After all, to find something in your paper files, you have to remember where you filed it AND hope that you actually did file it there. If not, you will waste a lot of time shuffling through various documents to find the one you need. Even if it's in the correct file folder, if there are a lot of documents in that file, it can still take quite a while to locate the one you're looking for.

The answer to both problems can be solved by going paperless, as much as is practical.

One of the major benefits to electronic filing is that you don't have to rely on your filing system to locate the information you need. Simply search on a keyword and within seconds your computer will find it for you. No more worries about misfiling, torn papers, or smudges. If you still want an organized filing system for your electronic documents, you can save a lot of planning and set-up time by using a software program called OrganizeMY Electronic Filing Cabinet for Dummies. When you install it on your system, it creates a set of folders to correspond to the type of information saved by typical users. The Personal version includes a number of financial and household categories, while the Professional version also includes popular small business categories. Even better is the fact that you're not restricted to these categories, but can rename and delete them according to your needs.

Another thing that's great about this product is that you can also add scanned documents, emails, contacts, reminders, and web pages, and these will all be accessible through one screen related to a particular topic.