Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

Organizing Paper Clutter

To Keep or Not to Keep…that is the question

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Paper is a clutter monster.

It is one of the hardest items to deal with when decluttering. Think about it…one paper pile could need up to 100+ decision to be made. And if you do make progress it could be hard to tell. While other items that are bigger can lead to obvious space clearing with fewer decisions.

So, with the annual tax deadline behind us for 2019, I thought I would encourage you to finish your process by filing away tax records and suggesting that you spend some project time on clearing out your archived papers.

To help you with that project you need to decide what records need to be kept and for how long. In order to get rid of paper clutter you do need to purge your papers. Focus on keeping records and not references. Note that you should always consult your accountant and/or attorney especially if you own a business and I am not endorsing any of the resources provided (well maybe the IRS guidelines).

Join me in tackling that paper monster?

 

 

Clutter Busting: Your School Papers

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Do you still have papers or binders from grad school, college or even high school?

It may seem difficult to let go of papers from school because of all the hard work you put into it or the memories you have of that time.

Ways to control school papers include:

  • Limiting your storage space to one file drawer or bin.
  • Treating yourself to a trip down memory lane while you sort the stuff.
  • Whittle it down to a special collection of papers that you enjoy looking through occasionally.
  • Frame one or two special papers to hang in your office.
  • Keep only the truly important or original papers such as a thesis or essay or keep one paper from each year.
  • Toss class notes, quizzes, worksheets or syllabuses.
  • Shred or recycle items that you are no longer keeping.

By tackling the issue of school paper clutter, you will clear space and one potential clutter culprit.

Clutter Busting: The Home Office

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There are usually three times every year when I like suggest you clean your office especially every surface in your office. Those are:

  1. The beginning of the New Year
  2. After taxes
  3. Back-to-School

So it’s time clean!

I guarantee that when your office is clean and decluttered, you will not only enjoy spending time there, but you will probably be more productive because you can find what you want and won’t waste time moving piles around or searching through all the stuff in your drawers.

Here are steps to get you started:

Declutter- Before you can clean your office space, you must first get rid of the clutter on all the surfaces and in the cabinets and drawers. This might seem overwhelming, but it will be a lot easier once you take the first step to get started. Weed out your filing cabinets to make room for all those piles on your desk, clean out your Inbox, delete all those voice message, coral your cord clutter, and purge/donate anything you don’t need, use, love, or want.

Clean-Dust, vacuum, clean the windows and throw out the trash.

Maintain- Once you have decluttered and cleaned your space, keep your office in shape by creating a daily, weekly, and/or monthly maintenance plan.

You might be surprised how these three simple steps can totally change the look, feel, and even function of your office space.

Clutter Busting: Paper Clutter

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Paper adds up quickly. Most people find managing paper challenging. What to keep? How long to keep it?

With tax season just over, now is a good time to get your papers and especially financial papers in order. Be sure to talk with your accountant and/or lawyer to find out what records you should keep for your situation.

Are you ready to tackle your paper clutter?

 

 

 

Clutter Busting: Financial Records

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I would feel remiss if I let April go by and didn’t address financial or tax records.

Since you have already pulled together all the papers you needed to complete your tax filing take a little more time to get you financial records fit.

Taking the time to get your financial records organized now will pay off big especially when next tax season rolls around.