Paper Clutter - More Ideas to Cut Down on Paper - continued...

 Here are a few more tips to get you started on the road to overcoming the paper overwhelm ---

 ·    Touch it only once rule. This means that you should make a decision about each piece of paper once you touch it. Don’t put it back into the pile – or another pile to decide later.

·        Newspapers, catalogs and magazines tend to pile up and get out of control. Today most newspapers, catalogs and magazines are online. If you can change to the online edition you will cut down on piles of paper clutter in your home. But – remember to clear out your computer files out. If you still want to get hard copies – make a one in one out rule. Only have one copy of the magazine on hand. Read it and toss it (or recycle to a friend who doesn’t get the magazine). Or keep two months if you really need to (but no more than that!).

·         Kids and paper. Schools – are tree haters. They must be – because schools generate a ton of paper. Kids constantly come home with permission slips, announcements, school work, fund raisers, school picture requests, artwork and more. All on a daily basis! You can’t keep everything. So, deal with each piece of paper right away – and give it back to your child (put it in their backpack so they won’t forget it). Keep only a few pieces of their artwork – and take a picture or scan the rest into your computer (if you must). This way you can still keep their work but not have a pile of paper everywhere.

·         Coupons. If you have to keep coupons – make sure that you only have ones that are not expired. Be sure to keep them in a coupon folder (a small one in your purse or glove compartment – where you won’t forget them). Go through them at least once a month and get rid of the expired ones. Also, consider downloading the coupons to your phone instead of keeping a hard copy.

·         Cards & letters. It’s hard to get rid of special cards and letters from people that you care about. Make a rule that you will only keep X amount of cards (depending on the size of your keepsake box). Or make a rule that you will only keep the last few cards from that person.  Or that you will only keep cards for a certain amount of time. By limiting the amount of room, you give to items you will decrease the amount of paper that you accumulate.



Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

PAPER CLUTTER – How to get RID OF IT !!!

Paper clutter is the most difficult type of clutter to control or get rid of. Having a system in place is a must!

Here are a few tips to get you started on the road to overcoming the paper overwhelm ---

·         Open your mail every day. Don’t allow it to get out of control.

·         Immediately toss out junk mail (be sure to shred anything that has identifying information on it)

·          

·         If you do nothing else with your mail each day – at least sort it into:

·         Bills to be Paid

·         Requires Action (such as invitations that require an RSVP, permission slips that need to be signed, letters that need a response…)

·         To be Filed

·         Have a set schedule for paying bills and addressing anything paper related. Whether it’s once a week or once every other week – by having a set day & time to go over your paperwork – you are more likely to get it done!

·         Make a fresh start – today – to get your papers organized. Starting with what comes in the mail today. Then – set a goal of 10 – 20 minutes a day to go through your pile of older papers. By doing this you won’t get behind on your current mail and will still be heading a dent in your piles of old papers.

·         Get out of the habit of writing yourself notes everywhere. Have one place where you write all of your notes and messages. Otherwise you will have pieces of paper all over the house and your purse.

·         Create a filing system – that works for you! But remember – you do not need a folder for every single sheet of paper. Only create a folder if there are at least 10 pieces of paper that go into the folder – otherwise combine the information into another folder.

·         There are numerous filing systems and ways to organize – it should be easy enough for you to keep up and one that you will actually use.

·         You don’t need to print off and keep every single thing that you get in your emails. Create digital folders for information that you want to keep – instead of printing it off. This will cut down on paper clutter.

 These are just a few tips to get you started.  More to come.....

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com