Paper clutter can build very quickly, and the desire to get rid of it can build up fast. Without the right systems in place, it can quickly become an overwhelming task. With paper clutter, it’s not as simple as getting rid of it in the trash or recycling bin. Important documents, bank statements, receipts, and forms that need to be saved, organized, and stored in file folders are crucial. Not sure where to start – no worries this post will help you with cleaning organizing and sorting your paper clutter easily.
Decluttering is one of the sure-fire ways to live a more intentional life. I’ve spent the last few years downsizing certain aspects of my life & it has definitely made a difference in my overall well-being. Today, I will be focusing on paper clutter [ as it is the most difficult in my opinion ] & sharing ways I’ve learned to get a hold of my paper documents & stay organized.
Digitize As Much As Possible
The benefit to technology is the ability to store paper documents, files & photos digitally on your computers, hard drives & phones. Although, I will admit I’m a bit old school and love a physical photo album. But digitizing allows us to dramatically save space. Just be sure you are choosing wisely because even our digital spaces can become out of hand. By storing items digitally, you will already feel like you have so much extra space in your home.
One of many perks to the digital organization for your papers is how easy you can create a filing system that is easy to manage. You can create folder or tabs in seconds that helps you with organizing paper documents in a breeze when putting them into your system. As well, many digital systems are free and are a quick way to get rid of those paper piles.
When thinking about reducing paper clutter by using digital systems you can look into which programs work best for you. To get you started with a couple you can simply use the Documents section of your computer/tablet, Google Drive, Microsoft Tools (such as Sharepoint), and Quickbooks.
Now it’s important to not swing too far the other way with creating digital clutter! Check out my post here on how to reduce digital clutter.
Have a Designated Space For Papers
If you decide to have paper documents, be sure to have a designated area to store these items. For instance, we have a basket in the living room in our cube shelf unit that holds incoming mail. Instead of having it thrown all across the kitchen counter, I gave it a proper home. Then once we are in the mode of paying bills & filing, we take this bin to the office & go through it a piece at a time.
Paper clutter solutions need to work for you and those you live with. It’s important to think about what is practical to put into place with how to get rid of paper. Having something in a living space might work best, whereas others have something like a drawer or hanging basket to put them into works. Some folks do a once-a-week clean out of their bins, while others might let theirs go a bit longer.
Make sure to create a practical solution for you. Organizing paper clutter needs to become a habit and habits build with time when they’re realistic and sustainable.
Have a Shred Bin for Paper Clutter
On a regular basis, I like to go through papers that come in & determine what needs to be shredded or stored right away. Life can become busy, so having a basket for shred items to be stored in flux, helps prevent those papers from flying all over the house or car. I also recommend a shredder for any documents with personal information on them. You don’t want to just throw those papers away to protect your identity.
If you don’t own a shredder, or would prefer not to use one then you can either use a stamp that covers personal information before disposing of identifying documents. You can also cut them up with scissors into strips (similar to a shredder). When we were living in our little apartment I didn’t have the space for a shredder so using a stamp or cutting them by hand with scissors was a great way to dispose of them after sorting papers. For myself, I find setting aside a date on our calendar once or twice a month for destroying these documents and files to help helpful with getting rid of paper clutter from building too quickly.
Junk Mail & Flyers
It can be so easy to become overwhelmed by paper clutter simply with mail that isn’t even yours! Junk mail, flyers, gift guides, and catalogs can easily clutter your paper piles. For myself, to help with my home organization I don’t even bring those into my house.
Every day when I go to check the mail, I simply sift through what I’m given for junk mail and take it straight to the recycling bin/trash. It doesn’t even come into my home to get sorted with other things later. Now, if there’s an advertisement, coupon, or flyer of interest to you then take it inside. Most of the time it’s not anything you need, and it’s creating more for you to do later.
You can also check with your local postal service as some offer an option to stop receiving advertisements option for your mailbox. This not only will help stop the clutter but will also help contribute towards being less wasteful with fewer advertisements going out overall. I live in Canada, so Canada Post has this option and you can check it out here!
Utilize Folders & Other Organizational Supplies
Another way to get a handle on paper documents you wish to keep, store them in folders with proper labels. This is an easy way to stay organized & find those important papers with ease. I personally love the Five Star folders from Staples – they come in a range of colors & are very sturdy.
It’s important to label and create a system for your paper organizer. A couple of years ago, I bought my fiance a paper organizer to start sorting his documents. A year into him using it I went to get a file and realized he was putting papers everywhere and there was zero organization. Which was less than helpful! Yes, it did get rid of the paper clutter, but it created a different issue. So make sure when you’re going to organize paper clutter you set up a system for yourself that works, either by date, category or by type of document. Whatever works best for you!
What should I get rid of today?
- Old receipts [ or you can always digitize them for tax purposes ]
- Junk mail like catalogs or advertisements
- Unsubscribe to any catalogs you don’t wish to read
- Journals that are filled up & aren’t in use anymore
- Scrap papers with unimportant writing or scribbles
- Cardboard tags off clothing
Paper clutter can feel like a daunting task to get a hold of – but with these simple reminders, I hope you gain control over your documents & Do not let your documents control you. I’d like to thank Simply Alex Jean for allowing me to guest post on her site today. If you are interested in reading more about decluttering & intentional living, please visit my blog, Mind Beauty Simplicity.
Thanks again for the opportunity to guest post on your blog, Alex! 🙂 I hope your readers find these tips & tricks helpful with tackling paper clutter!
I regularly go through my paper clutter to minimize the build-up of old documents, copied papers, or accumulated lists so that I only have so much to file and organize. A tidy file is easy to go through and, with minimal clutter, I also know where everything is off the top of my head. 🙂
Great ideas! I have got all my bills digitally now.
Paper clutter is one of my downfalls, so these are really helpful tips! For some reason, even with most bills digital, I end up with so much paper in my house. This is a good reminder to do some decluttering this weekend! 🙂
Great post. like you said, I’m old school too. I’ve tried digital but not so much of a help because I love writing on a paper. I don’t bring flyers or other marketing papers home. Thanks for sharing
I’m always looking for ways to reduce clutter. A lot of my notes are digital but I also invested in a reuseable notebook which has been so helpful! You simply write on it, snapshot the notes using the app, and then erase using a moist toilette or a moist towel. It’s genius!
These are all such great ways to reduce paper clutter. Thanks so much for sharing!
These are great ideas! Clutter is always a problem around here; we are working on it! 🙂
Great tips — and much needed as I look to do a bit of decluttering for the new year! Thanks for putting all this info together, it’s really useful.
This was a great post! I’ve not seen anything like this before so it was great to see how to be organised with paper! Thank you for sharing!
Rachel
I love getting organised with stuff, especially all the paperwork I have. Just medical stuff & my legal case takes up numerous folders, and it gets so stressful with stuff everywhere and not being able to find things. I like the questions you’ve suggested to figure out if you can get rid of some paper clutter, then have a shred bin for it. Fab suggestions! xx
Great tips in this post! I did a massive paper declutter a few years ago, since I’m probably due for another one soon! Thanks for sharing!
I have so much paper clutter due to my medical records, financial stuff, benefits stuff, and stuff from university. I did shred a lot of paperwork a couple of years ago, but it feels like the amount is still the same
I love this post because I hate paper clutter 🙂 I had to get rid of all my paper clutter when we immigrated, so I digitized what I could and got rid of the rest. I was surprised at how much I had to throw away because I organised it quite well.
All the best, Michelle (michellesclutterbox.com)
I like your idea for junk mail and flyers. Thanks for these tips!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thank you so much for this wonderful blog post B! This is packed with so many great tips and I know it’ll help many.
Wonderful to hear you’re so on top of your paper clutter Jaya! It’s so much easier when things are tidy and organized and it’s great to hear you’ve built those habits.
Awesome to hear Jamie – it’s so helpful with reducing paper clutter and is also a better eco choice!
It can be so easy to build up – I get it, Alison! I’m glad B’s post gave you some good ideas for the weekend and I hope it helps with reducing your paper and even digital clutter.
Awesome to hear you’ve already built in that habit with flyers/papers! I’m glad to hear you were able to connect with B on digital vs writing things down and I hope she gave you a couple of ideas on reducing your paper clutter. I use a reusable notebook I can erase and that really helps me reduce paper while still writing.
YES – I’ve got one too Nyxie and it’s honestly the best! I use mine every day and have had it for over a year and have seen a significant reduction in my paper clutter – a great tip to pass along to other readers. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Charity – B did a fantastic job with giving so many great ideas!
That’s great to hear Heidi, habits can take a bit to build up so steps towards those habits are incredible!
Thanks, Molly – B did a great job with giving great suggestions and I’m glad you found it helpful.
Thanks so much, Rachel, B did a great job and I’m glad this was helpful for you with reducing paper clutter and providing you with some new ideas.
Fantastic to hear you love this stuff ( I do too!). I’m so glad you enjoyed this post – thanks for reading and commenting.
Thanks Jennette! Yes, definitely sounds like doing another might be helpful with what’s built up over the past couple of years! Best of luck with sorting through and decluttering your papers.
It can build so fast – especially as you said when there are all these records from several different areas of life. I’m glad you did a big shred and I hope this post gave some ideas of possible ideas on how to reduce paper clutter.
Awesome to hear – so does B! Wonderful to hear you’ve gone digital and that’s helped reduce quite a lot! As you mentioned it’s amazing how much you can get right of when you have sorting and organization systems in place.
Thanks – It really does save so much clutter! I hope these tips help 🙂
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed B’s post! Give a reusable notebook a try, I use it and I find it helpful as I’m very similar to you!