I am probably one of THE most unorganized people you can ever meet. When it comes to paperwork, I have a big problem! The most frustrating moments are when you are looking for a piece of paper deemed “important”, yet you find it buried in the most unimportant pile. I’m definitely “that” person who will often say, “I just had that paper somewhere”, “where did I put it”, “ok let me retrace my steps”. Really, it is horrible and has been since kinder garden, the year when you get your first notebook. This notebook often times used to keep and take home papers and assignments. In those papers, you were often required to get at least one paper signed, and little ole me developed then, this bad habit…I often misplaced my paper. Field trip permission slips, progress reports, lunch payment information…all papers somewhere lost, or as I would prefer to say…misplaced. Well, after several years, nothing brought on more panic than when I was asked for Reagan’s social security card. Here is this small card, with numbers on it that validate my daughter’s legal existence, and I could not for the life of me remember where I put it. Keep in mind, Reagan is only a year and a half, and in that time, I misplaced this card? Well, luckily I found it, but it struck a nerve in me and it motivated me to get my Reagan’s paper work in ORDER! So here is what I did:
1) I found all the most important documents
a. Social security card
b. Birth Certificate
c. Christening certificate
d. Medical Records
e. Shot Records (even though I can easily obtain these from her doctor)
f. Emergency contact information
g. My info (Full name, SSN, and Address)
h. Her dad’s info (Name, SSN, and Address)
2) I emptied out an old accordion style folder that was filled with useless paperwork (go figure). However, you can get one of these simple folders from pretty much any store that sells office supplies.
3) I neatly organized each file of important information. In addition, I left a few blank ones in the back for pictures or other keepsakes I didn’t want to lose.
4) I stored it in an obvious place. I didn’t put it under my bed or in my closet, trust me it will get lost. I placed it where it’s not so hidden and easy to access, yet still secure.
You would think this was simple right…why didn’t I think of this before!
Hope this helps the less organized like me!
Cris
