10 Crucial Reasons to Avoid Creating a Miscellaneous Folder

Are you considering creating a miscellaneous folder for your business?

Do you want some relevant reasons as to why creating such a folder may not be such a good idea?

In this article, you’ll learn more about miscellaneous folders, the challenges they bring, how to deal with them, and why you should avoid them at all costs.

Before we get started, if you want a simple daily structure to help you prioritize your work, my free Productivity Mindset Planner™ is a good place to start.

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

What is a miscellaneous folder?

A miscellaneous folder is a type of folder that contains a variety of items that may or may not have anything in common with one another.

While not an official designation, a miscellaneous folder can be considered a catch-all for various materials in a business or home office.

Items placed in a miscellaneous folder may include administrative materials such as general paperwork, statements, records, receipts, notices, reminders, instructions, manual, and reports.

A miscellaneous folder may be physical, such as a manila file folder, or digital, such as a digital file on your computer desktop, or in a cloud storage system.

Why do people create a miscellaneous folder?

Do why do people create miscellaneous folders in the first place? As a productivity coach, I’ve seen the miscellaneous folder appear in offices and homes one way or the other, physical or digital. Having said that, I think people create miscellaneous folders for several key reasons.

The first reason is that they are primarily interested in containing materials. They want to gather and centralize important information in a quick and easy manner. They want to have everything in a convenient package, if you will.

Secondly, I think people create these folders because they are overwhelmed by the thought of processing physical paperwork. Going through discordant paperwork requires time, energy, and focus that they may or may not have in the present moment.

Thirdly, I think people do not wish to mentally or physically deal with physical paperwork. Rather than recycling, erasing, deleting, donating, shredding, or scanning items, they simply place paperwork in a folder.

Obviously, placing materials in a miscellaneous folder can be a quick solution in the short term.

But if you actually want to locate materials in future so you can reference them, then you’ll probably want to stay away from using a miscellaneous folder.

How can you stop yourself from creating a miscellaneous folder?

You’re short on time, energy, and will power. You’re tempted to create a miscellaneous folder. But just how do you resist the temptation to create such a folder? The answer may surprise you.

The first line of prevention is to simply not create a miscellaneous folder in the first place.

Yes, you may be holding a stack of papers you really don’t wish to deal with at the present moment. Whatever you do, please don’t create a miscellaneous folder and shove it into the depths of your filing cabinet.

Instead, practice active awareness of your actions. Understand your motivation for or resistance of processing these materials. What’s truly lurking behind your actions when it comes to this tentative creation of a miscellaneous folder?

Are you short on time and need to process the paperwork at a later date? Maybe you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed, or cranky. Perhaps you’re gearing up to delegate the task to your assistant or a staff member, but you haven’t yet done so.

No matter your motivation, it can help if you simply stop in your tracks. Take a few moments to gather your thoughts. Once you identify what’s causing you discomfort, you can find a solution.

And if you’re still wondering what you should do instead of creating a miscellaneous folder, continue reading this article for a smart alternative solution!

What if you’ve already created a miscellaneous folder?

So, the above suggestion is all well and good if you haven’t yet gone down the path of creating a miscellaneous folder.

But what should you do if you’ve already created a miscellaneous folder or two (hey, no judgement) in your work office or home office? You might have honestly thought it was a creative way to organize your files. Is all hope lost? Of course, not!

One thing you can do is to not add any new items or materials to the folder. Adding new items to the folder will only compound the paper processing you’ll have to do in future.

What’s more, when you start to mix materials that haven’t yet been sorted, you’ll lose your sense of understanding how materials specifically relate to your business.

How should you clean out a miscellaneous folder?

One of the first things that you can do is to schedule time in your calendar to deal with the items in the folder.

Keep in mind, you don’t have to sort in one sitting. You can break up your work into smaller chunks of time. You just need to be consistent so that you make progress on a regular basis until the folder has been completely processed.

The next step is to group any like materials together with like. You can use a large conference room table, dining room or kitchen table or large countertop for this work.

The idea is to group things together that match one another. From my example above, you’d want to collect any instruction manuals together, any bills together, any important records, and so on.

Next, you’re going to work through each of those groups of items to see if you have a corresponding folder in your existing filing cabinet or digital folders.

For instance, maybe you already have an instruction manual folder for items in your home office. In that case, you’d drop in a home printer manual.

If you don’t yet have a folder that matches in the relevant items, you’ll need to just create one. It’s always a good idea to check your files first to make sure you’re not creating a duplicate.

Above all, be patient with yourself. That miscellaneous folder didn’t just materialize out of the air and into your lap.

It was created over a period of time with you collecting and gathering things. So, be careful with these items.

Take your time sorting and processing your papers. When you do, you’ll be able to refer to them with ease in future.

What should you do instead of creating a miscellaneous folder?

I bet you’re now thinking, “Okay, so what do I do about all that material that has to be processed? What do I do with it in the meantime?”

My answer is rather simple and procedural, but this is really nuanced. You’re going to put it into a different container.

When we place items into a folder, manila file folder or digital folder, they are for future retrieval.

We’re going to read, review, reference, or use the information in some way in the future. It could be tomorrow, it could be in five year’s time. That’s for permanent storage.

As I mentioned earlier, miscellaneous items are only miscellaneous because they either: 1) have yet to be processed, that is sorted and organized or 2) they have widely varying materials that just haven’t yet been identified or found a connection to.

Now, the container that you’re going to place these items into isn’t a folder. What you’re going to do is create a ‘To File’ inbox. This is a type of inbox or holding spot so you can process the materials.

Just think of a postal mail inbox. There’s a collection of postal mail. It might contain bills, receipts, records, magazines, mailers, and any number of items. The materials have to be opened, read, and processed and sorted. But they still just sit in the inbox. That’s what matters most here.

When you designate a particular inbox or container for items to be processed, it’s understood this is just their temporary storage area. They’re going to be processed and dealt with at a future place and time.

10 crucial reasons to avoid creating a miscellaneous folder

The miscellaneous folder is somewhat of a black sheep when it comes to filing.

After all, it is all too tempting to create a folder, stuff various things inside of it, and call it a day.

While that is certainly a quick fix when it comes to filing things, in actuality, you’ll be doing more harm than good.

So, if by some reason you’re still not convinced that a miscellaneous folder is something you should avoid…

Here are ten great reasons why a miscellaneous folder is a really, really, really, bad idea.

You’ll forget what’s inside the folder

There’s almost no doubt about it, but whatever you place inside a miscellaneous folder will soon be forgotten.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a personal project that’s close to your heart or a recently completed project. You’ll quickly forget what you placed inside the folder, and why.

This isn’t anything complicated. It’s just a natural byproduct of the way we work and associate with our materials.

Ever hear of the saying, out of sight, out of mind? Having the item tucked away in the depths of a filing cabinet or digital space is also an issue. Without your interacting with the folder on a regular basis, there’s no need for you to look inside.

If you don’t believe me, try this little experiment. Write down the name of five fruits on a sticky note and place on your calendar.

Now, see if you remember those fruits in two weeks time. And that’s just two weeks. Imagine what that would be if you didn’t look at that note for two months’, let alone two years’ time. You get the idea…

You must re-identify items in the folder

Not only will you forget what’s sitting inside of a miscellaneous folder, but there’s something more. You’ll have to redefine your definition of miscellaneous in order to file items in the folder.

Sure, the folder is labeled miscellaneous. But does that mean absolutely everything and anything goes inside the folder? What about those client reports, vendor payments, bills, and research?

Where do those items go? Suddenly, your definition of miscellaneous becomes a bit too broad in and of itself for your own use. And that can be a troublesome thing in the long term, especially if you run a business. The solution is to instead label files clearly and consistently.

You must update the contents of the folder

Are you one of those people who write down the contents of the folder either on the inside of the manila file folder or on a sheet of paper that’s affixed to the folder?

If you follow this method, then you will need to update your list of items contained in the folder on a regular basis.

You’ll need to cross out or relabel that folder title or contents every single time you use the folder.That’s not a very practical way to use a folder, now is it?

The idea here is to designate the folder for your needs so you have it fixed and ready to go.

You’ll waste time searching for items in the folder

Who wants to spend an extra hour searching high and low for something? You’ll waste time sorting through folder items to find what you think you might have filed in the folder.

This becomes even more apparent when time has passed, such as several days, weeks, month, or even years.

And who wants to become utterly frustrated, annoyed, and confused in the process? You’ll save a whole lot of time if you file items where they belong the first time around.

You’ll confuse others with the folder

Do you work with or share a space with others in your business or office? If so, you’ll inadvertently create a situation that will be quite difficult for other people.

You see, asking someone else to pull out a particular piece of information from your files will prove to be quite challenging.

Should the person look in the regular set of files you’ve created? Perhaps they should look in the miscellaneous folder?

Maybe they’ll need to search through every single file folder in existence to find the item you’re looking for?

Okay, this is a bit of a silly and unrealistic scenario, but I think you get the idea here.

You’ll create more work for others with the folder

Going off of the previous point, asking someone else to re-file a particular piece of information will prove to be that much more difficult.

Where should they file an item when they are finished using it? Will they replace it in the miscellaneous folder?

Perhaps they will refile it in a specific file you haven’t yet discussed? Maybe they’ll create a new file for the item unbeknownst to you?

This can truly create some chaotic situations! This is exactly why you want to be clear with how your folders are labeled and organized.

Your folder will reach its limit

Don’t forget, a paper file folder can hold only so much information.

Sure, a digital file may not have such an issue. But things can get tricky if you haven’t appropriately named or identified items.

A search for what you desire may not yield that item in the search results if the name doesn’t match your search query.

You’ll place more and more items into your folder over time. Unsurprisingly, you’ll eventually reach a point where you physically cannot store more information in the folder.

This creates even more challenges. Where will you store items when the folder becomes full? Will you create yet another miscellaneous folder and continue the trend?

There’s no need to push a folder to its limit; especially if it’s a folder you haven’t yet designated or identified for your work.

You’ll feel completely unorganized

There’s no doubt about it. You’ll feel much more unorganized with a vast quantity of miscellany in your office.

You may not be seemingly affected by it at first. But you may find yourself trapped with a nagging thought about that folder.

You know you need to get organized, but that folder still sits in the back of your mind. It eats away at you little by little. It can really drag down your confidence levels. This is a sign your filing system has problems.

What’s more, you’ll dread going to your filing cabinet: the miscellaneous folder will be there front and center!

You won’t attend to other files

What happens if you don’t take the time to properly file information? You’ll probably become lax in filing information in your other files.

You see, file management is something that’s necessary whenever you’re dealing with administrative items. You’ve got to stay on top of your filing work in order for the system to work as a whole.

Sure, you may not touch a single file in a year’s time or more. But that’s because you don’t currently need the information contained in that file.

Chances are, if you’re keeping material for some reason, you’re probably going to refer to it at some point in the future.

So, if you look at things in this way, where’s the motivation to maintain your other files when you can’t maintain a single file?That’s right, there is none. It’s a true slippery slope of organization if there ever were one.

No file should simply take precedence over one another just because. There is a logic to filing and that’s what you must keep in mind.

You’ll file everything in the folder

As time passes, the lines between filing items for retrieval grows more and more blurry. And we discussed a little bit earlier why people tend to create miscellaneous folders in the first place.

This laziness can potentially cause you frustrations in the end. If you don’t catch yourself, you may soon start to file everything in the folder.

I mean, the folder is labelled miscellaneous, right? So, do yourself a favor. Put an end to creating and using miscellaneous folders both at work and at home. You’ll be glad you did!

Ready to build a filing system that works? Get my How to Be More Organized Right Now™ guide.

FAQ: Why avoid creating a miscellaneous folder

Conclusion

A miscellaneous folder feels like an easy fix, but it usually creates more disorganization than it solves. The better approach is a temporary inbox: one clearly defined holding spot for unprocessed items that you commit to reviewing on a regular schedule.

Group like items together, give everything a permanent home, and stick to your review cadence — your future self (and anyone who shares your files) will thank you.

If you’re ready to build a more intentional approach to your work, check out my free Productivity Mindset Planner™. If sorting through paperwork feels overwhelming, book a free strategy session and let’s talk about building a filing system that actually fits how you work.

Rashelle Isip Productivity Coach and Founder of The Order Expert®

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity coach, consultant, and founder of The Order Expert®. With over 15 years of experience, she helps entrepreneurs and executives replace the "hustle and grind" mindset with one of "ease and flow." Rashelle is a former contributing columnist for Inc.com and Lifehack.org, and has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, and NPR. She is the author of four books, including The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management. When not helping clients master their schedules, she enjoys scouting for practical, well-designed office supplies. Learn more at TheOrderExpert.com.

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