I have been trying to make it a point in this new year to tackle paper clutter as it arrives so that I do not have a mess like the picture above EVER again. It is not a good feeling when stacks of paper (some important and some not) sit on your desk, or kitchen table or where ever your hot spot for it may be.
So, here is my list of 10 easy ways to help us get a handle on it.
- Stop Junk Mail.
- Go through your mail as soon as you bring it in and file it appropriately. Does it need trashed, filed away, responded to, or place with your "bills to be paid"?
- Balance your checkbook frequently (at least 2 times per week) and either toss, shred or file (important) receipts.
- File important papers at least weekly. In order to this efficiently you will need a workable filing system.
- Create a "bill binder" or basket. Have a place where you keep your bills that need paid and the ones you have already paid. Or go paperless on your bills.
- Cull magazines at least one time per month. I order a few different magazines that we enjoy but almost daily we receive magazines from different companies wanting us to order from them.
- Keep only important or special notes and papers from your children's school.
- Have a basket, binder or some other system you use to store receipts in until they clear your bank.
- Shred papers and empty shredder monthly. My papers in my shredder usually pile up so high I would never get them all shredded and I end up adding them to a bon fire when we have one.
- Write dates and information from cards and invitations in your calendar ASAP and toss the actual invitation.
Do you have any other good ideas to help with this problem? I would love to hear them.
Visiting from Thriving Thursday.... Thank you for these tips... PAPER UGH!! It seems as if a weeks worth of mail/schoolstuff pile up on our kitchen table...and each Sat morning, I sift through it. I need to take a few minutes each day to do this and it would not be such an aggravation.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Piper that is exactly what I try to remind myself. Even one time a week would work.
DeleteMaria Garcia, get organized now. She has a wonderful filing system, and other organizational products.
ReplyDeleteI have file folders "To File," "To Shred," "To Do," and "Pending." I kept them in my desk (which has a fold down lid). Things never got filed in there. I just opened up the lid to my desk and dumped paperwork in there. What a mess!
ReplyDeleteI bought a really cute stand-alone lidded file folder from the store and set it on the floor in my sunroom, which is right off my kitchen. The colors match my decor.
For some reason, I am more willing to walk the few steps and file something in those files than I was when I had to walk over to my desk and open it, lol!
We have to do what works best for us. It seems crazy but sometimes the cute things work better for us. Somehow we enjoy putting things away when it has a cute home. I totally understand what you are saying. Thanks for stopping by.
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