Welcome to the final exciting episode of organizing paperwork clutter at home. In this, the conclusion, we address organizing home archives in Fairfield County CT . In last week’s cliffhanger, I had just extracted my 2017 tax-supporting material in my home office. I conquered my 2017 taxes, relinquishing the need for all my statements. 

Organizing choices

Now, I could have chosen to scan my non-digital 2017 files and toss all paper. But I made a different choice. You see, we make our best time management choices, based on trust. I always trust that I can retrieve my paper files. I’m less confident about my digital files. That may be different for you. If so, then by all means, scan and shred.

Time and Space priorities

However, before you fire up your shredder, here’s another consideration. This applies not only to time management, but to space management. What is your priority? From a time perspective, I choose not to spend the time scanning and sorting all my 2017 archive files. It took me just 7.5 minutes to extract my 2017 files in my video last week.

Here, it takes me less than a minute to move those files into remote archives and to shred 2010 files.  This plan meets my need for speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVPYyiuA54E

Space management

As for my priority of space management, no problem. I have a couple of old file cabinets in my basement that I need to elevate my Christmas tree. As long as I always rotate out the 8 year old files out, I will have space. I will always have room in them for all my other archiving needs. These needs include, 7 years of tax supporting material, tax returns (indefinitely), and old client files.

So if you have similar time and space priorities, then the same system might work for you. If not, first consider what procedures you trust. Then look at what your time and space limitations are like. When you get comfortable with these priorities, will find the most effective and sustainable organizing systems. This not only applies to organizing home archives, but everything.