One of the most frequent requests I get from potential organizing clients is help with the never-ending stream of papers that come and go every day. So I’ve put together this series of posts dedicated to helping you create The Ultimate Family Command Center. Part 1 focused on finding a spot for your Command Center and the first 2 steps of setting up the system. Part 2 focused on creating the Family Resource Binder. Today I will pick up with Part 3: Creating your active files . . .

One of the primary goals of creating a Family Command Center is to eliminate those paper piles on your kitchen counter and make it easier to locate certain papers and information when you need it. So for this step, gather up all your assorted paper piles in one large bin. It’s time to sort them out and find them a home!

Step 4: Sort the papers

Each one of your daily papers needs to find a “home” to live temporarily. But to decide where the paper should live, we first need to assign it to a category. To begin, you will need a black marker, a pad of sticky notes and your bin of collected papers.  Clear off a big work space (the kitchen table or counter will work perfectly).  You are going to go paper by paper and assign each one a category. The basic categories to start with are below. Simply write each category on a sticky note with your marker and assign it a temporary spot on your workspace. If any of the papers you are sorting have a date associated with it, be sure to post it in your calendar before sorting it:

1. Urgent: These are the papers that need immediate attention. Ideally, you should act on these papers as soon as they arrive, but if you absolutely can’t get to it right now, the urgent file can act as a temporary holding area. Be sure to check this file frequently, though, so that you are always on top of the items that come and go from it.
2. To Do: Papers that require you to take an action (a birthday invitation you need to respond to, a phone message you need to return, a permission form that needs to be completed). This is also a file that should be checked frequently and should become a part of your daily routine.
3. Bills:  This is for the bills that need to be paid.  After opening the bills, keep them in the original envelope, pencil in the date due on the outside of the envelope, and stack them with the one due soonest on top.
4. To File:  Papers that DO NOT require any further action but need to go into your long term storage files when you have more time to file them away (reconciled bank statements, W2s, paid bills, etc.).
5. To Read: Newsletters, bulletins, etc. that aren’t urgent but you’d like to read soon. (This is a GREAT file to take with you and work through when you wait at the doctor’s office or hairdresser, or if you’ll be waiting for your kids at an extracurricular activity.)
6. To Hold:  These are papers you have already acted on but you need to have at your fingertips for the near future:  an invitation with directions to the event, a receipt for an item that you’re waiting to receive reimbursement for in the mail, instructions for your daughter’s upcoming field trip that you’ve already given permission for. Remember that this is a temporary active file. Items that you need to keep indefinitely should be stored in a permanent filing cabinet.
7. Consider:  This is for things you are thinking about taking action on:  a torn out recipe you might make, a picture of a room design or project you might do in your own home, a page from a catalog for something you might want to buy (not the entire catalog, though, just the page and, if it’s not already on the page, just jot down the company’s website or phone number on the page)

During your sorting session, you may come up with other categories, which is fine.  Just label a sticky note with the category title and create the new pile. 

Step 5: Create your Active Files Box

Now that your papers are sorted, each pile needs a labeled file folder. All of the files can then be stored in a tabletop file box such as this one:

Yes, this is a small file box, but that’s the point. This is a revolving file system, so the papers aren’t meant to sit in here indefinitely. Also, the limited space will allow you to be more ruthless with what you decide to keep and what finds its way to the recycle bin.

So, how do we put this system to work in conjunction with the Command Center? Well, when papers come into the house (from the mail, your kids’ school, etc.) they are to be sorted into the appropriate person’s bin or appropriate Active Files folder from the system above. Be sure to make going through these files and cubbies a part of your daily routine and you’ll be sure to keep the quantity down.

Concluding Tips

So, if you’ve followed this series of posts you now have the basics of a Family Command Center: the organized junk drawer, the Family Resource Binder, and the Active Files. One of the most important things to remember to ensure the success of this system is to make sure everyone in the house knows about the Command Center and is familiar with how it functions.  The key to success is to have the entire family involved and using the system.  You may even want to ask your kids or spouse for suggestions of what to keep either in the Command Center or in the Family Resource Binder.

The Command Center is also a great place to keep all those things that seem to disappear when you’re rushing out the door (your keys, cell phone, maybe even a purse or wallet).  The great thing is you can customize the Center to fit YOUR needs.

Also, remember that it is OK to let this system evolve and change as you use it.  The perfect system doesn’t exist, but we can get pretty close if we remain flexible.

If you have any questions about setting up your own Command Center, Family Resource Binder, or Active Files, please leave a comment below.  Good luck best wishes on tackling those paper piles!

Simply yours,
Debbie

Related posts:

1. The Ultimate Family Command Center, Part 2: The Family Resource Binder
2. The Ultimate Family Command Center: Part 1
3. Put Paper in its Place!
4. Organizing York, PA . . . The Command Center
5. 4 Quick and Easy Tips for Your Filing System