Well your wish list was already made and checked twice. Did you get what you wanted whether you were naughty or nice, or are you still looking at those piles and piles of papers wondering what you are going to do with them?

Here is a checklist of things to do as you try to wrap your arms around those essential and not quite so important documents, flyers, and coupons.

In honor of GO (Get Organized) Month sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) of which I am a proud member, I am posting this useful checklist so you can get your filing off to a great start in 2017.

NAPO members abide by a strong code of ethics, respecting the integrity and privacy of each of our clients. We also participate in conferences and ongoing educational webinars so we can offer informative professional advice to our clients.

Filing Template Checklist

Ask yourself these questions when determining where and how to file each document:

  1. What type of document is this?
  2. Do I need to keep it?
  3. Why do I need to keep it?
  4. What will I do with it?
  5. When do I need to act on it?
  6. How will I act on it?
  7. How will I follow up with it?
  8. Where will it live:
    1. In Reference, and if so, which file?
  9. In an Action File
  10. In the Trash, Delete, Recycle or Shred bin

The above checklist of questions will help in your quest to conquer the clutter and stress piles. Be diligent and merciless when trying to decide if you need to keep those papers. Also, very important, touch the page only once and make your decision. If you get stuck, just put that item in a “not sure bin”. Come back to it the next day after you have made executive decisions about all the others.

Happy filing. You know what to do if you feel like you need more accountability and hand holding. Contact me at 678-294-7813.