Four Step Paper Declutter Process

Paper is one of the most challenging struggles in working with organizing clients. It is mentally and physically daunting for my clients. Maybe you feel the same, if so this blog is for you. In this blog, I want to help to simplify the process. This doesn’t mean it won’t take hours to do. The amount of paper and the amount time you devote  plus the willingness to work through this process are what will determine how long this will take.

Step 1

Know your “why”. This is the reason for your need to declutter.

• Are you looking for something in particular?
• Is it because you can no longer stand to have all of this paper around, it’s embarrassing and stressful?
• Did you inherit it from someone else?
• Maybe you have decided you don’t want to leave it for someone else to deal with after you are gone?
• You have come to the realization, “it’s just time to let go.”

Establishing your reason makes this entire process easier! The reason becomes the goal. The goal can be set up to provide measurable success. WRITE it down and keep it in multiple places but specifically in the area of the clutter. 

Step 2

Pick one small area to start. It is much easier to remain focused on one small bin or corner of a room than it is the entirety of the paper clutter. This cannot be done without focus. There is way too much to become distracted with in the world of paper. 

In this small area remember to post your “why” where you can clearly see it!

Step 3

Macro vs Micro

Macros is a rough sort of the paper in this space, separating out obvious trash such as coupons mailers, unopened mail from more than a year ago, etc. In this place you can roughly create the categories you will be working in. (Ex: Financial, personal, medical, keepsakes, etc)

Micro is the action of going through each piece of paper to determine its value in keeping. In keeping, you will have the categories from the macro sort to place the documents you are keeping. Guidance on what to keep:

• Medical records older than 10 years because they may be harder to access.
• Family records
• Five years of tax returns
• Deeds or other legal papers that were before the days of digitizing.
• Life insurance documents

For the items that you are no longer keeping, there are a couple of options:

1. Tear, shred or cut your name and address, account numbers or other personal info while you are working through each piece of paper
2. Gather these items in a pile and work through them at another time when you are sitting and watching tv, listening to music, etc. (The rule here is do not look over the papers again, just shred, tear or cut up the info you do not want to share. )

Step 4

Place the documents you are keeping  in their proper location. This could be a safe, file cabinet, bankers box, etc. (I highly recommend placing them in labeled folders so you will have an easier time retrieving information when needed. )

Those are the 4 steps in clearing paper clutter. Time is relative to the amount of paper clutter and your ability to determine your reason for decluttering. 

I do want to give you one bonus tip!!

Have one and only one place for incoming mail. As the mail comes in, sort it. Keep or toss should be the 2 categories. Toss the junk mail. Anything else of importance, health insurance documents, bills, etc should go into a folder that is easy for you to access. Access this frequently to avoid late bills. You can use multiple folders for this if it works for you. If one folder is sufficient, then use that until it comes time to move to the permanent keep section. If you use more than one folder, keep it labeled and in one location. 

Letting go: Perhaps, you only hang onto the insurance statement until the medical bill is paid and then you can let it go? Apply this thought to the other papers that come in. 

There is no doubt paper can make us feel it is necessary to hang onto. However, this is not the case for all paper. In making this distinction, we can simplify the process of working through the clutter. If you don’t know where to begin and don’t trust those closest to you to help out, think about hiring a Professional Organizer. We work with you to help you through the process.