TL;DR
This file cabinet had one drawer jammed so tight nothing came out easily and another full of folders stacked in a pile. Kathi set up the Freedom Filer system so tax documents are grouped and ready for tax preparation, resource folders are easy to reach, and old bills and statements leave the drawer within two years.
Before / After Case Study:
A file cabinet that was not used to it’s fullest potential!
The top drawer did have files standing up vertically but was so jammed packed that it was hard to pull anything out and without tabs for each section of papers required the “hunt and seek” method for retrieval. The bottom drawer was more of a pile than a file sort of organization. This drawer was simply folders stacked on top of one another in no apparent order.
Solution:
We implemented the Freedom Filer system with these papers. Now, all tax related documents were grouped together, easily filed as they came into the office and pre-organized for tax preparation. Her numerous resource folders were at her fingertips, and all non-tax related bills and bank statements were filed and ready to be systematically removed from the drawer and her life within two years!
What Our Clients Say:
“I am really pleased with how this worked out. The systems allows me to keep my papers organized by categories. I am now continually moving papers through the system and it works great. It has been two years and I have filed taxes twice using this system and have saved boatloads of time and aggravation with this Freedom Filer system that Kathi helped me to implement.”
~ Paul Lorenz
Keep reading
- A Busy Home Office Overwhelmed with Paperwork Gets Freedom Filed!How one business owner with several corporations got her records under control.
- Use hanging file folders to seperate papers within file drawersWhy every file drawer needs hanging folders.
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I find anything in my file drawer?
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In this case study, one drawer was packed so tightly that files were hard to pull out, and with no tabs for each section, finding anything meant hunting. The other drawer held folders stacked on top of each other with no order, more a pile than a file.
How should I organize tax papers in a file cabinet?
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Group all tax-related documents together and file them as they come in. That way they are already organized when it is time to prepare your taxes. The client in this case study filed taxes twice with this system and said it saved a lot of time and aggravation.
How long should I keep bills and bank statements?
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In the system Kathi set up for this client, bills and bank statements that are not tax related are filed so they can be removed from the drawer systematically within two years.
