A paperwork system for when paper piles up

If paper piles up on you, sort the pile once into three stacks (act on it, keep, toss), scan the first two on your phone, and set a reminder for anything with a date. ScanMojo is free on iPhone and Android with no ads: it reads the dates printed on a letter, suggests a reminder, and lets you find any paper later by a word on it. Reminders are free for three at a time.

  1. 1

    Sort the pile into three stacks

    Act on it: anything that asks you to pay, reply, renew or show up by a date. Keep: insurance papers, warranties, records you may need later. Toss: ads, empty envelopes and copies you already have. Don't read everything closely yet; just sort.

  2. 2

    Scan the act-on-it stack first

    Tap Scan and hold your phone over each page. A letter with several pages goes into one document, and ScanMojo names it for you from what's on the page, so it shows up as something like "Renewal Notice" instead of a date.

  3. 3

    Set a reminder for each date

    Open the document, tap the ••• menu at the top right and choose Remind Me…. Under "Dates in this document", pick the date the letter asks for, or set your own, then choose how early to hear about it and tap Save. Check the date against the letter.

  4. 4

    Scan the keep stack into a few folders

    Scan the rest, then choose Move to Folder on each and pick a broad folder like Money, Home or Health. Three folders of your own are free, and search finds a paper whatever folder it's in.

  5. 5

    Recycle or shred the rest

    Once a paper is scanned and you've checked the scan is readable, the toss stack and most of the keep stack can go. Shred anything with account numbers or personal details. Keep originals that still matter, like certificates, titles and deeds.

Keep it from piling up again

Give incoming mail one spot, like a tray by the door, instead of the kitchen counter. Pick one time a week to empty it with the same three stacks. If a letter has a date on it, scan it and set the reminder the day you open it, so "deal with it later" has a day attached.

To see what's coming up, open Tools and then Reminders. It lists the reminders you've set and, under "Found in your documents", dates from your other scans that you can set a reminder for with one tap on the bell.

When more than three things are due

Reminders are free for three at a time. Set them for the three soonest dates first. When one is handled, choose Mark as done, and that place is free again; a reminder also stops counting once its day has passed. ScanMojo Pro has as many reminders as you need.

A big backlog can also wait for another day. Scanning the act-on-it stack and setting its reminders is the part that matters most; the keep stack can be scanned a few papers at a time.

Find any paper later by a word on it

Every scan's text is recognized on your phone, so you don't have to remember what you called it. Search for the company's name, "insurance" or a year, and the paper comes up.

Your scans stay on your phone unless you share them or turn on sync to your own iCloud Drive or Google Drive. There's no account to make, and the dates are read on the phone too.

Questions

Do I have to scan the whole pile at once?

No. Sort it once, scan the papers that ask you to do something by a date, and set their reminders. The rest can be scanned a few at a time.

Does ScanMojo set reminders by itself?

No. It suggests the dates it reads from the page, and you choose one, or a date of your own, and how early to be reminded. Check the date against the letter before you rely on it.

Is it free?

Yes. Scanning, text recognition, search, three folders of your own, PDF export and three reminders at a time are free, with no ads, no watermark and no scan limit. ScanMojo Pro adds more folders, as many reminders as you need and extra tools.

Should I keep the paper after I scan it?

Many papers can go once you've checked the scan. Keep originals that still matter, like birth and marriage certificates, passports, car titles and deeds. For how long to keep tax and financial papers, check with your tax preparer or whoever issued them.

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