How to Create and Organize a Personal Filing System

What you'll need: Index cards, sturdy filing cabinet or file crate (suited for hanging file folders), and hanging file folders.

You know it's time to start a filing system when you have piles of paper on every surface of your kitchen; or, if you are organized enough that you stack the papers in one place only, it's still time to file if that stack is more than one-inch tall. Here's how to start, and more importantly, how to keep your system going.

First, look through all your papers and see what types of categories you have. Are there bills, receipts, forms to fill out, offers to respond to, legal notifications, or tax papers? As you go through each paper, keep a stack of index cards at your side. Each time you come across a paper that belongs in a new category, write the category on an index card, and place each paper underneath its corresponding card. These will become your file folders. Don't be afraid to make a lot of categories; create as many as you need. (Just be sure to do this where you have a lot of room... the living room floor might be best!)

Categorizing Tips. Create the categories in a way that makes sense to you. Some people will want to file their children's school papers under "School" while others might think that the category "Kids" would fit better. When you are looking for that paper in the future, what category are you most likely to look under?

Don't be afraid to subcategorize either. Let's say that you want to file your past utility bills. If you have separate bills for gas, electric, and water, you probably won't want all of these in one folder. Create three categories; one for Gas Bills, Electric Bills, and Water Bills.

Also, as tempted as you may be, do not make a category called "Miscellaneous." Although it's a great cop-out when you don't know where to put something, what ends up happening is that you end up finding all sorts of papers that could belong there. The folder gets so full that any paper inside will be hopeless to find. Instead, if you come across a paper that simply doesn't seem to fit in the other file folders, create a new category. It's OK to have an occasional folder with only one paper inside.