For this, our “Home Improvement” issue, I walked through the Valencia home where I’ve lived for sixteen years. Many areas have been improved, including the kitchen and bathrooms. There are several projects on my wish list, but what’s the most important right now? I glanced in my office with the piles of projects in various stages of progress, the magazines to be read (occupational hazard) and the “to be filed” pile that gets bigger each day. Organizing the glut of paper would improve my life, but how do you begin a project this big? I contacted some organized local residents and experts for ideas.

Barbara Ricketts, AKA the Mess Doctor (www.themessdoctor.com), has spent the past fifteen years as a certified professional organizer helping clients with “smart yet simple strategies to organize your life.” This passionate and highly trained professional helps people save time, be happier and healthier through gaining control of their clutter.

“Especially with the economy in the last few years, people feel they don’t have control, but there are things that you can get control over,” Ricketts commented. “Clutter is postponed decisions. Piles start, then they draw more clutter and get bigger and out of control.”

After a needs assessment and tour of the space to be organized, she helps a client set goals and sort through the piles. People generally know what clutter is costing them in terms of stress, time with family and a chaotic environment. “The trick is to get the best system for each person’s needs. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all system.”

As Ricketts rattled off simple tips to get started, I thought that it would be amazing to be a fly on the wall at the National Association of Professional Organizers annual conference where she is a Golden Circle member and mentors new organizers. Her first tip was to look at horizontal surfaces where piles are generally located. “Filing is better than piling,” she quips. Each person will have distinct categories of sorting that will make it easy to find their information, and putting miscellaneous papers in a filing situation will make it easier to find.

“It doesn’t matter how you keep bills as long as you have a home for them,” Ricketts noted. Accordion folders are an easy way to keep track of monthly bills. Put the bills to be paid in the first pocket and put the paid bills in the appropriate monthly pocket or file them according to type. Lost bills are one of the financial costs of clutter. Keeping paper vs. electronic bills is a matter of personal choice and some people shred their bills immediately after they pay them. Year-end statements for bills like credit cards provide you with information with less paper, and online bank statements reduce identity theft as well as paper.

“To work efficiently there should be no more than 15 percent of your desk covered,” Ricketts stated. “That’s essentially a computer, printer and phone. A clear desk contributes to thinking more clearly. Within arm’s reach keep things that you use daily or 3 to 4 times per week.”

Ricketts says that it generally takes 12-20 hours to organize the average office. One of the purposes is to create a system that each person can maintain. When she returns 4-6 weeks later, the system is tweaked and many people have Ricketts return periodically for routine maintenance. What is the “prime real estate” area in your home that could benefit from a Mess Doctor?

Few things strike fear in an unorganized person’s heart quite like the threat of an IRS audit. The IRS recommends keeping tax documents “until the period of elimination expires for that return … generally three years from the date that you filed the return.” However, the rule of thumb is to keep things seven years, according to Lloyd Sreden, partner at Stern, Kory, Sreden & Morgan (661.286.1040). In the case of fraud the amount of time is indefinite. “Ignorance is no excuse if you can’t provide the information,” said Sreden. Wonder if the future Bernie Madoffs in the U.S. know that?

One way to cut down on paper is to know just how long you need to keep important documents. A comprehensive records retention schedule provided by Sreden details the amount of time you need to keep a wide variety of records such as settled accident reports (seven years) or expired insurance policies (three years). With a tax organizer given to each client, this CPA firm makes it simple to be ready for tax time or whatever your tax future may hold.

Emergency preparedness is another area where lack of organization can hurt you. “In Southern California disasters come with little warning.The likelihood of getting caught (during an emergency) on the other side of town is great. It may be a long time before you get home,” said Colleen Beatty, community disaster education volunteer. “Earthquake research shows that another major quake will be all about fires.” Emergency personnel realistically might not be able to attend to life sustaining needs such as food and water.

“Our purpose is to get people prepared for a minimum of three days,” said Beatty. Recommended is a “ready to go kit” for your car and home. While their website (www.redcross.org) has the specifics, there is paperwork that helps in an emergency, especially in case you need to go to a shelter.

While you don’t need to show ID to go to a shelter, you’ll need personal information to put your life back together. In a waterproof container include a utility bill to show a connection between you and your residence. Include copies of your driver’s license, all types of insurance, bank accounts, prescriptions, credit card information and contact information -- especially out of state phone numbers. Some people include cash in small bills in their emergency envelope. Many people put other important paperwork in a fireproof safe or safety deposit box such as wills, deeds, household inventory and contracts. If you’re concerned about identity theft, develop a creative means of copying personal information. The important component is to compile all the information in an easy to transport and easy to find waterproof file.

Clutter can come into the house in many ways but one of the most difficult is the crush of papers from your precious elementary school children. When they work so hard, it’s difficult to just toss their creations. Local resident Debbie Morrison keeps an expanding pocket file labeled with the year, grade and child’s name. The papers that she or her children decide to keep go in the file located at her work station. It’s already labeled, sorted and ready to store their best work at the end of the year.

Valencia resident Debbie Choate used a system where her son’s papers were displayed, then went into a big box. At the end of the year the two of them would make a date to go through the box and choose his top ten to keep. Since he wasn’t as attached to the work by the end of the year, it was easier.

Scrapbooking is a great way to keep precious artwork alive. Local resident Debbie Plante took the pictures her children drew, especially the very large pieces, made color copies and developed them in the size she wanted. Some she made sticker size to embellish the page for that school year.

What to do with countless trophies that take up space and collect dust? Take the metal plate off the front with the team, award and year. You have the remembrance without the clutter.

Valencia resident Amy Jones uses a simple method to organize essential papers for each family member. Inside a large notebook are expanding plastic folders in each daughter’s favorite color. Within each folder are placed class rosters, scouting information, first day of school documents from each class, phone lists or other necessary papers that are used frequently. Each family member knows where the folder is located in order to retrieve and keep important documents.

Another way to reduce the amount of paper in your home is to stop it from coming inside. Spend a few minutes to stop catalogues and junk mail. You can significantly reduce the stress in your life with a little bit of time, creative thinking and work to clean out the domestic clutter one pile at a time.