The paper Chase “Running a house is a lot like running a business．”says Stephanie Dent

The paper Chase

“Running a house is a lot like running a business．”says Stephanie Denton，a professional or ganizer based in Cincinnati，ohio，who specializes in both residential and commercial paperwork and record keeping． To get a successful grip on organizing documents，bills，and other materials，Denton suggests the following tips：

Create a space in which yon can always do your paperwork． This is perhaps the most important element of a Successful system． If you can’t devote an entire desk to the task．at least invest in a rolling file cart to store active paperwork and a two-drawer file cabinet for family records． Store the rolling file cart wherever it is most convenient and Comfortable to do your work，whether that is the kitchen，once，or family room．

When in doubt，throw it out．The first step to implementing a workable filing system is to eliminate paper you don’t use，don’t need，or that you could easily access again elsewhere． Throw out duplicate statements， o1d catalogs， and a11 of the coupons， mailings， or offerings you’ll never have an opportunity to use or even read．

Set aside two days a month to pay bills． If a monthly due date doesn’t fit into your cycle，call up the creditor and suggest a more convenient date． Keep two manila folders at the front of your system for current bills-one to crrespond with each bill-paying day-and file all incoming bills． Keep a 1ist in the front of each folder of what needs to be paid in case the invoice never arrives or gets misplaced．

Think of your filing system not as a rigid tool，but as a living，breathing system that can accommodate your changing needs．A good filing system is both mentally and physically flexible．Everyone’s needs are different，says Denton，but when devising a filling system，ask yourself：“where would I look for this？”Create main headings for your filing system，such as Investments，Taxes，Children， and so forth，and file individual folders under the main headings． Never overstuff your files．

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