See the advantages of a scanning system |
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Step 3: Create your filing system |
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Subfolders are key when creating a digital filing system. For example, when creating a primary folder for medical documents, be sure to also create subfolders for each member of your family.
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Tax season is one time when a digital filing system will be especially helpful. Be sure to create a separate folder for each year.
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Create a primary folder entitled “Home”, and create subfolder categories including “Maintenance,” “Repairs,” and “Improvements.” You can also use this system to store ideas that inspire you or that you want to remember.
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With the right categories, staying organized becomes much easier. Set up your folders on your computer’s desktop or somewhere easy to access. Here’s what we recommend*:
General: Create one subfolder in this category for each member of the family. This is where documents such as birth, death, and marriage certificates will reside. Also include backups of Social Security cards and passports.
Medical: Create one primary folder entitled “Medical,” and subfolders for every member of your family. For every family member, create folders labeled with each year, moving forward, and a folder marked “General.”
Insurance: Create one primary folder and subfolders for “Auto,” “Home” or “Renters,” “Life,” “Health,” “Disability,” and any other policies you might hold.
Bills: Create subfolders for each of your credit card accounts, utility accounts (water/sewage, garbage, electricity, oil, gas), telephone, cell phone, cable or satellite TV, subscriptions), mortgage, and any other accounts.
Banking: Create a subfolder for each of your bank accounts.
Investments: 401(k) accounts, Roth IRA accounts, traditional IRA accounts, brokerage accounts, stocks, bonds, and any other investments you may have.
Estate: This category could include subfolders for any trusts, wills, durable power of attorney, advance directives, living wills, etc.
Taxes: Create subfolders by year. Use the previous year’s tax return to guide the setup of your subfolders.
For example, include subfolders for: 1099-INT, 1099-MISC, 1099B, K1, W-2, 1099-SSA, education, charitable contributions, daycare/childcare costs, medical/dental expenditures, and subfolders for any other income received, including alimony, rental, self-employment, or other.
Home: Set up subfolders such as “Maintenance,” “Repairs,” and “Improvements.”
Other possible topics could include Education with transcripts or report cards, Professional categories to cover work contracts or invoices, and folders for hobbies that require paper (writers, animal breeders, etc). |
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Get equipped to get organized |
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A flatbed is essential for scanning bulky objects such as books and 3-D objects, or for scanning delicate documents.
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Choose the right scanner
Whether you want an HP All-in-One or a stand-alone scanner to help you turn over your organizational new leaf, you’ll want a device with an ADF (automatic document feeder), which allows you to load up your documents and walk away while they scan—a necessity to keep up a scanning routine.
See the advantages of HP All-in-Ones versus the situations that call for an HP stand-alone scanner, along with some specific recommendations:
HP All-in-Ones
Several useful office machines in one, HP All-in-Ones allow you to print, scan, copy, and, on most models, fax. These are a great choice for home offices and micro-businesses with low-volume daily scanning needs:
HP Officejet 6500 All-in-One
$149.99
HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One
$299.99
HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One
$399.99
To see more about what makes each of these All-in-Ones a good office companion, and to examine other models and features, visit the HP Printer buying guides.
HP scanners
An HP General office scanner is a great choice for small businesses with high-volume scanning needs (some models can handle up to 2000 documents per day) or offices that have printing, copying, and faxing already covered.
HP Sheet-feed scanners have a small enough footprint to make great desktop partners for your organizing efforts, while a flatbed scanner is key if you plan to scan 3-D objects, books, or delicate documents:
HP Scanjet 5590 Digital Flatbed Scanner
$299.99
HP Scanjet N6310 Document Flatbed Scanner with ADF
$499.99
Explore the HP Document Scanner buying guide to see HP’s entire selection of HP General office scanners. Or, learn more about the Key features of HP scanners to help you decide.
HP storage solutions
See the entire selection of HP storage solutions, which come in a variety of sizes and offer storage capacities up to 1TB (terabyte), which is roughly equal to 1000GB (gigabytes).
And try this tip for quick scanning: Some HP All-in-Ones let you scan directly to a flash drive (such as the HP v125w 4GB USB Flash Drive) rather than to your computer, freeing up your computer while your documents scan. When you’re done scanning, simply plug the flash drive into your computer, and then drop and drag your files into the correct folders. This method also gives you an instant, extra backup. |
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Printable version
