A House of Order Janene Barker Holmstead Files that Banish Piles - Paper Control Page 1 of 9 Gospel Principle *Prepare every needful thing; D&C 109:8 This is the best idea I have ever gotten in a Relief Society meeting. The top of my desk is now clear of clutter. The front of my refrigerator and my bulletin boards are clutter free. Calendared Events has saved me embarrassment because I am prepared for each event I need to attend. Relief Society Sister and Clients Where does it all come from? Paper Control is such a popular subject because reams of paper attack our homes on a weekly basis. Bills, wedding announcements, invitations, catalogs, advertisements, promotions, letters and more come through the mail. Schools send home piles of paper. We order newspapers and magazines and flyers are left on our doors and under the welcome mat. We create our own paper piles with to do lists, reminders, recipes, music, hobby patterns and instructions. The age of technology has been a blessing to paper clutter. However I still believe that information will come into our homes in the form of hard copies for several more years.
Page 2 of 9 There are 100 s of systems out there. I have tried many systems over the years and with some I got buried in more paper just setting them up. One system suggested making an index and giving each page a number and then filing items numerically. The hard part of that was making the index and the cross reference entries one was encouraged to create. It was all so much work. I just wanted a way to save important things and have them at my fingertips. I wanted an easy, efficient family and home paper management system. What is Files that Banish Piles all about? Once again, the system that evolved for me was an answer to prayer. Once the idea was planted, the possibilities just flowed into my mind. It only took a short time to set up. All I needed was some hanging files, with tabs with some unique file names. But the surprising part of the inspiration was that I needed a two-drawer file cabinet in the kitchen. activity took place. Where was the phone? Where did the mail get put? Where did we keep pencils and papers to make lists or jot down phone numbers? That place, the hub of the house, is where the file cabinet should be. What??? I thought one only put file cabinets in offices or closets. We actually kept most of our files in the garage. We had metal, four-drawer file cabinets that scratched easily and seem so utilitarian. Would I dare to put a file cabinet in the kitchen? As I defined the process, it became apparent that the place the file cabinet belonged was where the most This two-drawer file cabinet is at the end of the kitchen counter. You should have a trash can near the file cabinet and open the mail right there. This way you won t have to handle the pages multiple times.
Let me explain how it works. Or rather, let me explain how YOU will work IT. Page 3 of 9 To start your filing system, any box or crate that has tracks for hanging file folders will work fine. I ll discuss the actual file cabinets below. Don t get hung up right now on where this cabinet goes; let s just discuss the system. As we go along, I will also explain the names for the file tabs. You may use hanging files you already have or go choose ones in your favorite colors. If you already have them, I would not go out and buy more until you have used the system and know what you want. Then if you really want new hanging folders, you will change the tabs from your old files to your new ones. Before I spend money, I personally feel that it is invaluable to have experience with the system so you know what you really want. You will need at least 25 hanging files. After you have made the labels, position them in the center slots down the middle of the hanging folders. This is done on purpose since you will be filing alphabetically. Putting the tabs in different slots from left to right, means that when you add a file you will have to move them all to keep your pattern going. It is just easier if they are all the same. I prefer the center, but you could choose the left or right, just as long as they are all in the same slots. Folder Names This system allows for files to fit your family s unique circumstances. If you have children at home you will have different files than your retired neighbor. But there are a few files that everyone will want to have called universal files. First I ll explain the universal files so you can set them up. Then I will help you set up your individual files by suggesting ideas which will help you develop your personal system. You can now run your home without piles of papers stacked in the kitchen, on the front of the refrigerator, and on the tops of end tables in the family room. The universal files are the reason this system works so well. I suggest that you set these up and use them as you go through the paper in your home. These six files are what will banish piles of paper. You always have an option to change, but give these a try. After you see how well they work you will be able to make additional files that fit your family as needed. These first folders are best in the top drawer of the file cabinet, since that is the most accessible.
Files that Banish Piles Paper Control System developed by Janene Holmstead Page 4 of 9 Needed: One two-drawer file cabinet placed in the kitchen or family room. Most people prefer a unit that is considered a piece of furniture which fits in with their room décor. You could also have a two-drawer file that is part of a desk. Have at least 25 hanging files with tabs placed down the center. This file system runs your daily household activities and is NOT for church subjects, hobbies, family history or other projects. It gives easy access to papers you may need on a daily basis, and keeps your home free from paper clutter. The first set of files are universal, nearly everyone uses them. Universal Folders The following folders have been found helpful for everyone: Calendared Events time sensitive info - mark your calendar and then put flyers or announcements in this file discard when event is over. Current Bills - as they come in before being paid open and check them before filing. This file is different from where you will put receipts or stubs after payment. This is a quick reference of hours and phone numbers Directories ward, family, neighborhood lists, frequently used retail businesses, like the pharmacy, and your physicians. Elections- Flyers during election times. Specials & Coupons store discounts, restaurants, theme parks, activities not for cents off on groceries. Services - Phone, TV, Internet, and ways to contact or report problems Your Town Info - for information about library hours, phone numbers, and. things such as Park & Rec., adult ed., town pool season/hours.
Further instructions about the universal files Page 5 of 9 Calendared Events This folder alone will reduce your paper clutter by a measurable amount. This is how it works: In the mail you get an announcement of a wedding reception, or any other invitation, which you would like to attend or send a gift. First you put it on the calendar. It is also a good idea to add buying a gift to your shopping list, or make sure you have the items you need to make your gift. What would you do with that wedding announcement now? You want to keep the address of the reception location and the names of the parents and the bride and groom. In the past you might have put it on a bulletin board, on the front of the refrigerator, or in the overflowing inbox in the stack trays on top of a desk. Now you drop it in the Calendared Events folder. Later, as you prepare to attend or send a gift, you reach in and take out the announcement, prepare the card and wrap the gift. For parent teacher conference, you can mark your calendar and put the note in Calendared Events for future reference. If you have a form to fill out and return when you register your child for kindergarten, you drop it in Calendared Events. Notices from sports programs usually have information about try-outs, game times and tournaments. You will want to be able to review those in the future, so drop them in Calendared Events. When you see a notice in the newspaper or receive a flyer on the doorstep which you want to keep as a reference, and drop it in the Calendared Events folder. This is an active rotating folder. When the event is over, and you no longer need the information, be sure you take the item out of the folder and discard it. Don t let it become clutter somewhere else. Ninety-nine percent of what you have filed in Calendared Events will be discarded. Current Bills If your bills add to surface clutter, you usually spend extra time searching for them and loose pages and envelopes. If you receive hard copy statements, they can also add to the clutter. The Current Bill folder is used as a holding place until you are ready to pay the bills. Even if you pay the bills in another location, I suggest that you have this file here as well. When the bill comes in, you open it, check it for accuracy and drop it into Current Bills. Then, when it is time to pay bills you will lift them out and take them to the location where you pay the bills. This plan should save you steps, and the bills will be easier to find. If you choose to use this file cabinet to store the receipts and statements after bills are paid, you can make the necessary folders. If you have another system in place for statements and stubs, you can continue with that one or merge them into this location. At the end of the year, when you prepare taxes, remove the year s receipts and begin to file January s information. It is imperative that you open each bill or statement when it arrives. It only takes a moment to check if the charges are in line with what you expected. You should also pay attention to the payment deadline.
Directories Page 6 of 9 We have many electronic ways to store information today. However, not everyone is totally up to speed, and there may be reasons for wanting a hard copy of directories. Usually directories clutter bulletin boards or desk tops. Filing them avoids clutter. This was a great folder for the names and numbers of our kid s friends. As a new addition of a directory is printed, replace the old with the new. We actually have several directories in our folder, but they all look different enough that it just takes a second to retrieve the one we need. Elections Elections items come in so fast. There are many you ll want to save to read when you can, or to make comparisons as others arrive. Discard what you don t want to keep and drop the rest in this Elections folder. It is also a good place for election guides and absentee ballot forms. This folder is a holding zone for the barrage of flyers that come in before an election. The rest of the year our folder is empty. Specials & Coupons This is not for cents off coupons at grocery or discount stores. Special & Coupons is for discounts at, restaurants, theme parks or other establishments. Often these coupons are for a current season or have an expiration date. You may not use them before they expire. You can discard the old and replace it for the most recent. This file could be used for discounts on volume buying or discounts on what you buy on a certain day in a particular store. Services This folder is used very infrequently but when we need it, it may be an emergency. The more common use is for reference about when the trash pickup is on a holiday schedule. When a bill arrives with phone numbers, emergency contact information or announcing a rate change, we drop it in the Services folder, and then we don t need to have it on the bulletin board. Your Town I have always kept info about the libraries in our area in this folder. But depending on what callings I have had in the church or what ages of the kids, this file has had different items inside. Sometimes I wanted info on nursing homes and other facilities, when I was helping people deal with life changes. For several years the folder would be full of info on junior colleges or home study options in the area. As a grandmother I have kept park & rec info as well as playgrounds and the free activities in our town.
File Cabinets Page 7 of 9 As I looked around for free standing file cabinets, I soon found that they come in many styles. After I had used the Files that Banish Piles system for about three years, using a banker box, I was ready for a nice piece of furniture. Put the file cabinet where your family often congregates. Usually that is the kitchen or family room. Nearly every home or apartment I have seen has a space in a corner of the room, near the counter, or even against the wall where a file cabinet could be placed. In very small kitchens, there is usually not room for even a phone. Place the cabinet in the eating area or just outside in a family gathering area. The styles that appealed to me were the wood units that come in several different furniture styles and wood types. There are traditional and credenza type file cabinets. The credenza or vertical file can actually sit in the eating area against a wall and look like a buffet. No matter how nice the cabinet is, it won t work in a formal dining room because the dining room is out of the way and not used very often. You could put a runner on the top of the cabinet to protect the surface and a silk plant or flower arrangement to soften the look. You will want to keep some surface area available for placing the papers as you file them. If you are not yet convinced about a file in the kitchen or family room, just get a box or crate and put the files in the pantry or on the counter. As you go through your paper clutter and use the system to make order out of chaos, you will realize how valuable it is and you will find a space for a file cabinet. If you have a home with a great room, which is a kitchen and family room without walls to separate them, you may choose to put your file into the part that is technically the family room. However, make sure it is near the main traffic areas. My recommendation is to place it no further than a few feet off the kitchen, if not inside the kitchen proper.
Individualizing Your Files Page 8 of 9 Listed below are some files you may choose to use. We actually have used each of them at different times over the last thirty years. This shows how the file system can be adapted to changing needs. Family: Dad - Mom- Billy- Sally Schools: High School Jr. High Elementary Sports: Soccer T Ball Basketball Movies - Info on ratings, etc. Church calling- Relief Society, Primary, YW, etc. Receipts-this is for things that you may want to return. i.e.: Can opener, clothes you need to try on, computers, or home décor items. The receipts are kept in the folder so you can easily retrieve them. Once a decision is made, the receipt can be discarded. Other Files that are used less frequently can be put in the bottom drawer. Paper: Scratch paper, notebook paper. This is for easy access and should be placed in the very front of the bottom drawer. The kids can get to this when they need paper Insurance: Auto Home Health Auto records Service, tire warrantees DMV Booklet Family Home Evening Medical: Rx receipts Dr. Records Wish List Good Buys Stationary Note cards, Stamps & Envelopes Credit Cards Bank Statements Below are other ideas for folders; only use them if they fit your needs. As you pick up a piece of paper and find that saving it would help you in the future, make a folder that works for you. Example: If I were a quilter and the place I quilt is on another level of my house or in a room down the hall, I would have a file for quilting. Any sales promotions, patterns, names of contacts or anything about quilting, which I wanted to keep, I would drop it in the file. When I am going to the quilting area of the house, I would pull the items out of the file and take them to the quilting area. This is a new way of thinking but you will get used to it and love it very soon. Each time you start to lay a piece of paper down you will be aware that it doesn t go on the counter, it goes in the file.
Page 9 of 9 Earlier in this section, when I talked about Calendared Events, I mentioned notices from sports programs. You may receive a lot of information that you will want to be able to find. If I had a child very active in a sport, I would make a file for that sport. In the file for each family member, anything you may need which is relevant to that person would go in their file. Immunization records, YM or YW information, passports, church membership records, just to name a few, would go in the child s file. In the school files, bell schedules, class schedules, emergency information bulletins, and information on clubs are also appropriate for that file. * * * * * * * * * * * * * *