Things You'll Need:
- Filing cabinet
- Hanging files
- Paperwork
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Step 1
Sort through any unorganized paperwork and decide what can be discarded and what needs to be saved. If necessary, shred documents for security purposes.
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Step 2
Store extremely sensitive and important documents, such as original birth certificates and housing deeds, separately in a fireproof and private location.
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Step 3
Determine what size and shape of filing cabinet suits your needs and your housing situation. You may also want to consider a locking cabinet if the material you are organizing requires such security.
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Step 4
Purchase an organizational system such as hanging files to accompany your filing cabinet if it is not already equipped with one.
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Step 5
Divide the filing cabinet by giving each drawer a specific category. One drawer can be solely for utility bills. Another could be used for bank statements, copied checks and banking and financially related paperwork.
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Step 6
Within the individual drawers, designate an individual folder for each member of the category. For example, one folder in the drawer for utilities can be solely for gas bills and another can be for cell phone bill statements.
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Step 7
Choose a day of the month when all statements and mail will be filed into the filing cabinet system and make it routine to file paperwork and bills away on that day. This will prevent clutter from building up and will keep your filing cabinet neat and organized.
