If I tell you that there is one thing which has the following benefits, can you guess then what I am talking about? Ok, let’s start –
Once you go through the complete process of _____________ then you will
- Get back control of your life
- Be less stressed
- Feel calmer and more relaxed
- Gain more physical space
- Feel able to move on in life
And above all FEEL BETTER!
What is that then? That is ‘de-cluttering’! Or you can say ‘keeping things in place’, ‘storage management’ or simply ‘book-keeping’. Yes, de-cluttering exercise can be that beneficial. It is often ignored, but trust me it is critical.
We all have small places to live now, smaller places to store things. But still we end up cluttering things all around. And I am not blaming you entirely for this because to get rid of this mess you may need professional help. Wait, don’t scream, you read it right – professional help. Though in India such practice is unheard of, but in many developed countries (US, UK) it (de-cluttering expert) is already well-recognized.
You can apply de-cluttering principle in any corner of your home but there are some critical areas. To start with let’s talk about ‘paper management’. How difficult can this be?
Despite shouting ‘Go Green’ at top of their voice, let’s accept the fact that we cannot afford to go complete paperless yet. (Even if we go paperless, managing digital mess i.e. documents received and stored online can itself be a daunting task. More on that later). What are the papers that we need to manage at home? Let’s list that out –
1. Personal documents – These can be your and each of your family member’s PAN card, passport, Aadhar card, ration card, driving license, voter card, certificates (educational and professional), other certificates (marriage registration, birth) etc. – originals and photocopies.
2. Utility bills – There are many – electricity, phone, internet, gas, water etc.
3. Job / profession related – You need to selectively store the following documents with respect to your current / previous organizations – Salary slips, Form 16, appointment letter, relieving letter, promotion letter, appraisals, and certificates of recognition and so on.
4. Property documents – Pretty self-explanatory. This can comprise of society maintenance fee receipts, share certificates, buyer’s agreement, possession letter, property tax receipts etc.
5. Photos – Need I say more?
6. Guarantee / Warranty documents – Whatever items you buy, it also brings home its own set of papers – from invoice to warranty papers – and oh yes, User’s Manual!
7. Medical papers – There could be many – doctor’s prescriptions, diagnostic reports, vaccination history, discharge certificates etc.
8. Tax documents – Copies of your recent / old IT return files, refund details, capital gains reports etc.
9. Bank papers – Bank passbooks and statements – but for all of your accounts – updated.
10. Investments Documents – These are mostly assets related – FD or Bond certificates (along with Form 15G/H reminders); PPF passbook; Demat holding statements (if you have physical shares then that’s a different story altogether); Dividend receipts; MF statements etc.
11. Insurance papers – You need to keep original policy documents always safe and accessible. Along with that premium payment receipts, claim history and health card (for mediclaim) also need to be kept in order.
My friend the above list is not exhaustive. What have I missed out? Mention that in comments below. While talking to you I can remember one – loan papers. This includes loan contract papers, amortization schedules, prepayment history, if any, etc.
Then there are books to manage. So are magazines, newspaper clippings. So far we have discussed about one critical area or aspect of your home i.e. managing papers. The other critical areas are organizing your wardrobe, children’s room which includes managing toys also, then kitchen and what not!
Times have changed. You will soon need professional help to manage all these. And the benefits that you are going to get out of this … you know already. Let me list them again here:
You will
- Get back control of your life
- Be less stressed
- Feel calmer and more relaxed
- Gain more physical space
- Feel able to move on in life
And above all FEEL BETTER!
What do you think? Please post your comments below.