I feel that when most people think of clutter, they are mostly imagining paper clutter: mail on the table, bills on the desk, kids' drawings on the fridge, and random papers everywhere else.
There are so many paper systems out there it can be overwhelming to try to figure out where to start.
So make it simple by not filing everything. Declutter first!
1. Bring it all together.
Get all your papers and bring them into one space. For some of you, this may be (or at least feel) impossible. So do what you can, bring all the visible, accessible paper piles into one place and start with that. Then go on to paper in boxes and filing cabinets as step two (or maybe more depending on the amount you have). But the best way, if you can, is to bring all your paper into one clutterless space. This allows you to see the enormity of how much you actually have and gives you the motivation you need to purge anything unnecessary. Bring all your paper from your office, kitchen, entry way, and filing cabinets onto either your big bed, dining room table, or living room floor. I believe in you!
2. Sort everything.
Now that it's all out in front of you, sort it as quickly as you can while still actually purging. Take a day or afternoon (depending on the total amount) to power through it. If you can't take a whole day or afternoon for this, make sure you pull everything together in a place where it can be left out for a bit (aka not your bed). Now, let's look at a few key tips to be able to do this quickly and effectively.
3. Don't actually deal with anything.
Don't pay a bill, mail a letter, make a phone call, or input anything into your computer. Sort these papers into action piles instead. A "do today" pile (like your bill is due tomorrow), a "do soon" pile (like you have a birthday card to mail out this week), and a "do someday" pile (you need to file a password or receipt on your computer). If you need to make a note so you don't forget to do something later, write your task down on a sticky note or loose paper and add it to your action pile.
4. Make a trash pile and a shred pile.
These could be the same pile but the point is, don't get up to throw things away or to shred as you go. Make piles and then deal with both of those at the very end. If you have a ton of paper (as you probably will), then these might need to be boxes or bags rather than piles.
5. Sort reference documents by major category.
For now, don't sort by date, importance, or relevance. If you don't have to do something with it (aka if it doesn't go in one of your action piles), just get it sorted into similar categories so you can file it easily later.
6. Prioritize well.
If you don't NEED to save it for reference, or HAVE to do something with it, DO NOT keep it. Period! (If you can google it, look it up online, call and ask about it, or find it somewhere else, you don't NEED to save it for reference.)
7. Move on.
If you are stuck on one piece of paper for more than 3 minutes, put it in a "look at later" pile and move on to the next one.
8. Take a break.
Although this is supposed to be done in one relatively short span of time, that does not mean you will be able to get it done in one sitting. Take a walk, a lunch break, or a cry break (paper can be really overwhelming, I know), and then give it another go. But don't wait too long. Try to finish ASAP.
9. Celebrate!
Once you are done going through every piece of paper in your house, CONGRATULATE YOURSELF! Yahooo!!! You did that! Yes you did! Now make yourself a fancy drink and breathe in that satisfaction.
10. Finish Up
Then, after your much deserved break, take those bags and boxes of garbage to the bin outside, take a little bit to cut up your shred pile either by hand (which I personally enjoy) or using an electric shredder, put all your piles somewhere out of the way for now (if they are in the way), and deal with your "do today" action pile.
I challenge you to do these 10 steps in the next 4 days. If you do, your home will be completely transformed.
The next part of this process is organizing the papers you decide to keep. Learn how to organize your papers and different filing methods here.
Comment below how this process goes for you & what did and didn't work. I wanna know!
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