How to Organize Your Home Office Paperwork

A business run from your home, even if you are the only employee collects papers. It is important to handle each piece of paper that comes into your home office as few times as possible. Immediately decide if the paper needs keeping at all. Shred trash immediately and shred all discarded paperwork. Identity theft is alive and well, shredding is the best option. A cross shredder is more efficient than a single cut shredder.

You need to have a basic file system for your home office. At the bare minimum you need files such as: Correspondence, Tax Information, Purchases, Sales, Advertising campaigns,Unpaid and Paid bills. When first starting out, a simple multi-pocketed organizer seems ideal. However space disappears sooner than you expect.

Keep your filing system simple and close at hand. The file drawer in your desk, a stand-alone file cabinet nearby or even a file on wheels works perfectly. Use file folders, file dividers, and file labels. The time spent early on will pay huge dividends when tax time rolls around.

Set up an easy to reach and convenient place to keep catalogs and sale materials that arrive at your home office. Make a list of which suppliers you prefer and what you order from them. When it is time to re-order supplies you will not need to hunt down the name, size or style of the item that you need, it will be right there on your list.

Don't make your file system so complex that it requires a lot of thought to remember where to file what. Complexity leads to having stacks of papers standing around. Use the same methods in your home office that you use for the management and organization of your home.

Make checklists of routine tasks, such as sending out invoices and paying bills. Have a calendar easily available and use it for more than a doodle pad. Have a notebook on your desk near the phone. Write all notes in that one notebook. Schedule times to transfer important information from the notebook to permanent storage.

Don't forget to organize your computer, again using file folders and directories so that what you need is quickly available.

It is an excellent practice to scan all important papers so that you have an electronic copy of the information you need. Scan receipts needed for tax purposes and file them in your computer.

One vital thing to remember is to back up your computer. Keep a copy of the backup someplace other than your home or home office in the event disaster strikes. There are many online storage opportunities available to you.

If you are already using a home organizer for your home, your home office organizer will be easy to keep up to date.