I am sure you can identify with this situation: The number of contracts—whether for insurance, mobile services, rent, or subscriptions—continues to grow steadily. Added to this are both analog and digital contracts that arrive through various channels, such as paper or email. To keep track of everything, a well-thought-out, but simple solution is needed. In this post, I’ll show you how to organize your contract documents stress-free and always stay on top of things.
In my blog post on “Organize Your Digital Contract Documents Properly!“, I already touched on the importance of emails as contracts. Many people think of contracts solely as paper documents, but digital confirmations in the form of emails are just as binding. You need a central, well-structured, and accessible filing system for all your contracts—whether analog or digital. But what exactly does that mean?
The Importance of Digitizing Your Analog Contracts
The first step in bringing your analog contracts into a digital form is scanning your documents. Once you’ve digitized them, these documents should be managed alongside your email contracts in a central filing system. This way, you’ll have access anytime and won’t need to search through paper folders.
In my blog post on your “central filing system“, I’ve already explained how essential it is to establish a structured and easily accessible system for your contracts. The idea is simple: keep the directory structure flat so you can quickly access your documents. In my personal organization, for example, I save active contracts in a folder labeled “in progress” and further organize them under “Contracts” -> “Contract XYZ.” This structure helps me quickly find the desired contract without digging through countless subfolders.
Encrypt Your Sensitive Data
Since contracts often contain sensitive information, you should prioritize data protection, particularly if you upload documents in cloud storage. Many PDF programs offer built-in encryption options. For instance, Acrobat Reader encrypts documents with 256-bit AES encryption once you secure them with a password. The 256-bit AES encryption is considered highly secure—even supercomputers take an extraordinarily long time to crack it. In the U.S., AES encryption is approved for government documents with the highest classification level (see here).
But beware: the encryption itself is not the biggest challenge—what’s far more important is storing your encryption keys safely! It’s quite common for users to lose their keys, resulting in no access to their own data. This is where a password manager comes in handy. These programs allow you to securely store not only your encryption keys but also other critical information associated with your contracts, such as customer numbers linked to the corresponding contract. You can find more about password managers in my post (here).
Keep Track of Cancellation Deadlines
One final tip: keep an eye on your cancellation deadlines. Mark the cancellation date in your calendar—at least one month before the deadline. This way, you avoid unnecessary costs and have enough time to find a new provider if needed. An even more efficient approach is to cancel the contract right after signing it, especially if you’re committing for a year or more. Set a reminder so you can start looking for alternatives in time.
Conclusion
Managing your contracts doesn’t have to be a stressful challenge. With a central digital filing system, a flat directory structure, and the right security precautions, you’re on the safe side. Remember to digitize your analog contracts, encrypt your data, and store your encryption keys carefully. This way, you’ll never have to stress about managing your contracts again.
Checklist
- Store all contracts, both digital and analog, in a central filing system with a flat directory structure.
- Scan all paper contracts to be able to store them digitally.
- Also store confirmation emails as contracts in your filing system.
- Encrypt all contracts stored in the cloud, and secure the keys in a password manager.
- Set a calendar reminder at least one month before the cancellation deadline to ensure timely cancellation.