8 Tips for Purging Your File System
Posted in Productivity
The following was left as a comment How to Set Up Your Personal File System, by Stephanie Calahan. Given the amount of useful information it contained, I e-mailed Stephanie and asked if I could turn it into a regular post. She agreed, so here are her tips for purging files:
Great tips for filing. The last point is to purge your files. That is the area I have found my clients have the most difficulty. Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself as you make decisions about what to keep and what to let go.
Does it require any action by me/us?
If an item requires action (a phone call to make, a report to write, an outfit that requires altering) then it is an “ACT.” Keep everything that requires action in one location, so that when you have time, you will be able to go through and check the items off of the list!
Is it recent enough to be useful?
Is the address book that has not been updated in 3 years really current? Just like food has an expiration date so does the things in your life. If you are keeping things that are no longer current, you are not allowing yourself the space for new and better things to start.
Is it difficult to obtain again?
Birth certificates, legal documentation, marriage licenses, company incorporation papers, the list goes on and on. If there are items that are difficult to find or obtain again, you may want to consider keeping the item in a container designated for that type of item.
Are there tax or legal implications?
Have you talked to your council about the information you keep and how long you keep it? If not, you might want to consider doing so. Each industry has different documents that should be retained as does residential paperwork.
Can I identify specific use?
Do you keep things because you might “need them someday?” That is fine if you #1, have the space to keep the items and #2 know what you are going to do with the item. If you are keeping something for the express purpose of keeping it, consider that item a little harder.
Is it beautiful, useful or loved?
Are you keeping something that you think is hideous because it was a gift to you from someone special? Don’t. Only surround yourself with things that bring you joy. Most likely, the person that gave you the gift would not want you to keep it if they knew you did not like it.
Does it reflect the person I was or the person I am now?
Are you keeping things that were important to you in the past, but really do not have the same meaning anymore? Does your space reflect who you are or who you were? Get rid of things that no longer hold meaning for you.
What is the worst possible scenario if I toss this?
This one is one of my favorite questions! If you can ask yourself this question and find that you can live with the answer, then it can make it easier to let go.
Also, if you don’t like the idea of making your own system, you could consider pre-made filing systems that are on the market:
EZ Home Filing: http://tinyurl.com/easyhmfiling
Home Filing: http://tinyurl.com/homefiling
Small Business Filing: http://tinyurl.com/businessfiling
Teacher Filing: http://tinyurl.com/TeacherFiling
To your success!
Stephanie
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