is a great time to go through our papers. Thank you so much for the inspiration.

@karenlehmeier6215 2 жыл бұрын

The little ones are such cuties! Thank you so much for your ideas.

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

@julietannOsfan1972 2 жыл бұрын

Well done on sorting & organsing your paper clutter. I plan to start doing this. I prefer lever arch files/ring binders rather than boxes etc. For special items I put them in archival page protectors in yearly ring binders. To me, special greeting cards & letters etc are too precious to just throw away. I have greeting cards from when I was born. I'm now 63 & will never throw these away. Your children were great helpers & so cute. x

@Flatability Жыл бұрын

I love those storage boxes on the shelves behind you. I might steal your idea. Thanks for giving me some inspiration. Great edit by the way.

@youandmeandmultiplescleros402 11 ай бұрын

Scanning and shredding changed the way I manage paper. Now that I'm caught up, I deal with papers as they come in. I also have small files for the few papers that need to be in hard copy, plus a memory box for sentimental items. Such a satisfying place to be!

@karenschroeder8419 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for showing us the reality of your life instead of the polished and finished result as a starting point for your fans.

@amykehoe2078 2 жыл бұрын

I like the tip about getting your family involved, especially the kids so you can work on it more. Giving them simple jobs like shredding the paper makes them feel important and is also helping you at the same time. Your youngest one even looked like he enjoyed watching the shredder in action.

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

Yes totally - the shredder had a window on the front and he loved watching it fill up.

@emilyhokanson4587 2 жыл бұрын

Super helpful! Thank you ☺️

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

So glad!

@MsButterflyJan1976 Жыл бұрын

Your little helpers did such a great job!…Can I borrow them to tackle my paperwork???…😂😂😂

@SuzyTaylorOakley 2 жыл бұрын

Laura, I always love when you include your sweet babies in your videos. 😊 Also, I decided to pull out my shredder and get busy while I watched. LOL

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

That is awesome!

@kristijones1496 2 жыл бұрын

I put the super important documents (like birth certificates) in a fire-proof safe, which also prevents them from getting mixed in with any ordinary papers. Loved your video--great work! I also like how you have your pens, markers, etc. in jars and it looks so colorful and easily accessible. I might copy that in our kitchen, where the kids often do their crafting.

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, great idea to put them in a fire proof safe. Yes I love having all the colorful markers and pens out.

@meganm4877 Жыл бұрын

Check on them regularly; I bought a fire proof safe and only put documents in it; opened a year later to add more docs and the ones that were already in there had gone mildewy.

@emilygarland4882 Жыл бұрын

My boys are 17 & 20 and I still have their baby shower cards! I believe the ones from when *I* was born are in my attic, too! I love looking at the cards.

@ArleneAdkinsZell Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@mariannelins184 2 жыл бұрын

I made a scrapbook/album for my sentimental things, so I can visit them. I use 3 hole punched clear sleeves and put them in a binder.

@ile002 Жыл бұрын

I loooooove this idea!!!! I have them in boxes and this would definitely be much more enjoyable 😃

@AsaTorell 10 ай бұрын

So the ScanSnap absolutely saved me from drowning in paper clutter. You recommended it somewhere and I was able to snag a used one for super cheap (no way could I afford them new). Life. Changer. No joke. So much quicker and easier than the flat bed scanners. I hate to sound like a commercial LOL but this thing changed the game. I finally got my paper clutter sorted and gone and now all I've left to deal with little by little is the sentimental stuff. It's so nice tho to have that all contained to one big box, instead of piles here, there, and everywhere, haha. Now whatever comes in gets scanned, shredded, and digitally filed. I feel so light and airy! 😂😂

@AsaTorell 10 ай бұрын

Oh and I bought a cute, bright colored decorative box for the important papers. It's easy to spot and locate. Once money allows I do want to get a safe though, but they're not really mainstream where I live, so they're quite hard to get and not cheap. All of the documents are also in cloud storage though and could be replaced with not too much effort.

@lindawoodfill503 2 жыл бұрын

Aww so cute! I need to do this !

@maddyrichards5695 Жыл бұрын

Hey Laura, you are inspiring me so much! This is exactly the organisation system I’m up to in my life. What do you do with old notebooks or things you’ve written on? I’ve got my notebook from last year where I planned heaps and it allowed me to finally start saving money. I’m not sure if I should go through and pull out important pages or just disregard the whole book? Any suggestions would be so helpful :)

@Mommypalooza 2 жыл бұрын

What is your important documents binder? Would love more on that for my kids!

@xiomara360 10 ай бұрын

Hello. Thank you for sharing. Where are your white and bins from? And gusseted (spelling) file? What papers to keep and what to get rid off?

@georgiajohnson4091 2 жыл бұрын

Would you please comment on the brand and type of scanner you use? Also, I would like to see the process on how you organize your scanned paperwork. Thanks!

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

The scanner I like is this one: amzn.to/35KuSQU I use Evernote to organize my papers, which I describe in detail in the course!

@georgiajohnson4091 2 жыл бұрын

@@GetOrganizedHQ Thank you! I appreciate the information.

@kendracarver7243 Жыл бұрын

Yes, I would love to know what system you use after scanning your papers. I have recipes in notebooks plus piles of loose paper recipes. Don't want to throw them away but not really using them.

@venieappleby6134 2 жыл бұрын

Where did you get the cart the chicken broth was on? It looks nice and sturdy! Great video, paper is my issue too!

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

That's an Elfa cart from The Container Store.

@elainefleming91 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Laura, Thank you so much! How do you find your scanned papers? Can you give examples?

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

I use Evernote to store my scanned papers in such a way that I can easily find them.

@sandrafisher2280 2 жыл бұрын

I love the idea of getting rid of filing cabinets full of paper. Is there an app I could use from my phone for scanning? Would I lose quality of scanning by using it instead of a scanner like yours? Btw… I love your office helpers😀

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I scan right from Evernote, and I've been happy with the quality.

@lavenderm Жыл бұрын

What scanner do you use? Is it double sided?

@christinecortese9973 2 жыл бұрын

I don’t dare scan. My computer is a hot mess that desperately needs organizing. I’m more organized with paper than I am digitally.

@jessicaquiroz7178 11 ай бұрын

Can you go more into depth about the binder?

@blades2277 2 жыл бұрын

What font do you use on your storage boxes? Looks fab....

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

I like Sacramento and Bebas Neue

@susanhabeler3908 Жыл бұрын

What scanner are you using in video?

@delainecroonenborgh5904 2 жыл бұрын

How far in depth do you go in teaching the use of Evernote? I would like to be able to walk away from the class feeling confident in my knowledge of the app.

@user-zy4qt3ds7f 6 ай бұрын

What kind of scanner do you use?

@connieryals1930 2 жыл бұрын

I'm interested in all the white boxes - are they plastic, do they have lids, where did you get them?

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

They are Kuggis Bins - I love them!

@juliemelder4584 Жыл бұрын

What kind of scanner is that and where can I get it??

@conniemenglish 5 ай бұрын

What kind of scanner was that?

@brendaproffitt6293 2 жыл бұрын

What type of naming conventions did you use on the scanned files in order to find specific documents in the future?

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

I found it was best for me not spend a lot of time naming files. That's what always made it take forever in my attempts. I went with a simpler approach relying on Evernote's search features. I share the details of the whole system here: getorganizedhq.com/6zjb

@amandasackfield8999 Жыл бұрын

@@GetOrganizedHQ I love this idea! I'm terrible with paper clutter so this would really help :)

@janettechumley6121 2 жыл бұрын

What scanner did you use? What program did you scan them into??

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

Here's a link to the one I use: amzn.to/35KuSQU

@cinnie2543 2 жыл бұрын

Good presentation. I wish I had mine under control but the computer just seems like a black hole to me.

@Isabel_fit 2 жыл бұрын

Same here. I prefer physical paper clutter because I have a finite amount of space to keep it in (container concept). However, with the computer, space is basically indefinite so I tend to keep things I don’t need and feel the need to over organize with folders and file names

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

So true - it's just as important to not save what you don't on the computer as it would be with physical paper. I always say that digital clutter is still clutter.

@bitrudder3792 Жыл бұрын

I’ve had trouble transferring scanned files from the past into the present. The new technology doesn’t always talk to the old technology. And I just learned that the little thumb drives are known to be wonky and unreliable. So if you decide to go more paperless, the tips I just read about recently include: Use a big reliable external drive and possibly even a optical disc like a DVD sort of thing. Update your old files into new versions so you don’t lose them. If you think of naming conventions for your files, it’s a lot easier to find them if they go astray, and it can help alphabetize similar things in different categories much better. And if you want to find things by the year, stick the year date in there. And of course people are putting stuff in the cloud now. Personally, I don’t want all my beeswax up there. But that’s what a lot of people are doing. I would prefer to have a back up at home.

@jessicaquiroz7178 11 ай бұрын

What label maker do have?

@cherylgonzales4146 2 жыл бұрын

How long did it take to handle, scan, shred or file all the paperwork?

@GetOrganizedHQ 2 жыл бұрын

Now that I'm caught up on backlog, it takes just a few minutes a week at most. To get all caught up I worked on it for about 2-3 weeks using a lot of my free time on it.

@delainecroonenborgh5904 Жыл бұрын

Hello Laura, I posted the following comment a year ago, have not yet received a reply. I am interested in your course but need an answer regarding Evernote. How far in depth do you go in teaching the use of Evernote? I would like to be able to walk away from the class feeling confident in my knowledge of the app.

@elainefleming91 Жыл бұрын

Laura, can you recommend a shredder?

@bitrudder3792 Жыл бұрын

I have been super happy with my Fellowes shredder, it has been a workhorse. I definitely got the one that takes more paper than the lowest level. I like that it can also shred credit cards (but obviously you wouldn’t want to recycle paper with plastic in it). It stops running if fingers are close to the top. It can reverse if it gets a bit choked up with too much. (Obviously, don’t try to make it choke with too much paper). The only downside may be common to other shredders, I don’t know. But I never seem to manage to empty it without getting some of the shreds on the floor which is a pain to clean up. Other than that, 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻. I got mine at Sam’s but it’s a pretty common brand.