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Finally! We start building the core element of your optimised paperwork system, the VIP Directory (Very Important Paperwork Directory)!

Example: My optimised paperwork system

As a first step, I want to introduce my own optimised paperwork system to you.

A real-life example will help you better understand why the VIP Directory is the centrepiece of this system and how everything works together.

Most of my clients have created a similar paperwork system.

However, all our systems and directories are still unique – because we are all unique. We have unique life circumstances and lifestyles, and our paperwork-related requirements, needs, and goals differ.

It would be so nice if you could sit here, next to my side, at my desk, and I could actually SHOW you my paperwork system.

That’s not possible, unfortunately, so I will try to describe it to you.

My optimised PHYSICAL paperwork system consists of

• • one binder that holds the VIP Directory (printout of a Word file) and its direct attachments (some tables, lists, and copies of documents),
  • and a set of 12 binders that contain some specific additional information (For example: The folder ‘Insurances’ contains the original contracts and the latest versions of the policies/insurance updates).

Twelve binders are still too many.

However, for now, I am satisfied with the current situation because we had 66 binders (!) before I installed the VIP Directory. So I have been quite successful at applying the radical optimisation approach, in my opinion.

My goal is to further minimise the physical system by reducing the number of the additional 12 binders. I am not there yet because I will have to do another round of decluttering, and then it will take time to scan all remaining documents before I can integrate them into the digital system.

You can click the link to see the table of contents of the main binder that contains the VIP Directory and its attachments:

​table of contents – main binder of my VIP Directory.pdf​

My optimised DIGITAL paperwork system has the same structure as the physical system:

One main folder (called ‘VIP Directory’) and a set of sub-folders.

These are screenshots of the digital folder structure, just to give you a broad idea.

The first screenshot shows our VIP Directory at the top of the list of our private folders in My Drive (Google Drive).

The second image shows the content of the VIP Directory folder. It includes the VIP Directory itself (the Word file ‘A – VIP Directory’) and the four subfolders B to F.

The other two screenshots present the subfolders within the folders ‘B – Attachments to VIP Directory’ and ‘C – Copies Important Documents G & M’.

What I love about my optimised paperwork system

I know – it’s definitely not perfect. I still need to improve it.

It’s also a constant work in progress. I have to make sure that I add new important information.

However,

Its clear and simple structure makes it easy for me to manage it in everyday life.

• • The subfolders under the main folder ’01 – VIP Directory’ contain ALL our very important information (besides the original documents in the twelve physical binders I talked about, which I still have to declutter and then scan).
  • This means that whatever information I need, I find it in the VIP Directory folder system.
  • And whenever new documents or information need to be organised (because I decided they are very important and need to be kept in my system), I know there is a ‘right’ place to store them within the folder system.

My optimised system is also straightforward enough for my husband to take over and find any information he needs – in case something happens to me.

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Ready to start creating your own VIP Directory?

My article series, ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation and the VIP Directory’, provides you with all the information and tools you need to start and complete the process successfully.

Continue reading HERE.

Template VIP Directory

Today, you can – if you wish – download my template of the structure of a VIP Directory.

It offers an example of the table of contents, and it lists a broad selection of suggestions for data and information to add under the typical categories of a VIP Directory.

I believe the template will make creating your VIP Directory much easier – because you’ll not have to start from zero.

However, as I have said several times, your VIP Directory will be unique, and its final version might look completely different from the template version I offer you today.

Ideally, your directory’s structure and content will 100% align with your unique needs, requirements, and interests. It will change over time because you will adapt it to changes in your life.

So, I suggest you take my template as a tool to help you get started.

I can see two ways you can use the template:

• • Use the template as a source of inspiration. – Scroll through the table of contents and then through the suggested categories to see what might be helpful to you. Then, start to create your own VIP Directory somewhere else.
  • Use the template to fill in your data and information directly. – Save a copy of the file on your computer – and start writing in it. You can easily throw out the parts of the template that are irrelevant to you and add whatever makes sense to you.

​CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATE. ​

The VIP Directory summarises the ‘story’ of your life’s relevant data and information.

This story can’t be just told; it must be written down. You can choose wherever and however you wish to do that.

You can use a spreadsheet to fill in the story or, as I did, a Word document. You can create a note in your notes app. You can also create a handwritten directory in a paper notebook. – Use the format and container that suit you best.

This is why I prefer to use a Word document as the container for my ‘VIP Story’:

• • I can add new content and change the order easily.
  • I can move through the document quickly and jump directly to the part I want to work on or check. (In the Word settings, if you check the box next to ‘Navigation Pane Show’ under ‘View’, and then click on ‘Headings’ at the top of the column that appears on the left side of your document, you get a temporary table of contents, allowing you to move around in your document.)
  • I can create the ‘Table of contents’ on page 1 of the document, and I can print it out together with the rest of the document – my directory becomes a little booklet. (That’s very useful in my case because my husband doesn’t like to scroll around in digital files. I showed him where I file the printout of our VIP Directory, and I can trust that he will find the information he needs if something happens to me.)
  • It’s so easy to type and write in a Word document that I tend to write a lot when I work on my directory. And that’s good! I believe that in this case, ‘more is better’. The more I tell and explain in the directory, the easier it is to understand – for me but particularly for others – the meaning and purpose of the data and information I decide to include in the directory.

Some final tips

• • Just get started! – You will never be ready prepared. You will never be able to do it perfectly. Don’t try to assemble all the needed information before entering it into the directory. Take any information that comes to your mind or gets in your hands and add it to the directory.
  • Don’t limit or restrict yourself in your writing. – You cannot write too much. Make good use of the sub-sections ‘Notes / To do’s’ – this will clear up your head and help you focus on what you are working on.
  • Don’t try to do it all at once. – Take your time. Yes, it’s a lot of work – but it’s absolutely doable – if you do it one step at a time. Plan short working sessions. Don’t rush. Create a routine that allows you to work continuously on this project.
  • Pause and evaluate what you have created so far. – While you are compiling the content in the directory, stop from time to time. Imagine someone else is reading through the category you are working on. Will they be able to understand your data and information? Do you need to add some explanatory information? What about you? Will the content you just added still be clear to you when you access it again in 6-months-time?
  • Get feedback on your VIP Directory. – Show the directory to your spouse or partner or to a family member or close friend and explain its purpose and content. Do they understand why you created the directory and what’s in there? Do they have questions that help you see areas of improvement? Do you need to change or add something so that others will be able to make good use of the directory in case of an emergency?
  • Update the directory at regular intervals. – At least once a year, or more often if lots of new and important (= to keep) information is entering your home. You can use an easily accessible tray or a box to collect information and paperwork that still needs to be organised. This ensures you have everything handy the next time you update the directory.
  • Be very strict concerning the additional paperwork you collect and store in places separate from the directory. – Commit yourself to only keeping and filing what is absolutely necessary. Remember, your goal is to reduce your paperwork radically – by 50% or more.
  • Do several rounds of decluttering if you struggle to minimise the existing paperwork as drastically as you planned. – Your mind must get used to the idea that most of what you used to keep/file in the past is not genuinely relevant to you and can go without getting missed.

That’s it. 🙂

I think you now have what you need to start the work on your VIP Directory.

However, if you get stuck or have any questions, you know I am here to help.

Just get in touch (margot@letgo-moveon.com.au), and we’ll sort it out together.

One final thing:

If you are not subscribed to my ​Simply Organised Newsletter​, I suggest you ​sign up now.​

The weekly newsletter will bring tips and tricks into your inbox and help you better organise your home, your paperwork, your mind, and your daily life.

AND it will keep you informed about any additional Radical Paperwork Optimisation resources that I will publish on my website in future.

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Ready to start creating your own VIP Directory?

My article series, ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation and the VIP Directory’, provides you with all the information and tools you need to start and complete the process successfully.

Continue reading HERE.

It’s time to go into more detail and look closer at the types of data and information you want to collect in your VIP Directory.

Tip: If you haven’t read all the most recent articles in the series ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation and the VIP Directory’ yet, I suggest you do that first before you continue reading.

The three sub-sections that help you organise each category of your VIP Directory:

A – Overview/Summary of most important data/information

B – Information about related physical/digital paperwork

C – Notes / To do’s

Example

Let’s imagine you have a dog called Daisy. You add the topic ‘Pets’ to your VIP Directory. Then, you start filling in the important data and information about your dog.

Your entry in the directory might look like this:

PETS

A – Overview/Summary of most important data/information

Here, you write down everything important to know about your dog.

E.g., name, type, breed, date of birth, microchip no., special needs (food, medication, …), vaccination info; contact details vet, vet clinic, daycare/walker, groomer, boarding service; info about pet insurance, etc.

B – Information about related physical/digital paperwork

In this sub-section, you refer to all additional resources that belong to the category ‘Pets’ that you don’t include in the directory but store elsewhere. You explain where the relevant physical paperwork can be found and where and how you file the digital paperwork related to the topic ‘Pets’.

C – Notes / To do’s

This sub-section is a very important part of the entries in your directory. You should list this section under each directory category – even if you don’t come up with anything to note here at that moment.

This section will remind you to think deeper about each category and consider which data and information might still be missing. Or which parts of the related paperwork still need some organising and/or decluttering work.

While you are doing the first or second round of collecting information to include in the VIP Directory, you will often not immediately find the necessary data, or you will notice that the related paperwork is out of order or that you have accumulated lots of clutter in that category that needs to get sorted out.

Instead of interrupting the work on your directory to do what you realise needs to be done, you quickly write your thoughts down in the sub-section ‘C – Notes / To do’s’.

Then, you can continue to work on the directory entries because you know that you will not forget what you want to do later at a more convenient time.

This real-life example will help to understand the usefulness of the sub-sections:

This example shows, I hope, how useful the sub-sections are.

When I was compiling the information and data I found most important to know about our dogs, I was not completely happy. I noticed that many dog-related paperwork resources need some re-organisation and decluttering.

This is good to know, but it doesn’t mean I must do it immediately. I can do that later when I have more time and energy to focus on this task.

Keeping notes of the to-do’s, however, means I don’t have to remember them; I get them out of my head and can rely on getting reminded of them the next time I scroll through my VIP Directory.

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Are you interested in creating your own VIP Directory?

My article series, ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation and the VIP Directory’, provides you with all the information and tools you need to start and complete the process successfully.

Continue reading HERE.

Before you start to work on the creation of your VIP Directory, I want you to consider this

These are the three basic steps of the creation of your VIP Directory:

Step 1 – Create a list of the life areas/topics that are of importance in your life.

This list will become the structure of your VIP Directory, its table of contents.

I suggest you start typing the list into a Word document. This makes it easy to add and change things.

Don’t invest time formatting the document; don’t try to make it look nice. This is not about creating something perfect and final; it’s about writing down the ‘story’ of your life’s essential data, information, and documents – and making this an easy and uncomplicated process.

If you wish, you can optimise the format and outlook later when you have a clearer idea of what the final version of your directory will look like.

For now, just write down what comes to your mind, any area of your life, any topic that you consider important to you.

Step 2 – Pick one area/topic from your list and start compiling the relevant data and information.

What data/information/documentation types are important in this area and must be added to the directory?

In one of the next articles, I will give you the link to a more comprehensive template of a VIP Directory. This template will help you get aware of all the detailed information you want to become part of your ‘information collection centre’.

For now, just get started. Write down the relevant data and information under the chosen area of your life.

It doesn’t have to look nice, it doesn’t have to be complete and perfect. This is the start of the work; you can correct it and add to it later.

Step 3 – Add information about additional documents related to your chosen area/topic.

If all or a part of your personal paperwork is already organised in a filing system, you can decide to leave it as it is for now (and declutter later).

If you start from scratch, you can decide to collect any additional resources related to your chosen life area in a temporary container, like a tray or box. Later, when you know how much additional paperwork you need/want to keep, you can decide on a suitable form of storage/filing.

The three steps applied – A simple example:

Step 1 – Create a list of important life areas and topics

When I started to work on Step 1, I listed these topics: Personal Data /Contacts/ Dogs/ Home/ Car, etc./ Finances/ Heath/ Taxes. I decided that our VIP Directory – and therefore my list of essential life areas/topics – must also include a category called ‘Overview Business M’. That’s because my business is an essential area of my life.

Step 2 – Start to compile relevant data and information for one of the listed life areas.

When I worked on the topic ‘Overview Busisnes M’ from my list, I collected the primary data related to my business. The collection includes, for example, information that I often have to look up, like my tax file number.

Step 3 – Add information about additional resources related to the chosen life area.

At the top of the topic ‘Overview Business M’, I included information about how I organise and file the additional necessary resources (physical and digital paperwork).

I also added some information that would be needed from the person who might have to handle my business affairs if something happened to me and the business had to be closed down.

This is the information I have included in the directory under the topic ‘Overview Business M’ so far (It’s an ongoing process; I’ll have to add more detailed information and explanations.):

 

In my next article, I will present a proven way for you to organise the information on the different life areas/topics in the directory.

I will also provide a comprehensive template of a directory (a Word file) that you can download and use to create your own VIP Directory.

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Are you interested in creating your own VIP Directory?

My article series, ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation and the VIP Directory’, provides you with all the information and tools you need to start and complete the process successfully.

Continue reading HERE.

Do you have doubts about your ability to manage your radical paperwork optimisation project successfully?

Last week, I received an email from a subscriber who expressed doubt that he would ever be able to compile a VIP Directory himself.

He wrote that he had so much paperwork piled up, most of it in a very disorganised state, that it seemed impossible to sort it all out and collect only the very important stuff in one single place.

I wrote back to him, saying that he was definitely not alone and that his reaction to my introduction of the optimised paperwork system was a very common one.

It’s similar to the feedback I often get when I start working with a new client on their paperwork.

However, I know better. 😉

I know better because I know what so many clients say after we have finished working on their paperwork.

These are just two typical examples of clients’ feedback:

‘I feel I am finally well prepared for my retirement. And I feel lighter. It was not easy to make all these ‘radical’ decluttering decisions, but I did it. I learned a lot about myself and have built a good relationship with my past. I’m proud of myself and ready to go.’ (J.E.)

‘I feel so much better and more in control of my life now. I think it’s because I finally know what really matters to me. I still don’t like doing my paperwork, but at least the stress and frustration are gone.’ (A.F.)

I bring up these comments to encourage you to keep an open mind.

I encourage you to deliberately decide that you want to have positive expectations for your radical paperwork optimisation project.

I will not lie to you and say that it is not much work and that it is easy to do. That wouldn’t be fair.

Because in most cases it is a lot of work and it is not always easy to do.

However, you can believe me – and my former clients – that it is doable. And that you can do it.

I am 100% sure that you can create your VIP Directory containing your very important information and then successfully declutter all the other stuff that is not important (any longer).

I also want to encourage you by listing the four main benefits of the VIP Directory.

The key functions of your VIP Directory.

I suggest that you not just quickly read through the next paragraphs.

Instead, after reading about a key function of the VIP Directory, take some time to consider how this specific function will affect you and your relationship with your paperwork.

# 1 – The VIP Directory keeps track of and simply organises ALL your important personal information in ONE place.

It minimises the time and effort spent organising and locating important documents.

Having a VIP Directory allows you to access the necessary information whenever required, reducing stress and frustration.

Many of life’s important documents and data are housed directly in the VIP Directory. More complex information is organised in separate attachments to the directory or in designated external storage areas.

This means whatever information you need, you know exactly where to go and find it.

And whenever new documents or information need to be organised (because you decided they are very important and need to be kept), you know there is a ‘right’ place to store them.

# 2 – The VIP Directory is your reliable companion and supports you in your daily life.

As soon as important information has been added to the (physical and/or digital) directory, it’s always available to you, and you can trust that you will be easily and quickly able to find what you need in normal daily life and emergency situations.

You don’t have to keep important information in your head, remember the places where specific information lives, or worry about where to store or find information.

You can feel certain that you will find anything you need whenever you need it. This gives you peace of mind.

# 3 – The VIP Directory supports your loved ones in challenging times and acts as a legacy guide.

Organising paperwork and creating the VIP Directory benefits not only yourself but also your loved ones.

No matter what stage in life you are at, at some point, someone else will need to access and manage your personal documents and information. To help everyone be prepared for this situation, all you need to do is add your legacy information to the VIP Directory to transform it into your Legacy Guide.

It allows family members, caregivers, or designated individuals to access crucial information quickly during emergencies, estate settlements, or other critical situations.

# 4 – The VIP Directory helps you define and re-define your values and priorities.

Compiling a VIP Directory is also a process of self-reflection and self-discovery.

The directory is supposed to contain ONLY the very important, but it should contain EVERYTHING that is very important.

To decide what belongs in the directory (and what not), you need to be(come) well aware of what’s truly important to you, what your values and priorities are, and what your responsibilities (legal, social, etc.) are in this phase of your life. This awareness gives your life purpose and direction.

The process of sorting through your stuff and making lots of intentional decisions and choices is not easy and often uncomfortable – but it’s worth the effort: It leaves you with more self-confidence and clarity.

Also, the VIP Directory needs to be updated regularly because life is always changing. Existing information can become outdated, and new information needs to be added. Updating your directory regularly means that you automatically update your values and priorities regularly.

What do you think?

Which of the four key functions of the VIP Directory is the most important to you?

What are the results that YOU want to achieve that make it worth the time and effort you will invest in this project?

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Are you interested in creating your own VIP Directory?

My article series, ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation and the VIP Directory’, provides you with all the information and tools you need to start and complete the process successfully.

Continue reading HERE.

Today, I want to continue to tell you the background story of the Radical Paperwork Optimisation approach.

In another article, I focused on the benefits that having a central collection point for all important paperwork – the Very Important Paperwork Directory – brings into our daily lives.

Now, I want to discuss the benefits that such an organised directory offers to our family – in circumstances that we don’t want but that we can’t avoid with certainty.

None of us knows if and when a serious illness or even death might happen to us, in which case our spouse or another family member will have to sort out our personal affairs.

A properly prepared and organised VIP Directory (Very Important Paperwork Directory) will help them manage this task in a challenging and overwhelming situation.

A little personal case study: Why and how I want to support my family – if and when something serious happens to me.

Fifteen years ago, my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly.

We flew from Hong Kong to Germany to arrange the funeral, and after that, I stayed two weeks longer to support my mother-in-law. And to sort out the paperwork she didn’t know anything about because her husband had always taken care of it.

When I started going through the papers on his desk and in the filing cabinets, I quickly realised how difficult – or even impossible – it is to completely understand another person’s organising system if this person is no longer around to explain it to us.

It took me a while to at least broadly understand how my father-in-law had organised and filed things like bank accounts and statements, insurance policies, personal ID documents, tax and medical records, invoices, contact details, etc.

As I could no longer ask him, I can only hope that I finally managed to sort things out the way he would have it done.

One thing was easier for me to do than it would have been for him: It was definitely easier for me to declutter a lot of papers because I was not as emotionally attached to the information they contained as he would have probably been.

Finally, I compiled all the personal information that was relevant to my mother-in-law in ONE binder.

Five years later, when we helped her downsize into a small apartment, she still had this one folder, which still contained all the information she needed to manage her life.

I had another and different experience six years ago when my mother passed away, also unexpectedly.

My four sisters and I cleared my mother’s house and belongings together. A very tough job. And very emotional, of course.

However, sorting my mother’s paperwork and arranging what needed to be done with it was not difficult.

My mother was a very organised person, and she – although she hated paperwork – had kept all her documents and important papers well sorted in one area of her home.

However, my mother left us one challenging paperwork-related task: deciding what to do with the collection of letters she had exchanged with my father before they got married. ​You can read about how we handled that here.​

Last year, I helped another close family member to organise the paperwork after her husband’s death.

The challenge of sorting through his personal paperwork and finding the documents and information she so urgently needed added to her suffering in this nearly unbearable life situation.

What I learned over the years:

• • These very personal experiences made me realise that it is not enough to organise our paperwork in a way that is clear and logical to us.
  • If we want to support our closest family members in challenging times, we must arrange and manage our papers and information in a way that is also clear and understandable to others.

This is my personal opinion, of course.

However, most of my clients share my view.

When they start working with me, many of them suffer from an overabundance of paperwork.

And often, it’s not (or not only) their own documents and papers that are kept in boxes and boxes in the garage or attic.

Often, it’s inherited paperwork from parents, grandparents or other family members.

My clients took the paperwork into their homes because they struggled to decide what to do with it.

They felt unable to make decluttering decisions because they didn’t know what their late family members would have wanted them to do with all the papers, documents, and information they left behind.

Applying the Radical Paperwork Optimisation approach didn’t make sorting out their loved ones’ paperwork easy, but it made it doable.

One client told me that radically organising and decluttering her father’s paperwork was like ‘having a conversation with him’. She felt that by ‘being courageous’ and finally making decisions about his things, she was ‘showing her appreciation and respect for him’. When all the work was done, she ‘felt relief and peace of mind’.

What about you?

Have you experienced situations like the ones I described in your personal life as well?

Do you share my point of view? Or do you have a different opinion?

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Are you interested in creating your own VIP Directory?

My article series, ‘Radical Paperwork Optimisation and the VIP Directory’, provides you with all the information and tools you need to start and complete the process successfully.

Continue reading HERE.