The key to reigning in Supreme Paper Mess is finding a good filing system that works for you. This seems obvious, but a quick Google search suggests it can’t be that simple or there wouldn’t be 1,310,000 results for “filing system”. Make that 1,310,001.
For me, the filing system sweet spot rests on a balance between expandability and restraint. I have little use for those pre-packaged filing systems with the tabs already printed out with categories that don’t apply while altogether skipping those that do. Furthermore, I need to be able to subdivide categories when the file has accumulated so many items that it becomes unwieldly. The challenge for me is to limit the number of files and subfiles I have.
For years, I’ve used a system based on the five most widely-available colors for hanging files: blue, red, yellow, green, and purple. Along the way, I’ve found a couple other colors that I’ve picked up and do use, but the backbone of my system is built upon the first five:
Blue = writing projects. Hanging folders for major writing projects; interior folders for Research, Contacts, etc. for the particular project.
Red = action to take; also used for work Hanging folders for To Do, To Read, Work; interior folders for sub-categories, like Flex Spending or Performance Reviews by year.
Yellow = home. Hanging folders for Warranties, Owner’s Manuals, Condo Association, Design Projects; interior folders for each project.
Green = finances. Hanging folders for Monthly Bills, Taxes, Insurance; interior folders for each the type of bill (Phone, Cable, etc.), tax year, and type of insurance.
Purple = fun. This includes creative projects and vacations; also used for design school. Hanging folders for each class, general school information, Scrapbooking, Needlepoint, and Vacations; interior folders for the different assignments or different aspect of school (Admissions, Library Resources), vacation destination, or project for the crafting folders.
The other colors/categories I have include:
Orange = family. Hanging folders for my Dad, my brother and sister in-law and their kids, and my sister and brother in-law and their daughter, where I file correspondence, gift ideas, etc.
Gray = diet/heath. Hanging folders for Fitness Assessment, Diet, Exercise.
