Get Organized…… Paper Clutter, part 1
There are many types of clutter but what we hear about most from our clients is paper clutter, specifically mail and kids schoolwork/forms. There is no one size fits all method to this daily struggle so I’ll cover a few ideas. But the main thing you need to realize is that paper comes into your home everyday which means you need to keep up on it everyday in order for it not to overwhelm you and your counters.
First things first. When you bring in your mail DO NOT set it down to deal with later. This is generally where all the problems start. Deal with it as it comes in the door and this will significantly reduce the amount you have. There are many ways to handle your filing system which I will cover more in detail in part 2 of this blog, but I’ll cover a couple of the more popular ways and they can always be adjusted to fit your needs. But the basic process in sorting your papers is essentially the same.
Immediately weed out the trash/junk/recycling.
Put any action items like bills, forms, and permission slips in a “to do” section.
Anything that isn’t an action item but you need to reference in a “to be filed” section.
Take this same approach with your kids schoolwork and create a separate area for those items you wish to keep such as artwork, reports or tests.
Remember organizing isn’t about everything looking like a Pinterest board. It’s about being able to find and put away your belongings with ease in a way that works for you. I’ll start with what works for me and confess to you that I am extremely lazy and the easier the better so it’s not super detailed.
I hate visual clutter especially stacks of paper. I have a bank of drawers in my kitchen that I was able to utilize as a hidden command center. The top drawer holds stamps, envelopes, tape and two mail trays- one for me and one for my husband. The second drawer holds two mail trays for my kids and an accordion file. When I bring the mail in I sort directly into these trays. These are my “action” areas- bills to be paid and items to be filed. I combined them because like I mentioned above, I’m lazy. Anything that is junk mail I put into my recycle bin immediately. If there are credit card offers or anything containing personal information that has the potential for identity theft I put them in my burn box. Most people shred them but we like our fire pit.
I have my kids follow the same process when they get home from school. They empty their folders and I put any items in my action tray that need to be signed etc, recycle any papers I don’t want and put any keepsakes in their trays. I typically try to sign any school related items immediately and put them directly back into their folders and into their bags. The whole process takes less than 5 mins and I definitely have the time for that everyday.
Once a week I go through my action tray. I pay all the bills and put anything in my accordion file that I want to keep. I either recycle or add the rest to my burn box. Banks and utilities give you access to your previous statements so there is no need to keep past statements. You can also go paperless and reduce your paper clutter even more but that doesn’t work for my brain. I pay all my bills online but if I don’t have a physical paper bill it’s like it doesn’t exist.
My accordion file is set up as follows:
Mortgage/ property taxes
Investment statements
One section for each family member for random things that don’t fit other categories
Dental info
Medical info
Home services like lawn care, pest control, HVAC etc.
Current year tax documents as they come in
Last years competed tax forms
If I need to look for something it’s easy to find as they are filed in chronological order. I clear the accordion folder out at least once a year and either shred/burn or move into a permanent file. Our permanent file cabinet is in my husband’s office and holds anything important like prior years tax returns, mortgage documents and insurance policies. We do keep paperwork for any large home purchases or repairs. We also have a small fireproof box for passports, birth certificates, marriage license etc. Our filing cabinet is actually fairly empty. With the availability of so many things to be stored digitally there isn’t a lot of need for paper clutter. This works for us. For a general reference about how long to keep certain documents I have found this checklist to be helpful. I am not a tax pro or an accountant so please consult yours if you have any questions.
Some people would fall into financial ruin if their command center was in a drawer. Out of sight out of mind. So using the same principal as above, you would file into mail trays on the counter or hung on the wall. You want to make sure they are clearly marked with to be paid, to be filed, to be signed or whatever phrase works for you, especially if multiple people use the system. Take care of the junk mail straight away and make sure you sort through each section weekly if not daily and take the appropriate action. These are the most important habits when it comes to paper, the daily and weekly paper purges. If you need some more inspiration to set up a command center, a quick google search will give you infinite possibilities. There are so many great ideas when it comes to a family command centers. You can go as simple as you want or as detailed as long as it works for your needs.
You also may keep physical copies of more documents (we will delve a bit deeper into that in the next blog) and may need a filing system bigger than an accordion folder. They make so many beautiful systems now that can be stored countertop or even double as furniture like this cool basket if you don’t have the room for a traditional cabinet. And be as detailed as you need. Where I have “medical” you may need a medical file for each member of your family or broken down into different segments of medical if you have an illness or chronic condition. Organizing is supposed to make your life easier not complicate it more. So by setting the system up in a way that works for you, you will have the tendency to stay on top of things. And if it doesn’t work for you change it. Make it more detailed or less detailed. Take the top off a box and just toss your bills in there after you’ve paid them. Literally name it bills. If you keep up with it they will be filed chronologically for you with the current month covering last months.
When it comes to my kids schoolwork, I keep anything that has a handprint or super adorable artwork. Anything holiday related. As they got older I kept funny stories they wrote, tests they did great on or comments from the teacher on how hard they worked. I keep the handprints, great art projects and any story writing that may be multiple pages separated by grade in an accordion art-portfolio that accommodates the larger projects. The exact one i have is unavailable but this one is similar in size. I photograph everything I want the memory of and make them a personal photobook for the year. I do it from September through August and add anything in like dance recitals, sports, birthdays, vacations and pics of them with their friends and family. After I receive the book I toss/recycle the original work that I don’t want to hang on to. This DRASTICALLY reduces the amount of paper I have to deal with and my kids love going through their memory books. I use Mix Book but there are so many to choose from.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions about home organizing and setting up systems is that once you do it the system takes care of everything and the clutter disappears. It doesn’t. YOU have to physically take care of the items that come into your home daily from laundry to bills to groceries. And just because you have a great system doesn’t mean you don’t have to put any effort in. It’s a habit just like anything else and the system you use shouldn’t make your life harder but complement the way you already live in your home. So take a look around your space. Where is the mail piled up? Is that where you generally take action on things? If it is then that is probably the perfect space for your command center. Stay tuned for part 2 where we talk a little more in depth on filing systems. Happy organizing!