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Organizing Paperwork from Office to Home and Back

image By Professional Organizer Lea Schneider

Getting and staying organized wouldn't be so darn difficult if you could just get all of your paperwork in one place. Half of it is at the office. Half of it is at home. Whatever you can't find is probably in the car.

A client recently complained about their office desk and home desk, adding, don't even think about looking in my car.

Part of the confusion for so many of us is that we don't finish our work AT work. We haul it home to read later in the night or make that one phone call. Then at home, we have to remember to haul it back to work. Or, we have that one personal task, such as calling about a medical bill that insurance should have paid. We end up tucking it in our briefcase or purse and hauling it to work. Once there, it sometimes doesn't get back home so it can be paid.

All of this chaos leads to lost items, missed deadlines and lost time as we rush home to get something we must have.

There is a solution.

Begin by realizing that this is an ongoing situation. We tend to treat it as something temporary but let's get honest. We'll be hauling paperwork back and forth as long as we have an office somewhere and a computer at home. So make up your mind to do something about it.

Take the time to create a system that works for you. Above in the picture is a traveling tickle file. You can purchase a special case for your papers or adapt your briefcase by using file folders to create compartments. A tickle file contains 31 folders, one for each day of the month. It also contains one folder for month of the year.

Instead of throwing papers randomly in your case, place them in by date, asking yourself when each needs to be completed. Return them to the case after use. This will help you stay on track at home and at work.

In addition, add two files labeled File At Home and File At Work. These two folders contain finished projects so that you can be reminded to return them to the proper file for future use.

This method helps you stay on track, not forget deadlines and be able to contain your mess both at work and at home. It really is a time saver. You can adapt it to any case or container.

Happy Organizing!