There will be some people who will read this post and start cringing, but it’s something that needs to be discussed. At one point or another, you need to delete the files in your filing system. (pause to allow for reader’s shock to subside) The fact of the matter is that there is not enough reason or meaning to keep every spare scrap of information. If you, for example, were to scan every receipt you ever come across and file every single one, you would spend the rest of your life trying to get your system in order. I know about this because for a while, I was actually one of those people. I would take EVERYTHING and put it into my filing system. After a bit, my loving wife smacked me up the head and told me that I didn’t need to keep the record of the last grocery purchase.
1) You’re running out of memory space in your system – Something that I’ve mentioned on the blog before is how all of our computers do, in fact, have a limited amount of memory. Granted, that limit is augmented by our access to our filing systems that we now keep on the cloud, which frees up our systems to do the things that we do daily. Everything from working, face timing with friends or getting in that last boss level of Diablo III. While the files on your filing system can seem very much like an afterthought to all of that, it is important to make sure that you keep your files up to date. True, your Documents don’t take a LOT of space in your filing system, but after a while, that space does pile up. The last thing you want is to try to stuff one more file into your filing system like a kid shoving the last of his clothes into his closet and trying to slam the door shut before it all came tumbling out (no mom, I didn’t do this growing up…..often…..). Depending on if you are on a budget or not, you don’t necessarily want to be spending a lot of money on your filing system, so you want to make sure that you use the space properly and not pile up too much junk.
2) The files are no longer legally necessary to keep – This is where I’m going to have to tread lightly. Depending on the laws of where you live, you may be required to retain certain documents for a period of time. I know that I am required to keep tax documents for a few years before I can get rid of them. There may be other legally binding documents that you need to hang onto for a while. I get that, and you want to make sure that you hang on to those for the required period (whatever that happens to be). On the flip side of that, you also have documents that have no period you need to keep them for, and you can go through your system and pitch whatever you don’t need.
3) They are no longer relevant for you – My kids switched schools a while back, and when that happened, I went through all the stuff that was important to me at the time and gave it the ol’ heave-ho! I don’t mean report cards or awesome art projects, but things like school timetables or notices for when field trip fees would be due. If there are documents that you have been holding onto that don’t affect you anymore, you can take an honest hard look at them and decide (assuming they aren’t legally binding, of course…) if you really need them.
One of the great misconceptions about filing systems is that they are places where you can store and forget your documents. They will be there for you eventually if you need them. The only problem in that sentiment is the “if.” IF they are needed. IF we ultimately need to go back and get them. Don’t get me wrong; I fully believe that we should reference documents in our filing systems; I don’t think that documents should be kept forever. Filing systems should be a bit more alive than that, places where Documents can be if they are needed, but then when they are no longer needed, they can be defensibly deleted. I will get into Defensible Deletion in a later post. but for now, I would take a look at what you have in your filing system and think to yourself, “Do I REALLY need that?”
What’s in your filing system?
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