Thomas Frank on taming your paper files

Thomas Frank (yep, the same productivity guy I covered in the computer-files post) backs up a step here and tackles physical paperwork. The system itself is dead simple: three homes for every sheet of paper, plus a quick digitisation routine so most sheets never need a home at all. If your desk is a mail avalanche, this feels like low-friction triage.

Tools mentioned

• File box or 2-drawer cabinet – the “main archive” with hanging folders as the top-level categories
• Hanging folders – become the tree’s first-level branches (sub-folders or paper dividers if you need deeper levels)
• Desk inbox tray – catch-all for new mail; processed weekly
• Portable folder / accordion folder – lives in the backpack for on-the-go papers
• Phone scanner apps (Frank uses Scanbot) – one-tap edge detection → PDF
• Evernote – destination for scans; OCR makes the images searchable

Steps to follow

1. Set up the 3-location system

   1. Main file box (hanging folders = top level).
   2. Inbox tray on the desk for unprocessed mail.
   3. Portable folder in your bag; empty it into the inbox nightly or weekly.

2. Build a tree inside the file box

   • Let each hanging folder be a high-level topic (e.g. Finance, Health, Housing).
   • If a topic needs sub-branches, drop regular manila folders inside—or cheat with paper dividers + sticky flags.

3. Process the inbox once a week

   • Action items (pay bill, sign form) → do them.
   • Keep-forever originals → file box.
   • Everything else → phone scan then recycle.

4. Digitise on the fly

   • Open Scanbot, shoot, it autosaves to Evernote’s Inbox notebook (or a dedicated “Scans” folder in Drive).
   • Let Evernote’s OCR handle future searches; no manual filenames needed.

5. Optional extra spots

   • Manuals box – a plain cardboard bin for bulky appliance guides.
   • Safe-deposit box – for birth certificates, passports, John-Wick coins, etc.

Advice (do’s & don’ts straight from the video)

• Batch filing—don’t open the big box every time a bill arrives.
• Over-optimising one micro-category wastes time; sometimes a loose “manuals” bin is fine.
• If roommates leave doors unlocked, consider an off-site safe-deposit box for irreplaceables.
• Digitise almost everything: PDFs don’t burn, and Evernote search beats riffling through folders.

Watch the full (explosion-laden) walkthrough here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-LeibeXAog. For Thomas’s companion guide to computer folders, see my earlier notes linked at the top.