How to Eliminate Paper Clutter

Is paper clutter threatening to take over your home or office? Do you often lose things you need in the flood of papers? Follow these steps to get control over paper clutter and see the top of your desk again.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• wastebasket
• file folders or other way of organizing remaining papers

1. 
    

   Get all your unorganized paper into one place. Take all the paper out of your wallet, briefcase, or purse. If you have several paper piles around the house, combine them into one. Don't forget junk drawers and any relevant papers your kids may have in their backpacks or rooms. The amount of paper clutter you find may be alarming--stay calm.

2. Go through the first 50 pieces of paper clutter, throwing away anything that you no longer need or want. Be tough, remembering that most information can be found again or reproduced. Don't save receipts unless you actually use them. Don't save newspapers unless you're actually going to read them.

3. Sort the rest of the first 50 pieces into the following piles: read, action, and file. The "read" pile might include things like magazines, printouts from the Internet, or business reports. The "action" pile might include bills, letters to answer, or forms to fill out. The "file" pile will probably be the biggest, and we'll deal with it in the next step.

4. Take the papers from your "file" pile and sort them into categories that make sense to you, for instance, "Taxes," "Pet Information," "Kids' School Assignments." Keep the categories simple.

5. 
    

   Make file folders or binders for each of your first few categories. Since you've only gone through a few of your papers, these first few folders are probably the ones you'll use the most.

6. Go through the rest of your pile, adding new files or binders to your filing system as necessary.

7. Designate specific places for your action and read piles, such as trays or baskets. Plan to go through these piles every few days, weekly, or monthly. You may be able to go through many of the items as you do other things, like watch TV.

8. As new paper comes into your life, file it or put it into your action and read piles. You might even create a new pile of unsorted paper, but don't let it go more than a week without sorting or you'll be back in the land of paper clutter again.

Tips & Warnings

• Take breaks while decluttering--it's easy to get exhausted while sorting paper clutter!

Resources

• The Container Store, for tons of organization ideas

[vallain]

on 2/22/2009 Holding onto papers too long is a problem for me.

[Allyn]

on 1/22/2009 Good info.

[bar10dr98]

on 1/21/2009 Excellent advice!