How to take the stress out of filing

Simon Ellis

By Simon Ellis on 12 April 2021

5 minute read

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You don’t need to spend ages getting your life organised. Here’s how a couple of regular minutes can change your personal safety, security and document habits.

The Personal Archive is a secure place to store all of your important documents with 24/7 access. It is easier and faster than you might think.

Sign up for our “two-minute tips” and start the journey to get organised painlessly in small steps and when you register for your own personal archive account we will double the free trial period to 60 days and you’ll get free access to all our life admin templates that guide you through creating your own life admin checklist. Join here

We can even talk you through it (if you would like a call) with a real human expert.
No ifs, no bots, no musts.

Why The Personal Archive Company?

I have been involved in digital document management for many years and run a high-tech business product called Hadageto. It helps small businesses manage their documents.

Like most people, when COVID started to impact us and forever change our lives, I started thinking about how best to prepare and protect my loved ones in case anything happened to me.

I’ll admit it. My stuff was all over the place. If I wasn’t around anymore my family wouldn’t know where to start.

I know most things when it comes to managing documents – I’ve being doing it for years for businesses – Like most people I know, my personal records are a mess. – I always have better things to do and it’s a chore. But it needs doing and Lockdown was the perfect time to start. I wanted a secure place to store my records with easy access, When I looked into it, I found there was nothing easy and simple to use; designed for people like you and me. So, I built it!

I spoke to lots of people and gathered my team. The key was to make sure our tech is simple to use, safe and secure: An ironclad place to keep our important documents filed and accessible, anytime and in any location.

Once built, I set about adding my own files and soon realised it wasn’t as simple as I had thought. There was a real danger that this would be a chore; Stuff everywhere, the laptop(s), USB drive, cloud, emails and paperwork around the house? Not something to concentrate on for long periods at a time – We all have other things to do, right?

During Lockdown, I resolved to spend at least 30 minutes a day walking to get fit, and gradually I got fitter. I feel good about my health and enjoy long walks through the beautiful Peak District (aka ‘the Peaks’).

So, why not sort the rest of my life out in the same way? Could I spare a few minutes a day to sort stuff out? Hmm, yes. I decided to try.

So, where will we start?

  1. Spend a few minutes a day adding to a list of all my stuff (my partner loves making lists so that helps!)
  2. Allocate max 15 minutes each day to finding documents that support the things listed load them to my Personal Archive system, and add #hashtags that will help me find things fast later when I need them.

That’s it!

(Technically, the list is called a personal asset register). – Subscribe to our two-minute tips and when you register your own personal archive account, we will double the free trial period to 60 days and you’ll get free access to all our templates. Join here

Here’s some more information about what an asset register is.

What is a personal asset register?

Simply, it’s a record of all your personal assets, including bank accounts, property, shares and digital accounts, with more besides. If it’s valuable, it needs recording; that’s the golden rule.

Why keep track of your Assets?

  • All of your information is securely and easily accessible in one place.
  • If something happens at home, you can make a claim quickly and with all the information you’ll need.
  • It’s not an easy subject to broach, but if you pass away, it helps your family inestimably with getting your affairs together at a very difficult time. In his excellent book The Madness of Grief, the Reverend Richard Coles refers to this as a real burden and calls it “Sadmin”
  • It also stops you losing sight of an asset – how about that pension policy you had totally forgotten about?

The result?

I know it sounds obvious but doing it in small steps was a neat trick. What I did with my asset list and related documents is similar to my decision to get fitter and walk more: Start small and build up. I was surprised that it only took me a month to complete, spending a minute or two here and there. So, I’ve designed it for you to do the same with us.

It’s good knowing I have my life admin under control and accessible anytime, and it only takes minutes to maintain when something changes.

Unlike getting fit (truth time again!), when I missed a few days it didn’t set me back to square one. With organising my life documents, every bit of time I spent simply added to the fitness of my ‘asset register’ (aka – store of important life admin and record of valuables).

Make a commitment to getting your stuff sorted and let us help you along the way.

Subscribe to our two-minute tips and when you register your own personal archive account, we will double the free trial period to 60 days and you’ll get free access to all our life admin templates. Subscribe here

I look forward to meeting you,

Simon Ellis,

Founder – The Personal Archive Company (PAC)