15 Handy Ways to Organize Your Personal Papers

15 Clever Ways to Get Your Papers Organized.

Paperwork! If you’re like most people, you probably feel overwhelmed at times with all the paper clutter you need to deal with and organize. Unless you’re getting e-bills only, you’ve got monthly bills and account statements to sift through on top of junk mail, medical records, insurance documents, warranties, receipts, manuals, kids’ school papers, tax documents, and more! That’s a lot of paperwork to keep track of! And the bad thing is that you could be in big trouble if you wind up needing one of those documents and aren’t able to find it. Luckily, there are many different ways to get a handle on all the paper in your life! Check out these 15 Handy Ways to Organize Your Personal Papers!

15 Handy Ways to Organize Your Personal Papers

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Here are some things to keep in mind when setting out to organize your personal papers:

• Safer from online hacks. I’ve seen ads for some websites that offer to keep your personal papers safe and organized online for you. While I like the idea of my documents always being available in the cloud and safe from fire or water damage, I also know that any website can be hacked. So I currently prefer to go old-school still and have a home-filling system that handles my paper organization methods. My most important papers, I keep in a fire safe document box.
• Color code it. I think color coding everything makes it so much easier when you need to find something in a pinch! Whether you color code the folder, binder, or file is up to you and what works best for your brain.
• Organize it right away. I have to be very diligent in putting the important papers where they need to go as soon as I get them. If not, they sit on my counter for weeks and get shuffled from place to place. So, I am going to try to put it in the correct place as soon as I get it.

1. Personalized Mail Organizer

This is both a cute DIY project and a great way to organize your mail! I like that it includes a place for things you’re planning to send out in the mail as well. You can customize the labels to say whatever you want to fit your lifestyle better. Find out how to make this great personalized mail organizer by following Her Tool Belt’s tutorial!

2. Receipts Organizer

This is such a great way to keep receipts organized without using up a lot of space. And you can make different organizers for different categories of receipts! Head on over to I Heart Planners to find out how to put together your own clever receipt organizer, plus her smart receipt organization tips! You can get a color-coded receipt organizer to use for this on Amazon.

3. School Papers Storage System

You wouldn’t believe how much paper you’ll collect from your kids’ school years! Between the report cards and official papers to the art, photos, and other keepsakes, you’ll wind up with a big stack before long! Simply + Kierste explains a simple way to organize your children’s school papers (and free label printables are included!).

4. Cabinet Door Bill and Receipt Pocket Organizers

This is such a good idea! You can customize these to say whatever you want and can make as many as you can fit inside your kitchen cabinet or any other cabinet you may have! Follow Organizing Home Life’s tutorial and make your own handy cabinet door bill and receipt pocket organizers!

5. Old Book Mail Organizers

This is so cute and creative! Easily sort your bills, junk mail, magazines, and more by following Beyond the Picket Fence’s explanations on how to make adorable DIY old book mail organizers!

6. Grab and Go Binder

You can’t call your papers officially organized if you don’t have easy access to the most important ones in an emergency. Arador explains how to easily put together a grab-and-go binder that will keep your most vital papers organized and ready for any worst-case scenario!

7. Color-Coded Files

A system that you could use instead of or in addition to the typical labeling method for organizing important documents is color coding. A Bowl Full of Lemons explains how to make your filing cabinet neat and organized with a handy color-coded file organization system! You can find colorful hanging file folders on Amazon.

8. Cloth Mail Sorter

This is a cute paperwork storage idea! If you prefer to sew things, then you may like to make a mail sorter out of cloth! Bright and Blithe explains how to sew cute cloth mail sorters and includes free printables to help you organize your sorters further!

9. Home Management Binder

A home management binder is critical to managing your home! It’s a convenient spot to organize your important personal documents and other papers, like chore lists and menu plans. Make life easier and keep your personal papers more organized by following my tips for making a helpful home management binder!

10. Home Office Binders

Keep everything organized and all in one place with these home office binders from A Bowl Full of Lemons. I love the idea of color coding and having a binder for each important area of your life.

11. How to Tame Paper Clutter in the Office

The Country Chic Cottage tames her paper clutter with several handy plastic organizers! She keeps everything together for tax preparation and files other important papers in other tubs.

12. Wire Baskets

Grab some wire baskets and get busy organizing with this simple hack from Home Talk. I love the look of this farmhouse organization system.

13. Kitchen Command Center

Get organized with a kitchen command center. You will be ready to tackle the day with all your things organized and ready to go with this tip from Not Just a Housewife.

14. Family Command System

I love the idea of a family command system from Kate Decorates! A place for each person in the family to keep their things organized and handy for when they need them.

15. 11 Ways to Organize with Binders

Check out this list of 11 ways to organize your home office clutter with binders. Organizing Made Fun is the original poster of this list.

How do you keep your personal papers organized?

You may also be interested in: 10 Useful Back to School Organization Ideas