I realized I was overwhelmed by paper clutter when we were getting ready to move out of our last rental into the home we had just purchased.
We didn’t really have “important documents” prior to this.
We didn’t have children yet and had just gotten married so the only real important documents were passports, social security cards, and a newly signed marriage license.
All the other paper clutter in my house was really just junk I hadn’t yet learned how to let go of.
I had the normal piles of magazines I’d never read, potential lower interest rates for loans that didn’t even exist, and random old invitations that I thought held sentimental value.
And these piles were everywhere. I mean, the side table next to the couch, the infamous random pile o’ crap on the kitchen countertop, and the paper piles that made their way into the bedroom somehow.
Oh and let’s not forget about the random paper clutter leading from the mailbox, into the garage, and on the washer because that’s the path you take to get in the house.
Clearly, these weren’t important papers otherwise I’d have late bills, people knocking on my door for money, or lots of hate coming my way from missing baby showers and weddings.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized this paper clutter was only good for one thing: overwhelming my mind and house!
I knew we’d be accumulating more important documents now that we purchased a home and were on our way to having kids.
Mortgage documents and birth certificates sounded much more fun than junk mail and unused coupons. I’d definitely rather accumulate those.
So, I knew I had to learn how to eliminate the paper clutter for good which meant, I needed to come up with a system that I could sustain.
Here are the steps I took to declutter the paper piles around my home and I’ve been able to sustain it for almost 7 years now.
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Step 1: Sort the Paper
Cearly the first step is to round up all those lovely little paper piles and dump them on the floor into one giant paper pile.
It may seem overwhelming at first, but trust me, this will be worth it. By just doing this first step, you will gain more mental clarity than 10 therapy sessions. Ok, I’m not promising that, but just try it!
Create a few piles:
- Follow Up Pile
This would include anything that requires follow up or action. For example, you need to call PG&E because they sent you a promotion that says you may qualify for lower rates.
You may need to pay a bill (once you’re comfortable, try to get all bills on auto-debit to avoid paper bills), or you may need to RSVP to a baby shower.
Keep all those items in your follow up pile, for now. Once you’ve gotten through the 4 steps, we’ll talk more about how to implement a system here that allows you to move most of these items into the “Toss It Pile”.
- Keepsake Pile
Now, I know there are some sentimental people out there who like to keep every single picture, invitation, potential Van Gough-like artwork your kid drew, etc. However, there’s only so much storage in your home.
You will need to consider how much of these things you want to store. At a certain point, it all becomes too much.
Again, once we are in the system portion, we’ll cover how to regularly purge this stuff, but for now, make the pile while trying to be somewhat conscious of long term storage.
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- Important Documents Pile
Of course there are some documents you will need to keep on hand for certain lengths of time depending on what they are.
These documents would include personal documents that can’t be digitized like passports, social security cards, birth certificates, marriage licenses, ID cards, Military discharge papers, Wills, Trust paperwork, Power of Attorney paperwork, etc.
All of these will be filed away and some will end up in a fireproof box/bag or you can consider a safety deposit box at your bank.
- Toss It Pile
This cute little paper pile is all the crap you don’t need. This pile of paper does not have sensitive information like bank information, your date of birth, etc. It’s literally just the crap you don’t need. I’m talking coupons you’ll never use and magazines you’ll never read.
- Shred It Pile
This is all the paperwork you don’t need to keep long-term, but it has some sensitive information on it you wouldn’t want in someone else’s hands.
How to Let Go of Paper Clutter
I get it, it’s not easy to eliminate paper clutter especially when there may be some sentimental event tied to it. A baby shower invite, a hand-written thank you card, or your kiddos first real piece of artwork.
The important thing to remember here is that you don’t have to get rid of all the paper in your home, you just need to make sure the amount you have is not overwhelming for you.
This is going to be different for everyone. So don’t think you have to follow a certain code here.
Another thing to think about though is will you continuously be looking at these things or will you be reflecting back on the memories you had over coffee with a friend?
One last thing to think about is will your kids or grandkids find joy in these things when you pass on?
I know, I know, a little morbid, but it is so true. If there’s pictures that aren’t labeled of people they won’t even know, should we keep that?
Keep the things that bring you and others joy and toss the things that don’t.
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Step 2: File the Paper
Once you’ve made your piles, it’s time to file away the keepsakes and important documents.
How to Store Keepsakes
Keepsakes can be stored in any box you may have or you can order a pack of matching boxes so you know all those house your keepsakes.
If you want to store your keepsakes by person, you can label the outside with a name. Your other option is to store keepsakes by year and label the outside with a date range.
Either way works, it’s just personal preference.
How to Store Important Papers
Storage for important papers is a bit different. You’ll need storage for important documents that you need access to once in a while and storage for important documents you will need in an emergency situation.
I totally thought that any old storage would do, but our home has been threatened by fires every few years so I realized I needed a fireproof storage option just in case something were to ever happen.
Here’s the fireproof bag we use and we keep it right on the side of our bed for easy access. You can also lock these things up if you need to, but in a pinch I’d much rather have a way to grab and run.
I use a pretty basic filing option (this one is also fireproof) for my other important documents that if for some reason did not survive a fire it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I keep these in the closet at the top.
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Categories of Paperwork to File
I’ll be honest, you really shouldn’t need to keep many of these items in a physical format. Most of these can be scanned into an electronic format or are available to you somewhere via an online portal or email. However, if you feel better about keeping a physical copy, here are some categories to consider when filing your paperwork:
Personal Paperwork – insurance records, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, social security information / cards, Military paperwork, ID cards, Passports, Trusts, Wills, Power of Attorney, Educational degrees / paperwork, life insurance policies, etc. Most of these documents would probably end up in your fireproof/emergency bag.
Auto Paperwork – car titles, transfer of ownership, registration card copies, maintenance records, mileage reports (if you’ll need these for taxes), insurance information, etc.
Financial Paperwork – mortgage documents, refinance paperwork, receipts for taxes (this includes any personal receipts or business related receipts if you own a business), credit card statements, billing statements, tax return copies, checks, W-2s, I-9s, checkbook ledgers, pay stubs, contracts, investment statements, retirement plan paperwork, bonds, savings account statements, educational fund statements, etc.
Medical Records – statements, bills, personal medical history, family medical history, immunization records, insurance claims, etc.
Step 3: Toss or Shred
Time to rid ourselves of some crap!
This should feel really good. If you’re feeling bad about tossing or shredding anything, maybe reconsider those items. You shouldn’t feel bad about this step, you should feel a weight lifted and no longer feel overwhelmed by paper clutter!
If you don’t have a paper shredder, here are two good options to try out that are reasonably priced: an option with a basket and one without a basket (just place over a recycling bin you already have and save some $$$!)
You can also take your papers to a local Staples or UPS Store to shred for a cost.
Now, get to tossing and shredding and don’t feel bad about it!
PRO TIP: If you can scan the paper and keep it stored digitally, even better! Certain papers like birth certificates have to be the original, but anytime you can store a digital copy on the cloud, do it! Less paper and more space!
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Step 4: Implement a Routine
Ok, here’s the good stuff! If you’ve made it this far it tells me that you’re committed and you can do this!
I like to keep things simple. Once a system becomes complicated, it’s hard to manage and it’s unrealistic to think you are going to keep up with a routine.
So, let’s talk simple and help you to never feel overwhelmed by paper clutter again!
Pick One Spot for the Paper Clutter
Pick an easy spot to throw all paper items in throughout the week. I use my family command center for this!
You can easily use a bin, a folder, etc.
Throughout the week, don’t actually spend time sorting through anything. Just toss it in the designated spot and forget about it. For now at least…
Pick A Day for Sorting
Next, pick a day that works best for you to sort through the paper pile. I typically like Sundays because it’s best for planning your week.
Any day will work, just make sure you can sit down and take the time to do a little sorting and planning. It usually takes me about 10-15 minutes for this task.
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Plan Out your Week
Now, when you sit down to go through the paper pile, sort the papers using the same method we used above.
Use the same categories (follow up, keepsake, important documents, toss it, shred it) except this time, you are going to plan your follow ups into your schedule for the week and you’re going to take the time to file keepsake and important documents. You’re also going to toss and shred.
So, if you have a bill to follow up on, add that task to your calendar and toss or shred the paper. We don’t need the paper to remind us to do the thing, we need the task.
Since you don’t have much to file away this should be quick.
An alternative to filing the keepsakes and important documents once a week is to keep a folder in your bin for each of those categories and only plan this task once a month or once a quarter.
It will save you a little time, but keeps the consistency going.
Purge Keepsakes Once a Year
You can build this into your planner or calendar as a recurring task once a year.
This will help you remain consistent, but won’t overwhelm you with constant purging especially when each time you do this you’ll probably be reliving memory lane.
You don’t want to do this too often because it can be a time sucker especially if you really get into lamenting on past memories. Not a bad thing, just be aware of it.
This may be a yearly task you do with your kids. It’s a bonding experience and also a way to get some help and outside perspective on what’s important to keep.
Remain Consistent
The only way this works is to be consistent each week. The reason it probably took you longer than 15 minutes to do this the first time is that there was no routine in place that consistently forced you to sort, file, toss and shred.
This is the system and if you do it each week, I promise you it will get easier, it will take less time, and you will never feel overwhelmed by paper clutter ever again!
You will have control over the paper and there will be no more piles (yes, there will be one pile, but never more than that) cluttering your countertops and washer!
Bye Bye Paper Clutter!
Becoming overwhelmed by paper clutter is almost like a right of passage when becoming an adult.
It happens to all of us and we just need to find a way to take control of it before it consumes our home.
I hope these steps and tips help you to gain control over the paper piles in your home and you no longer find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all the paper clutter!
Please let me know how I can help you in your decluttering journey! I’d love to hear what’s working or even what’s not working for you!
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