It can be really frustrating and time-consuming when you want to use a gadget or appliance only to find you don’t know the ins and outs of how it works and you can’t find the manual.  If you're easily distracted, before you know it your attention has been taken away from the original task and you are surrounded by paperwork!

The great news is, most manuals can be downloaded from the internet.  So if you are going paperless, you can create a similar system online! Personally, I like to keep the physical copy for big ticket items.

Here's how to organise your manuals - whether they are online or physical copies:

Declutter

• The first step is to dig out all your manuals and throw out any that belong to items you no longer have or sections that you don’t need (eg instructions in Chinese, disks for macs if you are a PC user). These are just creating extra clutter, get rid of them.

Sort

• As you declutter your manuals, start to put the ones you are keeping into categories that make sense to you.  It might be by room, purpose or description (kitchen, laundry, office or travel, small devices, entertainment etc).  Don’t forget to use your masking tape to make those temporary labels.

Tip: We recommend you keep your manual, receipt and warranties secured together for each item.

Organise

• Having one location for your manuals simplifies things greatly.  We don’t need them that often and at least you only have one place you need to search!
• Using plastic envelopes is really handy because they can house some of the little gizmo’s that often come with electronic and electrical items. It is important to make sure these are clearly labelled.
• Next decide where your manuals will be housed, this will depend on the layout of your home, your preferences and what you have available, for example:
  • In drawers (shallow drawer or suspension folders in a filing cabinet)
  • A shelf (suspension folders in a filing crate or magazine holders are good for shelves)
  • Don’t forget to label label label!

Organise online manuals

• Create a designated folder and use a naming convention to help keep like with like
• Example of naming convention: Kitchen - Fridge - manual.  Broken down the format would be [room/area] - [type of appliance] - [what it is receipt/manual/warranty]
• Another example would be: Small appliance - phone - receipt, changing the first part of the naming convention if you prefer to sort by type (small appliance, built in, large appliances etc)

Create new habits

• Get in the habit of photographing (if you are keeping your paperwork online) or photocopying  your receipts (as they often fade and become eligible) and attaching the photocopy to the manual and warranty, then they are at your fingertips whenever you need them.
• When you get rid of something, be sure to get rid of the manual that goes with it.

Don’t delay start today
Sara