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I found a flaw in my Paper Hubs System and I’m here to rectify it. Near the end of 2024, it became clear that a vital documents hub was coming down the pike.

It’s been several years since I fully decluttered my paper files, and I knew my system needed an overhaul. I’ll admit slowed my scroll for ads about this type of paper hub. This hub is vitally important and was essentially lacking in my paper organizing system.

In this post, I’ll cover what a vital documents hub is and how to build your own hub.

What are vital documents?

Before explaining how to organize vital documents, let’s define what we’re talking about. 

Vital documents prove identity or a person’s life events. These include birth, death, and marriage certificates, passports, insurance, etc. Often, these are the documents families need access to when a loved one passes in order to access life insurance and bank records.

Here’s what could be included in a vital documents hub:

• Birth certificates
• Passports
• Social Security cards
• Marriage license
• Adoption papers
• Vehicle titles
• Vital medical information
• Passwords
• Trust information
• Deeds
• Bank & mortgage information
• Current tax records
• Utility account numbers
• Life Insurance policies

Why should I separate Vital Documents and Long-Term Papers?

In the current Paper Hubs System, these documents cohabitate with Long-Term papers. I decided to separate them into different hubs for a simple reason:

In an emergency, the vital documents are the ones I would prioritize saving. Having these documents would make it easier to piece life back together after an emergency.

Where to start

As the adage goes, “Start with the end in mind.” For vital document organization, that means deciding how to store the documents in a vital documents “hub.”

Possible hubs are fire-safe boxes (although they don’t always work, as proved by the Pallisades fire) or accordion folders or boxes stored in a larger safe.

Amazon offers accordion folders with labels. This is a great option because you can grab it in an emergency and store it in a safe, if you have one. 

If you choose to DIY your own hub, you will need folders or an accordion folder, depending on how and where you want to store your papers.

Once a storage option for a vital documents hub is chosen, it’s time to declutter.

Declutter

If you already have a place to store vital documents and need to update it, declutter by removing documents that aren’t in the listed categories. (Some of the removed documents may need to be relocated to a Long-Term Paper Hub.) Shred expired documents such as insurance policies and vehicle registrations. 

If these documents are mixed in with all other papers, it may take time to locate what you need.

While decluttering, sort documents into categories (like the ones listed above) to make filing easier in the next step.

One thing to note as you declutter: it always looks worse before it gets better! Mess is a natural part of the organizing process.

How to organize physical files

There are many ways to organize these files. The most important rule is to organize and label them in a way that makes the most sense to you. For instance, organize papers by category, as listed above.

I chose to organize documents by person (i.e. birth certificates, passports) and by category (i.e. titles, bank info, etc).

Although I had vital docs organized in my box, I overhauled it to streamline the look. Instead of multicolored files, I used a single color and used a label maker for all the labels. 

This is all preference. I prefer a uniform color because it’s easier for my brain to process. You may prefer to color-code by category as an organizational aid. The most important rule is to organize so you can find what you need!

Creating your vital documents hub

Creating a separate place for your vital documents can help you prepare for disasters and bring peace of mind. Begin by choosing a storage method for your document hub, declutter, and then organize your documents by category. Setting up this hub may take time if you’re beginning your paper organizing journey, but it’s well worth it!