• military discharge papers
• estate planning documents
• life insurance policies
• legal filings
• pension plan documents
• ID cards
• passports
For seven years . . .
• tax returns (or longer, if they contain
inaccuracies)
• supporting tax documentation
For a year or more . . .
• loan documents (until after the loan
is paid off)
• vehicle titles (until after you sell the
vehicle)
• house deeds (until after you sell the
house)
• mortgage documents (until after you
pay off the mortgage)
• investment purchase confirmations
(until after you sell the investment)
• mo n th ly ban k an d cred it card
statements (unless you can access
them online)
For less than a year . . .
• ATM and bank deposit and withdrawal
slips (until you reconcile with monthly
statement)
• credit card receipts (until you
reconcile with monthly statement)
• insurance policy (until the new one
arrives)
• investment statement (until the new
one arrives)
• Social Security statement (until the
new one arrives)
• utility, cable, and cell phone bills
(until you verify payment processed,
or longer if you deduct these costs)
14 • Solutions
Some of us have the idea that a
messy, crowded office typifies a busy,
productive worker. “My office is a mess,
but I know where everything is” is a
common mantra. Unfortunately, more
often than not, a messy office typifies
a disorganized, unfocused, stressed-
out worker who is running behind and
feels out of control. The good news
is that this kind of discouraging work
experience is not necessary in our
home office if we’ll minimize.
Marie Kenney, a friend of mine,
expressed the view about office mess
that I think most people share, if they’re
honest. “I cannot work or be creative
in a cluttered environment,” she said.
“A clean and tidy, near-empty space
allows me to think so much more
clearly!”
When you free up space in your home
office, you’ll feel more at peace and be
able to do your work more efficiently.
And beyond that, I believe you’ll also
find that you’ve freed up your mind
to think more clearly, make decisions