Day One: The Assessment

Goal: To assess the areas in your home that hold paper and identify what works & what does not work

This first day is dedicated to contemplation.

You will answer a series of questions designed to get you thinking about the source of any issues, as well as a new System and Process.

Visualize three areas in your home that collect paper clutter, then choose ONE specific area to focus on this week.

Answer the following questions:

Paper Area: ________________________________________________________________

What broad categories of paper collect in the above area? Notate all that apply, as you will reference this list:

Accounting
Bank statements
Bills to pay
Credit card statements
Financial statements
Investment records
Loan agreements and payment books
Pay stubs
Pension plan records
Property
Receipts
Appliances
Art & antiques
Collectibles
Clothing
Furniture
Home Improvements
Household Repairs
Social Security
Tax Records & Receipts
Returns
Warranties & Service contracts

Adoption records
Automobile records
Birth certificates
Credit report
Death certificates
Divorce decrees
Educational records
Resume
Employment information
Household inventory
Insurance records
Legal records
Marriage certificate
Medical records
Military records
Power of attorney
Religious records
Safe deposit box
Storage Inventory
Will
Books
Classes
Correspondence
Decorating Ideas
Entertaining
Events Calendars
Fitness
Hobbies
Pets
Recipes
Travel

(Source for above list: Organizing from the Inside Out; Julie Morgenstern)

List any additional categories:

Do you already have a physical system in place for processing the categories of paperwork found in this area? If so, what? (examples: file folders, file cabinet, boxes)

Do you have a process (a series of actions) in place for organizing this area? If so, what? (examples: when mail comes in, you recycle junk mail, and sort the rest into bills and “other”—or, when you gather recipes, you make a pile, then you put them into a three ring binder)

What about the system and process is not effective? (not enough space, doesn’t hold things properly, doesn’t keep things in clear categories, I don’t file enough, the ultimate destination is too far away)

What do you think you need to create a more effective system and process? (something that makes more sense to me, something that holds more, being more committed, a robot that will file papers on my behalf)