Tips for Planning a Paper Purge

Seasons of Change

When I trained for my pilot’s license years ago, my lessons would be cancelled more often during the beginning of a new season than during any other time. My instructor said it was because the weather is more unsettled during the change of seasons. I think it’s nature’s way of clearing things out in preparation for what’s to come in the next season of the year.

Spring tends to be the most common time to do a thorough cleaning out of things, but there’s nothing wrong with also doing a purge in autumn in preparation for the next season of business. In fact, a quarterly purge can keep your files in excellent order.

Here are some tips to help if you are planning a paper purge.

Preflight Check

• Plan a specific date and time to do the purge. Otherwise, it’s easy to procrastinate.
• Gather all the documents together. This will include loose receipts, invoices, manuals, warranties, airline ticket stubs, boarding passes, covid shot appointment notifications, credit card receipts, statements, letters from the bank or other institutions, old resumes and more. For businesses, be sure to include files that are near or past their retention period.

Share your Flight Plan with the Crew

Don’t do a paper purge on your own. If you get everyone involved it will make the task easier, keep you motivated, and you’ll be able to cover more ground. Make sure everyone is on board with your plan. Use emails, chats and calendar invites to promote the dates in advance and designate specific tasks to everyone. Help them understand how their role fits into and fulfills the big picture and achieves the paper purge goal. And don’t forget to entice them with pizza as part of the inflight fringe benefits.

Take Off

After you’ve gathered all your loose papers together, sort them into piles by deciding which things need to be saved, scanned, or shredded. Anything that needs to be shredded should be placed in a secure shredding container. Be sure to double check those files for retention dates and add any expired files to the shredding container.

Land

File all documents that need to be saved. Make sure every paper finds a destination. If there’s not a place for it, either create one, or reevaluate whether it should be saved or recycled. Arrange for a reputable shredding company to shred your unnecessary papers. You can arrange to have them picked up or you can drop them off to be securely destroyed. Look for ways to deal with incoming paper and to set up a system of immediately dealing with documents as they enter the office space.

GreenServ offers a variety of shredding options. We shred your paper with a high level of security and offer competitive rates. Arrange for us to be a part of your next seasonal paper purge by giving us a call at 662-533-0940 or complete the form on this page. We’re ready to serve you in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee.