Organizing all that paper- part 2

I am amazed at the amount of paper that comes into our home! Between the mail, the kids homework, schedules, things that need to be signed, etc, etc. it seems endless!! I have finally found a paper filing system that works for our household. As I showed you yesterday I use binders to organize most all of the household paperwork. But I was running into issues with papers that required action. If I put a paper from school that needed to be filled out and turned back in at a later date, I was forgetting to look back in the binder and finish it. I came upon an article (while I was organizing my idea binder) that I had clipped out of a BHG magazine that talks about getting organized with an action file! TADA!!!!! I was so excited because this is just what I was looking for!!!!

So this is what I made!!

The first folder is labeled To Do Now- these are for papers that need action within the week-invitations that require an RSVP, permission slips, a list of something you need to do that week

Example- in mine is a form that needs to be signed and mailed in & a list of painters that I called that are coming over this week

The middle folder is labeled To Do Later- this is for papers that need action in the next couple of months- a flyer about something you want to look into, an order form for something in the future

Example- in mine is PTO order form for next month and information about my son's picnic for the end of the year that the school needs donations for

The top folder is labeled Pending- something that you are awaiting a response on- like a rebate that you mailed in, something that you have ordered on line that you haven't received yet

Example- in mine is information about a phone rebate that I am waiting on from Verizon

The key to this system is follow up- look through the To Do Now folder every day or two, the Do Later every week, and the Pending every week or 2 until what ever action your waiting for has happened. Once the action has taken place on any of the items in the file either file it in long term files or throw away or recycle.

I am so very happy that I came upon this information and I hope there is something here that you can use as well!! Let me know what kind of system you have and what works for you!