A month ago I posted two sentences author Suketu Mehta wrote at the end of his book on Bombay “Maximum City,” anticipating his return to the US:

“Surviving in a modern country involves dealing with an immense amount of paper. He who can stay on top of the paper wins.”

It can feel anticlimactic that the physical remains of a decades-long career sometimes fit neatly in a stack of boxes. Some of my clients have multiple boxes that they brought home on their last day of work, even if that last day was many, many years ago.

Everybody wants to know “how long should I keep records?”  Each time I’m asked I refer clients to the IRS’s answer to this question to draw their own conclusions.  

Most are surprised to learn that they are keeping tax documents for about 4 years longer than necessary.  

It’s pretty simple: I received a piece of mail from the county Board of Elections notifying me of a change in polling place. I captured it with my camera via the Evernote app and tossed the document. Here’s why this ultra simple act is something I have to share: this is exactly the type of document that stumps my clients. It doesn’t really warrant its own file.

Digital Organizer friend Lilli Weisz of www.simplified.life recently reminded me of the effectiveness of using DMAChoice.org to eliminate junk mail! I had completely forgotten that I entered my information on their site years ago and absolutely noticed a decrease in junk mail in the weeks to follow and even to this day.