Write an article based on this "Shred any documents you don't need that have personal information. Sort papers into a paper tray if you need to keep them on your desk. Hang a wall pocket if you want to keep papers off your desk. Hang a bulletin board so you can easily glance at papers and memos. Color-code folders so they're easy to recognize. Try storing memos and schedules digitally to avoid using paper."
Avoid throwing any documents that have things like account statements, legal documents, or credit card and social security numbers. Instead, get a paper shredder to destroy the documents so other people can't steal the information. Once the papers are shredded completely, you can throw the scraps away as usual. If you have important documents that you can't get rid of, such as birth certificates, social security cards, or living wills, store them in a fireproof safe to protect them from any damage. Paper trays have multiple tiers so you can separate different types of documents. Pick a vertical paper tray if you don't have a lot of space, or a horizontal tray if you have some room to spare. Put the organizer near the edge of your desk so you can reach it easily throughout the day and grab what you need. Label each of the tiers so you know where certain documents should go. You can buy paper trays from office supply stores. Paper trays also work great for holding folders or notebooks. Designate a section of your desk to stay clean so you have room to spread out if you need to. Wall pockets are plastic trays that have multiple compartments to file documents and folders. Put a wall pocket near your desk so you can remove papers from your desk and reduce clutter. Make sure the different compartments are labeled so you don't get confused later on. Wall pockets can also be hung on the back of your door. Find a place on your wall that has enough space for a bulletin board and put one up. Organize the bulletin board into sections where you can pin items, such as documents, receipts, sticky notes, and memos. Keep the most important documents visible and stack older ones underneath. Many cubicles already have walls that you can put thumbtacks in. Use differently colored thumbtacks for each type of document you hang. For example, you may hang memos with blue pins and receipts with red ones. You can also pin personal photos if you don't have space for them on your desk. Get file folders in various colors and sort your documents so similar ones all share a single color. For example, you may put different types of expenses in red folders and income forms in green folders. Label the tabs on the folders with what type of document is inside. Once you have your documents organized, put them in a filing cabinet in a paper tray so you can find them easily. You can also attach colored labels to the tabs of file folders if you don't want to buy multiple colors. If you want to cut back on the amount of paper you're using, try writing any of your notes or schedules on your computer. Create folders on your computer and sort your documents into them, or use an online program to organize your files. Once a file is outdated, delete it so it doesn't clutter up your computer. Backup any important documents on a cloud storage site or external hard drive so you don't lose them if your computer ever crashes. If you have a scanner, you can upload physical documents onto your computer so you can get rid of the paper documents.