March: Preparing your papers for tax season

YIKES! Your tax bill is due in a few short weeks! When someone is unorganized, the idea of gathering papers for their accountant is an arduous task. The senses are overwhelmed by bags of crumbled debit or credit card receipts, folders stuffed with invoices, and desks piled with paper you meant to file throughout the year. You're drowning in paper! As an organizing colleague explains, by nature, we simply are not paper-trained!

Most folks don't know what to do with all the paper that enters their homes, so they hold on to every scrap. Taming the paper tiger requires regular decisive action about what to file, toss, or shred. Based on IRS, federal, and organizers' guidelines, this month's Top Ten Tips will help you to de-clutter that terrifying paper trail. The list concludes with a bonus - a 3-page document called Paper File: What to Keep and For How Long.