The Flooring Expert

I spent the most time simplifying and organizing paper documents, because the cost of making mistakes is relatively high. But the visual effect is the least improved. Pages are neatly stacked on top of each other so that uninformed people can’t tell if your documents are in a mess. The people who feel the change most are the users themselves.

1. Lean！ Lean！！ Lean！！！ 

Have you ever searched your house for documents, but couldn’t find the one you wanted?

Paper documents tend to pile up because they don’t take up much space and because of the “it’s okay to have an extra sheet of paper” mentality, resulting in “it’s an eyesore when you don’t need it and you can’t find it when you need it.” If you can’t find it, you might as well keep it.

Make sure you only have the minimum amount of paper documents to ensure that the useful documents can play a corresponding role for the convenience of yourself and your family.

1.1 Keep only “must-have” paper documents.

What is a “must”? If a document is thrown away, it can cause penalty or serious consequences.

Generally speaking, it is the following categories:

• Government-related: mostly documents — ID card, marriage certificate, birth certificate, household registration book, property ownership certificate, foreign friends mostly need to keep 7 years of tax records, etc.

• Legal or contractual documents, such as mortgage documents, car/house insurance documents, various investments, warranty cards for valuable goods, etc.

• Life-saving documents: such as medical records.

1.2 Get over the “what if” mentality

“What if I need the papers?”

It’s a question that probably everyone asks during downsizing.

First of all, with the exception of the “must” documents mentioned above, most of the time what you need is not the piece of paper, but the information on the paper.

This is the time to consider:

(1) Where else can I get this information?

For instance the use manual of household appliances, do not need at ordinary times. It’s only when something goes wrong that you might need a look. In this case, there is no need to keep the paper file, the manufacturer will generally provide an electronic version for you to download. Even if not, you can scan it and save an electronic copy.

(2) The document itself is not valuable. What is valuable is the information.

Sometimes a short string of CAPTCHA is all you need for a large sheet of paper. Throw away the paper and store the information you need on your computer. As for how to back-up electronic files, it’s not covered here…

2. Storage tool analysis

2.1 Magazine Holder

Magazine holder size, highly uniform, can stand on the bookshelf, presenting a clean appearance. Easy to classify. Easy to pick up, no need to rummage.

Suitable for receiving different design, size and thickness of different common documents.

Not suitable for holding a page or two of paper, easy to slip and crumple to the bottom.

2.2 Envelope

The file bag comes with zipper or buckle, so the document is not easy to fall out. It can store not only documents, but also related objects. For example, a fashion designer can use a file bag to put the design draft and fabric sample in one bag. Students can place their weekend assignments with calculators, pens, rulers, etc., which they need.

Take specific documents need to rummage, so it is not recommended to put too many common documents, so as not to find difficult.

Envelopments are not particularly rigid and can crumple easily if you put only one or two pages in them.

From a practical point of view, file bags can be classified as transparent and opaque. For more private information, such as medical records, choose an opaque bag. If you need information at a glance, you naturally choose a transparent bag.

2.3 Multi-layer file boxes/file boxes

Multilayer file boxes vary in size. The small ones have 5-12 intercalations, while the large ones have 12-30 intercalations. Some of them come with portable handles.

It is suitable to put multiple types of files together, but each type of files should not be too many (otherwise can not fit).

It is also suitable for documents that need to be frequently moved around for use.