5 Tips to Organize Your Paper Clutter

5 Tips to Organize Your Paper Clutter

Have you ever felt stuck when it comes to getting organized? Even more stuck when it comes to your paper piles? Using creative solutions will help you to create a shift in your thinking. Get creative with your organizing and you will see noticeable changes in your space. Make the decision to do something different using these five creative tips to help organize your paper clutter.

[Tweet “5 Creative to Help You #Organize Your Paper #Clutter:”]

1. Stop paper at the door. The best way to combat the problem of never ending paper flow is to keep them from creeping into your home or office. An example of this is to sort your mail right after you receive it. You may have to bring it inside to shred or recycle, but you could also create a small station right outside your door as you enter. This would work well if you have an attached garage. By placing a small trash/recycle can outside the door, you are eliminating your paper before you even enter, and are only bringing in what you need to keep and what needs to be shredded. If you have space for a shredder in the garage, you can place one there too.

This may sound extreme, but think of the frustration you have over the piles of papers that are brought into the house. By having a couple different places to easily catch the mail and incoming paper, the less you work have inside the home.

2. Use a timer. This can be any kind of timer whether it’s on your phone, the stove, an egg timer, or an hourglass. By using a timer and setting it for at least 10-minutes for each session, you will get a big chunk of sorting completed. It also is a short enough time period that you won’t feel overwhelmed. Make a game out of it like “beat the clock.” If you have children helping you to sort, they will love to make a game out of it too!

3. Have a set system for sorting. This can be for old papers and new papers. I recommend that you get a system in place for all the new papers and mail coming into the house first, and then tackle the existing piles. If you already have stopped your papers at the door and you are consistent, you are more than half way there! Now you need a system to not only sort what has stacked up in the past, but also decide where the papers will go for storage. Creating a simple system will ensure that you will stick with it. The more complicated, the less likely you will continue with the system you set in place.

4. Create beautiful homes for your papers. You may have a regular filing cabinet for papers that need to be stored long-term, like your taxes, doctor’s papers, and homeowner’s papers. But for items that you need easier access to on a regular basis, I recommend using a creative way to keep the papers handy but organized. Whether it’s decorative file folders, vertical stacking file slots, clever wall hanging pockets, or wall mounted file slots, you can create a great system that isn’t hidden and easily accessible for you to get your papers where they belong. For many placing papers in a big filing cabinet can mean “out of sight, out of mind.”

By having an alternative way to visibly store your papers in a beautiful way, will make it easier to keep your papers organized and your space pretty. Most of us love to be in an area that inspires us! Pinterest is a wonderful way to get creative ideas before you go out and shop for products. I always recommend brainstorming ideas first, shopping from items around your home, and then deciding if you need anything from a store.

5. Be consistent by having accountability! This is the only way that you will be able to stay on top of your paper. You know how you are best motivated and how you are awesome at procrastinating. With that in mind, what would keep you on track? Having a friend come over while you tackle your piles? Treating yourself after you complete a specific number of 10-minute sessions? One-way to help motivate and keep your space organized is to take “before and after” photos. I have seen clients hang up their “after” photos to remind them of the work they have done. Recycle day gets me motivated to get my papers out the door knowing the truck comes in the morning!

Be consistent with the paper sessions and schedule them when you know you have focus. Having a friend that needs the same support can help to keep the paper sessions consistent while holding each other accountable. Have fun with it!

By using these simple tips and applying them one at a time, you will see your piles become smaller and smaller. What is the first area you are going to tackle? Let us know below how awesome you are going to feel conquering your paper piles!

Suggested Resources

• Desk Organizer with Double Tray and 5 Upright Sections
• Wall Mount Storage Magazine Rack Fruit Basket
• Fellowes Workstation Letter Size Desk Tray Organizer, Wire, Black
• InterDesign Classico Wall Mount Magazine Rack, Bronze
• InterDesign Twillo Wall Mount Mail and Key Rack, Bronze

Being a wife, mother, and business owner, Angela, The Unclutter Angel, knows how important it is to be organized in the home, especially when it comes to the kitchen and meal preparation.  Our lives can be busy between working and family activities. Being the “Kitchen Specialist”, Angela understands it is important to have solutions that are easy, economical, and healthy can make the heart of the home, the kitchen, a wonderful place to be. Angela has written a number of books on home organization with her new release on cabinet and closet organization. You can find her books on her Amazon author page. You can also find her here: Unclutter Angel | Pinterest | Instagram