About FreedomFiler
What We Do
FreedomFiler helps you organize your documents so you know what to keep and when to toss. FreedomFiler helps you file and locate easily.
How FreedomFiler Began
What documents should you keep? How long? Does a filing system require continual upkeep?
Inspired by the minimalist lifestyle of his brother, founder Seth Odam sought definitive answers to these questions. The search led to a universal filing taxonomy, effective for organizing both paper and digital files.
FreedomFiler is internationalized for Australia, Canada, Ireland, the U.K., the U.S., and can be applied wherever you are.
Founder
Seth Odam has a background in computer science and developed the Claris Organizer software acquired by Apple’s software subsidiary in 1994. The software received awards for ease of use and speed, earning a loyal following.
Seth invented the self-purging filing system in 2001, addressing the #1 reported organization problem in the home.1 Seth trained organizers and then expanded FreedomFiler to organize business documents.
1. Crouch, Michelle. The number one problem for all my clients: too much paper. Reader's Digest Online, 2019.
Development
FreedomFiler scrutinizes product function and design, throughout multiple revisions. Feedback has refined our products since 2001.
Contributors
Caleb Odam's minimalist lifestyle seeded the invention.
Abby Odam named the company.
John Odam directed artwork.
Alison Odam helped distill numerous filing styles into two main styles.
Deane Hochman envisioned a simplified document index, inspiring a one-page index based on familiar nouns, e.g. “Bills.”
Elizabeth Mears edited filing guides, file headings, indices, and facilitated expansion of the filing method to multiple settings and styles, including unification of the hierarchical file naming across styles.
Jennifer Eisinger proposed stick-on and insertable file labels, and a color-coded product line. She guided approaches to customer, vendor, and employee file organization.
Randolph Rhett suggested extending the Monthly rotating system to two years in case documents are needed for filing taxes.
Marla Dee encouraged FreedomFiler trainings for professionals which led to the formalization of the FreedomFiler method.
Elizabeth Staley composed a spatial worksheet for planning filing systems, a precursor to the Filing System Builder app used by FreedomFiler internally. She developed trainings, authored templates for consultants, and championed a binder filing option.
Colleen Warmingham suggested “floating” to describe project sleeves switching between Active and Resource files, while advocating for greater personalization of file headings.
Sue Anderson dubbed “send to” to describe the blue sticker on a file tab, indicating to move documents to the Archive.
Darla DeMorrow appealed for a “Vital Records” file, prompting the development of a flexible vital records system, using either (1) a single file, or (2) tagging specific vital record files.
Ben Calloway-Jones suggested securing documents inside binder pockets with a seal on the binder itself, hence FreedomFiler Binder Guards.
Our customers and affiliates helped refine FreedomFiler.
Our manufacturers and consultants helped produce FreedomFiler.
Headquarters
FreedomFiler
635 C St. Apt. 408
San Diego, CA 92101