How to free yourself from paper clutter

Use technology to shrink those pesky piles of paper everywhere in the house.

• University of Toronto

• Share
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Email

Paper can be overwhelming. There is so much of it that enters the home and it piles up on every surface, forcing you to assess each piece and determine whether or not it should be kept. I’ve realized over the years that one can either get really good at purging paper (an endless, thankless job) or take steps to prevent its entry into the home. The latter requires more work upfront, but it will make your life much easier.

The key to reducing paper clutter is a combination of (1) switching to digital versions, and (2) opting out of receiving superfluous things. The following list is far from exhaustive, but it’s a good place to start the process of reducing incoming paper and digitizing your life.

Receipts

Receipts are handed out as proof-of-purchase after items are bought. They serve an important purpose if you need to make a return, but they can pile up quickly. Learn to refuse receipts for low-value purchases or for anything that can be tracked using online bank statements. Ask to have receipts emailed and consider creating an email account for that specific purpose. You can also download a mobile app that allows you to scan receipts you need to keep and store them digitally. Avoiding thermal paper receipts is healthier, too; they are often contaminated with BPA, which you don’t want on your skin.  

Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions

Reading physical copies of magazines and newspapers has its appeal, but they pile up quickly, filling shelves and recycling bins. I’ve had to unsubscribe from some of my favorite cooking publications because there’s no more room on my shelves. Most subscriptions include (or can be adjusted to allow for) digital access to all the same articles, which keeps you informed without the accompanying clutter.

Banking Information

It’s easy to opt out of paper statements from your bank. You can find the option in your online banking account or speak to a teller the next time you’re in. Be sure to remain diligent about checking your account activity and monthly credit card statements to ensure that nothing is amiss, just as you would with a paper statement.

Discover the wonders of e-transfers. I haven’t owned paper checks in years because it’s so much easier to send money electronically than write a check, pay to mail it, and then wait for it to arrive and get deposited by the recipient. It also makes it easier to track all outgoing payments because it’s stored in account history.

Children’s Artwork

Anyone with young children knows what a tsunami of paper artwork and crafts comes home from school on a regular basis. It’s helpful to establish a system for dealing with this. Intercept the projects as soon as they come in and sort through them with your child, deciding which ones to keep and which ones not. I like to display the nicer ones for a few weeks, then toss them or stash them in a designated box in the basement. Involve the child in this decision-making process, as they deserve to have a say. Some parents like to take pictures and store them as digital files for future reference or show them in a digital picture frame for all to enjoy.

Extra tip: While not exactly a digital solution, I recommend buying children their own spiral-bound notebook for writing and drawing. This keeps random papers from circulating around the house. More tips here on decluttering children’s artwork.

School Communications

Again, if you have young children, you likely receive incessant communication from their school about various important dates and deadlines, fundraisers, and, of course, COVID-19. Hopefully you already get these in a digital format, but if not talk to your child’s teacher or the school office about switching to email. If you have multiple children at the same school, request that paper communications be sent home with just one child.

Photos

Smartphones have made taking pictures nearly as easy as breathing. This results in a lot of pictures, all of which are now stored digitally. But that doesn’t address the backlog of old printed pictures from years gone by that most people have stashed somewhere in their homes, whether in boxes or old photo albums. These can be scanned and converted to digital files and organized in easy-to-find online folders. Be sure to back these up to the cloud or to an external hard drive.

There’s something to be said for having a few physical photos to look through and hold. While they may fade with time, they’re not prone to the obsolescence that besets every new technology at some point. Fellow Treehugger writer Lloyd Alter contemplated this in an excellent post on the challenges of bequeathing one’s digital memories:

“I keep thinking that we should perhaps print out the best dozen photos we have on archival paper, frame a set of them and pack some small prints in our bug-out bag for when we have to hit ‘The Road.’ And I suspect that if I picked very carefully among my 23,000 digital pictures, a dozen is all I would really need to define a life.”

Instruction Manuals

Fortunately you don’t have to hold onto manuals because they’re typically available online, on the manufacturer’s website, particularly if the item is newer. Search using the product code of the item you need to research. If you’re unable to locate the PDF, contact the store where you bought the item for assistance.

Business Cards

Although far fewer business cards are circulated nowadays than in former times, some still contain valuable contact information. There are mobile apps that allow you to scan business cards into your phone, or take a picture with your phone and store it in a designated folder for future reference. If you lose business cards, don’t fret; so much information is now available online that you’ll likely be able to track the person down.

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to reducing superfluous paper clutter at home and creating compact digital storage that’s quick and easy to find.

• University of Toronto

• Share
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Email

It’s not what it sounds like.

My mother used to be addicted to the thrift store. She went every week for no purpose other than to browse for deals. Of course she found deals, being the shrewd and careful shopper that she is — gold earrings, fine china sets, silverware, high-quality linens, kitchen appliances, to name a few. The problem was that these deals came home. They filled the house, packing shelves and occupying counter space, to the point of feeling cramped.

Several years ago, I said to my mother in frustration, “It would be a nightmare to have to deal with all this stuff if you died tomorrow.” She looked at me, stunned. Up until then, I suspect she’d assumed that everyone appreciated her junk-treasures as much as she did. What ensued, mercifully, was a house purge. Mom removed much of her stuff and ceased her weekly pilgrimages to the thrift store, avoiding temptation.

That conversation revealed to me the importance of discussing the long-term intentions for one’s belongings. If I hadn’t said anything, I suspect it would have been decades before my 50-something-year-old mother realized what a burden her stuff would be on the family someday — and just think of all the additional things she could’ve accumulated in that time. It makes me shiver.

Enter “Swedish Death Cleaning.” (I’m not joking. This is for real.)

The first time I heard the term, I thought it meant some kind of hardcore Scandinavian house-cleaning routine (they take a lot of things seriously there), where you scour your home from top to bottom to the point of physical collapse, as in “working yourself to the bone.” Well, I was wrong.

In Swedish, the word is “dostadning” and it refers to the act of slowly and steadily decluttering as the years go by, ideally beginning in your fifties (or at any point in life) and going until the day you kick the bucket. The ultimate purpose of death cleaning is to minimize the amount of stuff, especially meaningless clutter, that you leave behind for others to deal with.

A woman by the name of Margareta Magnusson, who says she’s between 80 and 100, has written a book titled “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter.” She says she has moved house 17 times over the course of her lifetime, which is why “I should know what I am talking about when it comes to deciding what to keep and what to throw away”. Reviewer Hannah-Rose Yee, who practiced some Swedish death cleaning herself, describes it as being “like Marie Kondo, but with an added sense of the transience and futility of this mortal existence.”

Magnusson says that the first secret to effective death cleaning is to speak about it always. Tell others what you’re doing so they can hold you accountable. Yee writes: “If you vocalise it, it will come. Or something like that.” Pass on your belongings in order to spread the happy memories.

The second key point is not to fear death cleaning:

“Death cleaning isn’t the story of death and its slow, ungainly inevitability. But rather the story of life, your life, the good memories and the bad. ‘The good ones you keep,’ Magnusson says. ‘The bad you expunge.'”

Finally, Magnusson encourages those engaging in Swedish death cleaning to reward their efforts with life-enhancing pleasures and activities, such as going to watch a movie, spending time in the garden, or eating an enjoyable meal. (Need I say no shopping?)

Who can possibly resist a decluttering philosophy with the name of ‘Swedish death cleaning’? Watch your friends’ eyebrows skyrocket when you pull this one out as an excuse for not wanting to go out next weekend. “Sorry, but I must engage in my Swedish death cleaning routine. “

Going paperless in the digital age seems to make sense, but is it really possible?

For many of us, paper has always been the gold standard- after all, it offers tangibility, a sense of security, authenticity, and originality. Plus, most people are creatures of habit so having paper records around just seems the right thing to do.

But as you move in a world obsessed with becoming “paperless” it may also make sense to look at the convenience and efficiency this option offers.

For starters, you will have a lot less clutter at home, at school, and at work. Just think of all the times when more paper comes into the house and you stash it away in a pile for later or even miscellaneous. Most likely you were too busy to deal with it at the moment.

But then did you ever get down to sorting out that later pile or did it just keep expanding and taking over most of the desk and drawer space at home? For most of us, the chaotic paper clutter cycle doesn’t end.

What you need is an intervention which is both timely and effective.

While it may not be possible to go totally paperless all at once, you can at least have a plan to minimize the accumulating paper and then slowly move towards a shift from paper records to digital ones.

So start with the basics and make the shift. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

When it comes to paper, you should know exactly where each piece goes. For instance, when you deal with items like medical records, insurance, loan or tax documents, receipts, and warranties, only save what you really need.

One way to go is to scan everything and completely get rid of the paper version, but if that seems too overwhelming, then have a system where you can safely toss out paper on a regular basis. Here are some examples:

Monthly

Items like ATM or bank deposit slips, and credit card receipts can be tossed out at the end of the month after you have recorded the amounts and checked them against your monthly statements.

Likewise, sales receipts with no warranties, utility and service bills can also be trashed every month. Or you could just sign up for the online billing option with your service provider and skip this step altogether.

Annually

Monthly bank and credit card statements along with brokerage and mutual fund statements may be thrown out on an annual basis after you’ve checked them with your year-end summary.

The same goes for any monthly mortgage statements and paycheck stubs.

Keep for seven years

Items like W-2 and 1099 forms, bank and credit card year-end statements, and other tax-deductible expenses such as child-care bills or out-of-pocket medical bills are safe to toss out after a couple of years.

Check out our handy cheat sheet for more info.

Retain indefinitely

And then there are others like annual tax returns, year-end summaries, home improvement records, or beneficiary designations that need to be kept on file much longer.

Other paper that comes frequently into the house such as school calendars, party invitations, doctor’s appointments, and other reminders can easily be organized and scheduled electronically by using computer and phone alerts to keep you updated.

Now, this may need some getting used to especially if you’ve been in the habit of manually marking your calendars or using post-it notes in the past. But once you start using this system, you’ll realize the convenience and edge it offers over paper clutter.

It goes without saying that shifting from a paper-based filing system to electronic filing offers immense space saving benefits. At home, you may find that you have a lot more space for your belongings where paper once used to rule.

At work, things also become easier in terms of sustainable practices. Plus, you can have back up files in multiple virtual locations which eliminates the need for additional storage space.

If you need help setting up an infrastructure for an electronic filing system at home, don’t worry. The conversion doesn’t really take up too much time and can be done in six simple steps:

Choose a place to store your files

The best recommendation for this would be a cloud-based system like Google Drive, Dropbox or Evernote- whichever one you are familiar or comfortable with.

The perk of using a cloud-based system is that there is always a backup with no chance of losing your files.

Create folders

Come up with a system where you can store your documents in one place. You can divide them up in folders with names like Receipts, Medical, Certificates, Finance, and even Recipes if you have a lot of those. The point is to keep things simple and access the exact document you are looking for without much hassle.

You can also add a date or a year to your document name for easier accessibility.

Bring out your scanner and get scanning. Start with the important documents like Finance, Medical, Certificates, and the like first and move along to other stuff until you are completely paperless.

What to keep in paper

Despite scanning everything, you will still need to store your official certified documents. These will go in your paper filing system.

Everything else heads to the shredder.

For services that you have online accounts for, simply download your monthly statements and file them in your created folders. It is best to save everything in PDF format.

The final step is maintenance. This involves downloading monthly statements, scanning any new paperwork that comes in and deleting files no longer relevant or those that are outdated.

Even electronic filing systems can end up having a lot of duplicate content that takes up storage space, so make sure to update your files regularly.

Do invest in a good anti-virus system since your PC or other device is now the center of your all your filing.

While you may not be able to go completely paperless, the reasons for doing so are fairly compelling. You free up storage space, save time looking for documents, have a secure backup and even help save trees.

And if you have concerns that going digital may be extra work, it’s really no more than paper. The key to making it work is by setting up a simple system that is easy to follow and becomes a habit.

This giveaway is now closed! The winner is Mackenzie ([email protected]…)!

If you regularly read organizing books, newsletters and blogs but still struggle to create the organization you are after, Simplify 101 is the perfect solution for you. In addition to organizing tips and ideas, Simplify 101 offers online workshops, self-paced workshops, and one-on-one coaching.

Table of Contents

Organize Your Paper Clutter Workshop

If paper is piling up around you, it’s hard to relax let alone be creative. There is a better way! With the right paper organizing systems in place — custom created with you, your paper, and your home in mind — you can free yourself from paper clutter and the stress that comes with it.

In the Organize Your Paper Clutter online workshop, Simplify 101 will equip you with a simple, step-by-step process to organize your paper. With easy to follow action steps, your paper clutter and your stress will be replaced by organizing systems you love and feelings of confidence, relief and peace of mind. (Which means you’ll feel more creative, too!) Organize Your Paper Clutter begins January 17, 2013.

Self-Paced Workshops

Self-paced workshops from Simplify 101 are another great option for anyone who wants to get started right away or work through organizing projects on their own timeframe. The beauty of these instant downloads is that they:

• Fit your schedule. Whether you need to tackle a project in 15-minute increments over several weeks, or would like to get it done over the course of a week or weekend, Simplify 101’s self-paced workshops help you to organize on your time table and at your own pace!

• Are portable! All you need is a PDF reader or a pre-printed copy of your download. They are perfect for those busy times of the year when you don’t know whether you are coming or going.

• Provide bite-sized, action-oriented content. More than just good ideas and information, these self-paced workshops are designed to guide you through your projects. Self-paced workshops are available to help you organize your k-itchen, closet, creative space, clutter, kids and more. Click here to see the full list of options.

And More…

Save 15% on all of the online workshops and instant downloads in the Simplify 101 catalog when you enter coupon code YOURWAY at checkout! Valid through 1/14/13. Cannot be combined with other offers.

Simplify 101’s mission is to make getting organized fun! Get a taste of Simplify 101 — and the organized life — with their FREE, simple-to-follow guide How to Create a Command Central Binder. You’ll put together a home reference binder that will help you get organized, save time, and minimize paper clutter and the stress that comes along with it!

For more organizing tips and ideas, be sure to follow Simplify 101 on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter!

Enter to Win

This week, Simplify 101 is giving one lucky Life Your Way reader a spot in the January session of their online Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop plus one self-paced workshop of your choice!

We are offering up one spot in our January session of online workshop Organize Your Paper Clutter, plus one self-paced workshop of winner’s choice. Paper Clutter is a six-lesson, expert-guided workshop which includes access to and support from our friendly online community. The self-paced downloads are available as instant download pdfs and can be as a diy project.

By now, you probably know that the majority of the beautifully decorated and spotless homes you scroll through (and dream about) on Instagram are staged to achieve that perfect picture. There’s no way that a home looks that perfect all the time. However, it’s hard to deny the fact that one of the reasons why those homes look so desirable is because they are clean and clutter-free. Piles of clothes on the bed? Nope. Papers and mail thrown on the counter or kitchen table? No way! Toys covering most of the living room floor? Not a chance. We’ve discussed ways to help you organize your space and also tips on decluttering, but we’re here today with ways to help free yourself from clutter once and for all. It’s totally possible, and once you start decluttering, you might never want to stop! Just be sure you don’t put too much pressure on yourself to do everything at once. Tackle one room and project at a time for best results.

Organize Paper and Mail

Why does it always seem like one day you have no piles of mail or papers stacked up and the next those piles are huge? This can be resolved by making it part of your daily routine to get the mail from the mailbox and go through immediately. Toss anything that is not important, pay any bills that are due and file away mail or papers that are worth keeping (out of sight, but easy to find, of course). Also, be sure to go paperless whenever possible. This will help cut down on the amount of mail and papers that enter your home.

Do you have stacks of documents that seem to re-appear within hours or days of your past attempts to straighten up?

Do you or your family find it difficult to locate a document when you most need it?

Do you waste time, get frustrated and sometimes overlook bills and other important documents, resulting in late fees or other costly penalties?

You’re not alone! Paper is undeniably the most common organising challenge in our households.

If you want to free yourself from the burden of your paper clutter, but are not sure where to start or how to achieve it, this workshop is for you.

In this 2-hour workshop, Professional Organiser Nathalie Ricaud will teach you 4 simple processes to tame your paper clutter , once and for all!

Here’s what will be covered:

1 | How to deal with the incoming flow of paper using Nathalie’s tried and tested paper retention process flow

2| How to establish a robust filing system so you can easily find any document you need whenever you need it

3 | How to make sure you’ll be actioning your to-do’s so that your papers are really dealt with

4 | How to ruthlessly yet confidently do a purging of your files tapping on Nathalie’s 7 simple yet powerful questions and her documents retention schedule.

Participants will have multiple opportunities during the workshop to put these processes in practice. In order to achieve this, they will be required to bring along a pile of the most recent documents they can find on their desk and on any other flat surfaces at home.

The cost for this 2-hour workshop is S$120.

If you have any questions about this workshop, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Nathalie by phone 9635 6946 or email [email protected]

Know a friend who might be interested? Please do share this event with her/him!

What people say about the workshop:

About the speaker:

Nathalie Ricaud is a Professional Organiser and the founder of Get Organised & Beyond. She helps women who feel overwhelmed by all the stuff they have accumulated over the years. They want to learn to let go of things that are just stressing them out, and feel in control of their home and life again. She coaches them to establish systems so they can find what they want when they need it, and maintain a clutter-free, organised and peaceful home.

Nathalie is the author of a blog and is regularly published in print and online media.

About the venue:

Homes65 is the latest furniture & lifestyle concept mall in Singapore. The 4-storey building comprises exclusive designer furniture directly imported from Europe, innovative furnishings for home interiors and exteriors, exquisite artworks from illustrious local and overseas artists, regular events, demos & workshops, etc.

Located in the hip Mohamed Sultan area, which is fast gaining a reputation as a furniture and design cluster, Homes65 aims to provide a comfortable and luxurious location for sophisticated home owners with a taste for the finer things in life.

Do you dream of a world without paper? The idea of a paperless lifestyle has been around for years, but many of us still struggle just to avoid drowning in paper. My clients often complain that there’s paper everywhere in their homes. They want to get control of it, but they’re frustrated about how to make that happen.

Unfortunately, there’s not a simple route to paperlessness. Paper comes from many sources, so it requires a multi-pronged solution. None of the steps are complicated, though, and each one can make a dent in the volume of paper you handle every day. Try some of these to reduce your paper load, and you’ll be on your way to a paperless lifestyle—and the envy of your friends!

• Opt out of prescreened credit and insurance offers at OptOutPrescreen.com. This action will stop those annoying, unsolicited pre-approval letters.
• Substantially reduce junk mail by registering yourself on the National “Do Not Mail” list.
• Eliminate unsolicited catalogs by signing up and opting out at Catalog Choice.
• For paper items that you’d like to retain for future reference, invest in a desktop scanner. Scan the documents, save them as image files or PDFs, and throw away the originals.
• Switch bank, credit card, and utility bills and statements to electronic versions that arrive via e-mail instead of your mailbox.
• If you’re nervous about relying on web sites to maintain your data, generate PDF versions of bills and statements. Then you’ll be able to print a paper copy any time you need one without returning to the web site. (All Macs offer this option on the print menu, and applications are available to set up a “virtual” PDF printer on Windows computers.)
• Shrink your volume of reading material by purchasing an iPad or a dedicated e-reader like the Kindle or Nook. You can subscribe to magazines and newspapers on the e-reader, as well as purchase and download electronic books (“e-books”).

Free yourself from paper clutter in a few simple steps.

• Instead of accumulating notes on scraps of paper or in a notebook, take notes and create to-do lists electronically on your laptop, iPad, or smart phone. There are many applications (such as Evernote) for capturing and organizing notes and lists and synchronizing them among your electronic devices.
• Empty your pockets, purses, and shopping bags of receipts. Keep the credit card receipts long enough to reconcile them against your account statement. After that—and for most cash purchases—there’s no need to hold on to receipts for items you plan to keep. (A notable exception is receipts that will document a business expense on your tax return. Place those in a large envelope marked with the tax year to get them out of your purse or off your kitchen counter.)

Even if you’re not ready to implement all of these ideas, trying a few of them will help. Change one thing, and when you see the difference in the volume of paper you have to handle, you might decide to keep going. If you make it all the way through the list, you’ll find yourself in the paperless world of your dreams!

This article was featured in our July 2012 e‑mail newsletter. To subscribe to our newsletter, please use the subscription form.

Free Assessment

The Clutter Fairy is available for one-on-one organizing sessions tailored to your needs. We’ll visit your home or office to perform a free assessment of your space and its potential. To schedule an appointment, book online, call 713‑816‑9505, or send e‑mail.

A pile of paper doesn’t seem like much at first, but as more piles accumulate it becomes a tedious task to eliminate the growing mountains of paper. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed in paper clutter! There are some simple ways to prevent and eliminate paper from taking over your dining room table and countertops.

Begin with a Paper Purge Party

If you’re already drowning in paper piles, you will want to begin by purging the mess. Grab a recycling bin and start tossing out all the old unopened junk mail, greeting cards, long paid billing statements and magazines.

Buy a Shredder and Get Shredding

If you’re someone who is afraid to throw out paper containing sensitive information, such as bank statements, tax records and cancelled checks, you need to get a paper shredder. You only need to purchase an inexpensive shredder and shred those old papers, put the shreddings in a recycling bin and be done with it.

Deal with Your Mail as Soon as It’s Delivered

To stop creating new paper piles, go through your mail as soon as you bring it into your home. Drop junk mail and flyers into a recycling bin instead of throwing them on your table; put bills to be paid in an inbox; important papers such as insurance policies in a file folder; and recycle old magazines when new ones arrive.

Go Green and Paperless

Most banks, credit card and utility companies now offer paperless billing. You can prevent paper piles before they begin by signing up for this option. Even newspapers and magazines offer online reader subscriptions so you don’t have to end up with stacks of old papers.

Free Yourself from Junk Mail

Unwanted junk mail, flyers and catalogs can quickly overload you with mountains of paper. Take a few moments to check retail catalogs for contact information so you can email or call the retailer and request to be removed from their mailing lists. Do the same for charitable organizations that you’ve donated to in the past as they will continue to bombard you with new solicitations. In addition, visit the Federal Trade Commission website for information on stopping credit card offers and other pre-screened marketing materials.

You can also check with your local post office or put a note in your mailbox to request no delivery of mailing circulars.

So, with some minimal preparation and a new organizational routine in place you can stop the paper overload and win the war on paper clutter.

Maid Spotless Cleaning Services is your Albany House Cleaning Company. Contact us for FREE quote today!

Did you think we would still be dealing with paper in 2020? Me neither. I was sure that the “future would be digital,” yet here I sit with stacks of paper around me and more paper in every room. If you’re wondering how to organize paperwork, start with this management system.

Share Article Menu

Paper is a Hard Habit to Break

Ours is a paper-based society.

Paper-dependence starts with birth certificates and Social Security cards. In short order, kids become paper producers. From precious handprint turkeys to report cards, they bring home so much paper that is heart-wrenching to discard. Some you keep as memorabilia; some you save for a while to remind you of an action item — like an upcoming field trip or project.

When I realized I would never be paperless, I changed my goal from eliminating all paper to having less of it.

How the Paper Pile Starts

There are two ways most people process paper. Stacks of paper is usually the first. It starts with a small pile of mail on the kitchen counter. Items you need to reconcile or pay. You don’t file these items because they need action, so you leave them in plain sight.

Only things don’t get done, and they gather paper friends. Papers to be filled out, rebates to be sent in, coupons to use, and correspondence to read. The last paper to pile on is the to-do lists, reminders to yourself, and notes scribbled on envelopes so you “don’t forget.” We all have these stacks. We let them go until we can’t stand it anymore. Then we sit down and process as much as we can until things are more manageable again.

The second way to manage paper is to file it. I have met only a handful of people who effectively use and maintain a home filing system. The rest of us are doomed. For me, once paper is filed, it is forgotten. We file papers because we have them and we worry we will need them some day. In most cases, we won’t.

How To Organize Paperwork

Step 1: Recognize that you need both active (piles) and reference (file) papers

Paper is here to stay, but not all paper is created equally. Understanding the difference between active paper and reference paper will make management easier.

Step 2: Create reference paper binders

Since 85 percent of the contents in our filing cabinets could be shredded or recycled, let’s start there. Go through five to ten files each night and discard as much as possible.

Reference paper is the easiest to process because the action that needed to be taken has already been done. You bought the toaster, this is the manual. You had the car’s oil changed, this is the receipt. You took your dog to the vet, this is the bill.

Almost all of your reference paper can be shredded or recycled. In the reference paper category, you can get close to paperless if you want to. Then you can digitize what is left or make binders.

Once I’ve culled as much as I can, I put the paper that is left in binders. Binders are easy to update, easy to share with a spouse or housesitter, and easy to take to a doctor, lawyer, school meeting, or with you in an evacuation. Portability and ease of use are key. However, if you and your family are good at maintaining and retrieving digital files, you may want to digitize the papers you have left.

Step 3: Create an active paper-management system for your kitchen counter piles

Instead of hoping you will complete the pile’s tasks and eliminate the pile, embrace the physical reminders of routine tasks.

The key to making an active paper-management system work is to set aside a specific day and time to work through your paper. Do your sorting on the same day each week, and defer the tasks you cannot complete until your next session.

Just like laundry, dishes, and cleaning house, your active paper pile needs to be managed each week. A weekly paper-management system (and culling your files into a few select binders) will reduce your paper anxiety and lighten your load.

How To Organize Paperwork: Next Steps

• Read:How To Beat Back Your Paper Clutter
• Download:22 Clutter-Clearing Strategies
• Dear Organizing Coach:How Can I Keep On Top Of All These Piles?

Lisa Woodruff is the founder and CEO of Organize 365. She is a teacher, professional organizer, podcaster, motivational speaker, and productivity expert. Lisa’s new book is The Paper Solution. (#CommissionsEarned)

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

#CommissionsEarned
As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share.