The only five things you need from any piece of paperwork

Everyone has a pile. Mine lives on the kitchen counter: an electricity bill, an insurance renewal, a school letter, an invitation to a toddler's birthday party.

None of it is hard. The problem is that each document is a page of reference numbers, legal text and marketing, with the one or two lines that matter somewhere in the middle. Once you know what to look for and where it usually hides, the pile takes minutes instead of an afternoon.

The five things

Every piece of life admin, whether it's a bill, a letter, a policy or an invitation, comes down to five questions:

• What is it? Who it's from, and which account, vehicle, policy or person it's about.
• What do I have to do? Pay, renew, attend, reply, or just keep it.
• By when? The date that actually matters, which isn't always the one in large print.
• How much? If money is involved, the amount that's actually due.
• What will I need? A reference number, a document, a booking.

Everything else on the page is there for someone else's benefit.

Where the important parts hide

Bills usually carry several dates: the statement or issue date, the billing period, and the due date. Only the last one is a deadline. If you pay by debit order, the debit date is the one to watch; make sure the money is in the account the day before.

Amounts come in several versions too. Amount due is what you owe now. Balance may include charges that aren't due yet. On credit cards, the minimum payment avoids a late fee, but interest keeps accruing on the rest.

On utility bills, check whether the reading is actual or estimated. Estimated readings can lead to a catch-up bill later, and that's the one that hurts.

Insurance renewals bury the useful part under the policy wording. Find four things: the renewal date, the new premium, the excess, and anything listed under changes to your cover. Compare them with last year before you accept.

Appointment letters hide the practical details below the time and place. Is there anything to do beforehand, such as fasting, bringing documents, or getting a referral letter? Is there a cancellation window after which you're charged?

Invitations have two dates, and the one that matters to you first is usually the RSVP date, not the event. "Saturday 3 October" is the party; "RSVP by Thursday 24 September" is your deadline.

Official letters tend to put the most important line last: the reference number to quote, the date you must respond by, and how you're allowed to respond (online, in person, by post). If you miss the method, the date doesn't help.

A five-minute weekly system

Once you know what to extract, the system is simple.

1. 1One inbox. Everything with a date goes in one place: a tray, a folder, one drawer. If paperwork can land in three places, you have to check three places.
2. 2Extract on arrival. When something comes in, write the five answers on the envelope or put them in your calendar. That takes two minutes, and it's the step everyone skips.
3. 3Sort by date, not by type. Folders by category feel organized but hide urgency. A stack sorted by due date tells you what to do next.
4. 4Look once a week. Pick a fixed time and look only at the next fourteen days. Pay it, book it, reply to it.
5. 5Clear out what's done. File it or bin it. A pile that only grows stops being useful within a month.

What to keep, and for how long

This part varies by country, so treat it as a starting point rather than advice.

• Paid bills: keep them until the next bill confirms the payment was received.
• Anything tax-related: keep it for as long as your tax authority requires, which is often several years.
• Insurance policies: keep them until they're replaced.
• Receipts and warranties for major purchases: keep them until the warranty ends.
• Identity documents: keep them indefinitely, obviously.
• Invitations, appointment letters and reminders: bin them once the date has passed.

Where software fits

Step 2, extracting on arrival, is the one that fails, so it's the one I automated. I built an iPhone app called DueTee. You photograph a document and it answers the five questions for you: what it is, what action it needs, the deadline, the amount, and the text it read, so you can check what it found. It sorts the document into one of six categories and sets reminders a week before, the day before, and the morning it's due.

It tells you when it isn't sure, and holds anything unclear back for you to check. There's no account, and your documents stay on your phone and in your own iCloud.

DueTee is on the App Store, with eight free documents a month.

Get DueTee

The weekly look is still your job. No app replaces two minutes of attention once a week.