The enduring appeal of the ‘admin folder’ - and what you should be keeping in it

Months after I uprooted my life in New Zealand for greener pastures across the ditch, the hard drive of a laptop I’d owned since high school finally met its manufacturer.

One day, it was working just as well as a 10-year-old laptop could be expected to, and the next it was gone – taking the vast catalogue of personal items it stored along with it. But while this may have been cause for panic under regular circumstances, disaster was averted thanks to my analogue ‘admin folder.’

In a largely digitised landscape, the fine art of the admin folder is often overlooked, with many choosing to forgo the friction of manually gathering, printing and filing away their physical documents.

Speaking to my co-workers at nine.com.au, this seemed a running theme across various demographics.

While three sung the praises of physical folders, the remaining six admitted to taking a predominantly digital approach to file storage.

Patrick admitted his key documents were “mostly digital except for [his] passport and birth certificate,” while Siena shocked by admitting hers were buried somewhere in her camera roll and – even worse – in her and her mum’s chat thread on WhatsApp.

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Having previously relied on my parents to keep track of key documents, the overseas move quickly proved a folder containing original and verified copies was a must-have.

To this day, I remain a staunch advocate for the admin folder. After all, my slightly dated ways ensured the most significant loss incurred when my hunk of HP junk bit the dust was my bootleg copy of Photoshop CS6.

But whatever your chosen method, time and resource optimiser, Bridget Johns is a big believer in not relying on one single system for document storage.

The 3-2-1 Backup Method

According to Johns, the best systems have backups.

“It’s not about only having physical copies, you should have both hard and electronic copies,” she told nine.com.au.

Cybersecurity professionals widely cite the ‘3-2-1 backup method’ as the recommended approach, which involves storing a physical copy in a secure location, a digital scan on your local computer and a backup on an encrypted or password-protected cloud service such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

According to data released by the Australia Bureau of Statistics, relying solely on cloud or digital storage leaves you vulnerable to system outages, data breaches and identity theft alike.

In 2024-25, an estimated 15 per cent of Aussies aged 15 years and over experienced one or more types of personal fraud. From this data, over 200,000 were said to have been victimised by some form of identity theft.

Esafety.gov.au states that while keeping a digital copy of documents in addition to physical is important, a number of added security measures are also required of online storage.

Locking your accounts with two-factor authentication, using strong and unique passwords and avoiding clicking on unsolicited links in emails or texts are just a few of the recommended moves.

Johns says in addition to secure digital backups, all households should also keep a simple “grab and go” folder containing copies of their most important paperwork.

Living on a Broadacre farming property on SA’s Yorke Peninsula, Johns says emergency preparedness – particularly in the event of a wildfire – is simply a part of life.

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“Many people spend hours organising cupboards and drawers but haven’t thought about what they’d grab if they had to leave home in five minutes,” she said.

“Taking an hour to set up a simple document system today could save days of stress in the future.”

The Government of New South Wales also officially recommends maintaining both a physical and digital copy in the event of an emergency or security breach.

“In preparing for an emergency, it can be helpful to gather your most important documents and keep them all in one place,” their website states.

“Ideally, these should be kept in a waterproof folder or fireproof safe to prevent them getting damaged if you need evacuate.

“Adding a folder to your emergency grab bag or survival bag can make leaving easier.”

What key documents are hard copy must-haves?

Contrary to popular belief, a physical filing system doesn’t have to mean adding clutter to your home – after all, the goal is not to keep every document you’ve ever received on file.

Moreso, it’s important to identify the documents that would be stressful, expensive or time-consuming to replace – and ensure they’re easy to access when needed.

Hard copy must-haves:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage and divorce certificates
• Passports and identification documents
• Citizenship documents
• Wills and powers of attorney (Keep a copy at home and an original at your lawyer’s office)
• Education and qualification records
• Property ownership, mortgage documents and tenancy agreements
• Insurance policies and policy numbers
• Medicare and private health insurance details
• Emergency contact list
• Superannuation and life insurance details

“Organisation isn’t about colour-coded perfection. It’s about creating systems that save time, reduce stress and help you focus on what matters most.”

So rather than “hoping your mum has them around her place somewhere,” as one Nine.com.au editor admitted to, ensure you keep a hard copy of all the essentials in one place for a rainy day.