Important Papers to Keep

I'm all for uncluttering your paperwork (and the rest of your home), but that doesn't mean that you should get rid of every piece of paper.  Some of the things that you should hold onto are obvious - like birth certificates, passports, and the title to your car.

However, there is a lot of other paperwork that not only should you hold onto but that you should also have filed in a way that you can easily access the information.  If a lot of your "paperwork" is stored online, you should still be able to go to this information when you need it. 

Check out the government's suggestions for what you should keep in Managing Household Records.  Have a file bin or cabinet with folders where you can keep these documents.  If you and your partner have two credit cards, make a file folder for each individual card as opposed to a generic "credit card" folder.  Even if you pay your credit card online, do you have something that would guide your partner regarding account information if something happened to you?

Make a folder for receipts for large purchases - one (or more) folders for computers, one for bedroom furniture, one for each large appliance.  You can keep warranties with the purchases.  If something goes wrong, you won't waste time looking for the paperwork you need.

Organize your gadget's owner's manuals with this plan from my article, Organize the Owner's Manuals for All the Appliances and Gadgets in Your Home on Squidoo.com.

Organizing your paperwork isn't about trying to create a perfect system.  It is about saving time and frustration when you need to access something.  You don't have to worry about forgetting the last time you had a physical because you'll have a file folder with the printout from your last series of blood work.  You'll be able to take those tax deductions because you've kept the receipts for your donations in a file folder.

Make your files work for you.

Don't Hide Your Clutter

Don't hide your clutter.  Figure out how you can eliminate it.  Yesterday, I showed off my storage closet that holds files, yarn, craft show display items, writing idea notebooks, teaching props, etc. - and how I cleaned and organized the space.

One of the problems with the space is that it allowed me to hide things from view.  I could toss an item on the floor of the closet and close the door and - ta dah! - the mess I just created was "gone."

Think about the places around your home where it is really easy to hide your clutter:

• the junk drawer
• the closet by the front door
• your clothing closet
• any closet
• any and all drawers in your bedroom, kitchen, office
• the attic
• the basement
• the laundry room
• any place where you can close the door and ignore what is in the room!

No, clutter that's out in the open isn't "better," but you probably have more incentive to clean the top of your desk than you do to organize a desk drawer that can stay closed. 

• Ask yourself if you are shutting away things that you don't really need, which is why they can stay hidden.
• If you can't find your sneakers at the bottom of your closet or a pen in your junk drawer, then you need to organize those items.  Think of ways to make your shoes more visible and accessible.  Consider if a jar filled with pens, pencils, scissors, and other office supplies could sit on your countertop or desk so you can grab the items when you need them.
• "Fence in" your clutter.  Have an in-box for mail, receipts, and any other piece of paper that enters your home.  Go through the box each day.  If the stack of paper becomes level with the top of the in-box, it is time to work through your papers and file what you need to keep.
• Have uncovered bins, boxes, buckets, baskets, etc. where toys, craft supplies, magazines, and other things that take over the surfaces in your home can be slid into when you are done with the items one day and yet found quickly the next time you want the items. By not putting a cover on these storage containers, you can see the items and they aren't hidden away.  They remain easy to access.

When I hide things, after a while they cease to exist.  I forget what I have and then I wonder why my closet or drawer is so messy.  Every time I rediscover something that I forgot about, I feel guilty for owning something I'm not using and then I start to wonder if I really need the item.

How about you?

Before and After Storage

Before
Unfortunately, the closet in our spare room has become my personal dumping ground.  Because I can close the door, I can avoid having others see the mess.  We don't have a lot of storage in our apartment, and I have a lot of stuff from the different aspects of my life. 

• I teach nature classes so I have a tote bag that I carry on fieldtrips.  I also have an assortment of props that I use for different classes.
• I make and sell crafts on Etsy (WeeCatCreations.etsy.com), go to craft shows, and sell items on consignment at a few gift shops.  This means that I have a supply of yarn and finished items, plus display items.
• I keep a file box for managing my father's estate. 
• I have memorabilia from my parents that isn't stuff that I'd keep on display but that I can't get rid of (both of my parents have died in the past five years).  (Dad worked for the Post Office, hence the mail bin, which he received when he retired.)
• As a writer, I have a box filled with ideas written in notebooks.  I hope to get around to working on these projects someday.
• I also keep my personal files in a file bin that sits in my closet.
• And, I have some costuming in here, as well.

Analyzing the Problem
Fortunately, this isn't the same closet where I store my clothing.  I realized that I was literally tossing things in the closet because I had some boxes stacked so high that it was a pain to move everything and put things away properly.

After

I moved the bin of memorabilia to the shelf because it was a bother to move out of the way. 

Although I have several stacks of bins in the closet, all but one stack is three boxes high.  The bottom bins are those filled with items I don't need to access on a regular (weekly) basis.  The larger bins in back of the smaller front bins contain the items I don't need on a daily basis.  I can move a top bin out of the way to get to the second bin down, if necessary.

I put more stuff in the bins that I already had in the closet (some weren't in use and had full bins set within).  Things like the display stuff for craft shows is in the bottom boxes because right now I'm not using those items. 

I grouped my teaching stuff in a bin instead of keeping it in a tote bag.  The problem with the tote bag was that I used it while I was teaching, so it wasn't the best item for storing items I wasn't using. 

I also moved mailing supplies for my Etsy shop into the top bin (sharing space with a new shipment of yarn) instead of letting it sit in a pile under my desk.  If this proves to be the wrong space, I'll have to move it. 

I didn't buy any organizing or storage supplies; I put to use what I already owned.  I realized that I could toss several years of old taxes, which allowed me to condense a couple boxes of paperwork into one. 

As I work through the yarn, I'll empty some of the bins.  This isn't a perfectly organized space, but my goal was to keep it neater by storing things is a way that would encourage me to put stuff away  immediately, instead of tossing it on the floor. 

Take Away
When you organize your files and belongings at home, don't think that it has to look magazine-shoot ready at all times.  Ask yourself why an area got messy and then figure out how you can solve that problem.  If your solution doesn't work, ask yourself what the problem is and keep trying to solve it until you hit on a solution that works for you.

Declutter This

When it comes to decluttering paper, there is the fear that you'll get rid of something you'll need.  However, there is a lot of stuff that you can clear out of your active file without a second thought.

Get rid of:

• Old copies of bills.  Keep the most current bill.  When you get a new bill, pay it and then file that copy while tossing the previous month's bill.  Or, go paperless and do your bill paying online.
• Past investment statements.  Again, you should keep the most current copy but the past copies do you little good.  Okay, you may want to track how your investments are fluctuating, but you could also talk with your advisor about your investments and allow them to look up your account.  No need to keep past paperwork.
• Bank statements more than a year old. 
• Expired warranties.
• Pay stubs after you've reconciled them with your W-2.
• Manuals for appliances you no longer own.
• Tax records more than a seven years old. 
• Pages torn from magazines and articles printed from online that you've never read or referenced for the past six months.

Yes, there is stuff you should keep, like your social security card and titles to vehicles.  You likely also have paper memorabilia that you want to keep.  Over the next few days, I'll focus on clearing through my own files and talking you through how you can do this on your own. 

I've started my own business, Paper Clutter Help, to assist people who don't have the time to declutter and organize their paperwork.  If you live in the vicinity of Canton, MA, USA, contact me at SusanCaplanMcCarthy@gmail.com.

Declutter First, then Get Organized

Whether you walk into a store geared to home or office, if they are encouraging you to spring clean and get organized, chances are they are suggesting that you purchase some of their handy organizing tools and systems. 

This is quite the temptation.  "If I got this item, then I know I'd find all of my stuff and I'd finally be organized," we think wistfully.  My parents were caught up in this mentality.  "If I buy this tool box, I can keep my stuff together."  Yet, my father had three nearly empty tool boxes.  He probably bought them on sale.

My mother loved office supply boxes, which I have to admit are a perfect size - not so big that if you fill the box you can't lift it; not so small that nothing fits inside.  However, the boxes were meant to "hide" stuff and convey the appearance of organization.

Instead of a random clutter of objects, she had stacks and stacks of boxes.

Before you buy a single organizing tool, container, gadget, or system, declutter your stuff.  Don't buy the four-drawer file cabinet because you have so much paperwork to organize.  Go through those papers and decide what you need to keep and what you can toss.  After doing this at my parents' house, the paperwork that would have filled several four-drawer file cabinets (had I been inclined to purchase them) winnowed down into a single plastic file box that I can carry around.  The rest of the paperwork was no longer important.

When you start decluttering your paperwork, I'd suggest that you start with some file folders.  That's it.  Maybe a label maker, because I love the neat look of the printed labels.  Don't buy a box or file cabinet.  Plan on using what you already have. 

Declutter first, getting rid of the stuff you don't need to keep.  Then look at what you have and decide how you'll organize that.  Chances are it will be a fraction of what you thought you needed to organize

Start Small

The other day when I said that to declutter anything you first should empty it out, I knew that would be an intimidating action to suggest.  Clearing off an entire shelf, removing the contents from a drawer, or emptying your closet can seem like a really big step because you have to start and finish the project.

For example, if you empty out a drawer and then get called away to do something else, you now have a brand new mess, which could be discouraging to rediscover when you finally make your way back to the task.

So, start small. 

Although you may have a lot of stuff on that one shelf or in that one drawer, chances are that you can clean and declutter that one small area in 15 minutes ... 30 minutes tops.

You may feel that one neat drawer won't do much for your house overall, but 15-to-30 minutes a day will add up the accomplishments faster than if you tried to convince yourself that on Saturday you'll clean an entire room for three hours. 

Three hours?  That sounds like too much time.  Fifteen minutes?  That doesn't seem like enough time.  But, really, what would you rather face, fifteen or thirty minutes of decluttering after dinner or the loss of your Saturday morning? 

Slow and steady.

First, Clear It Out

It doesn't matter whether you are clearing through your paper files, tackling the junk drawer, or reorganizing your closet, the one tip you consistently see on decluttering sites is to empty out whatever you are trying to organize. 

So, if you are cleaning a drawer, take everything out of that drawer instead of trying to clean around the stuff that is still in there.  If you are trying to organize your paperwork, bring it all to one place if it isn't already.

Although this may seem like a time-waster, emptying that drawer/closet/shelf gives you a blank slate.  You can swipe a rag around and get rid of any dust and get a closer look at what you really have.

• Look for duplicates and toss the oldest.  If you keep bills or bank statements, ask yourself (or an accountant) if you really need to keep every piece of paper or if you can get away with keeping the most current information
• Toss the stuff that you are wondering why you've kept for as long as you have.
• Put sentimental memorabilia (paper or objects) in a box dedicated to memory keeping. 
• Decide if you can repurpose items from around the house to organize your stuff.  If you cleared out a lot of paperwork, you may now have empty file folders that you can reuse.  That basket could be perfect for holding the mail; that vase for holding pens. 

Removing everything from a shelf, drawer, or closet lets you see what you are trying to organize.  Chances are you'll find that you have a lot more room once you get rid of the things shrouding what is important. 

Why You Should Organize Your Paper Clutter

It may seem easier to store old paperwork in boxes and bins and then tuck those boxes into some unused, dark corner than to spend hours sorting through which papers are important and which aren't. 

However, it is worth the effort to declutter your paperwork and establish a workable filing system.

Why go through all that effort?

• You'll be less stressed if you can find what you want when you need it.
• You'll potentially save money if in the past you've lost track of bills that incurred finance charges or if you couldn't find receipts for items you wanted to take tax deductions on. 
• You'll save time finding what you need.
• You'll save time filing your paperwork because you'll know where everything goes.
• Your house will look cleaner (even if it isn't) because guests won't be distracted by piles of papers everywhere.
• You won't have to worry about shoving all of your paper clutter into hiding when guests are coming over.  And you won't lose track of the papers you hastily hid and then didn't pull back out. 
• People won't perceive you as scatterbrained or thoughtless.

Where to start?  More to follow ...

Clutter for the Sake of Clutter

My parents were both hoarders.  Not as bad as the folks you see on some of those television shows, but hoarders nevertheless.

 

I offered a few times to help clean and organize, but my mother would get nervous that she wouldn't be able to find her stuff.  Yes, there was a lot of clutter, but she could tell you where she put something with pinpoint accuracy. 

 

When I'd push my offer to help (or, more accurately, take over and do things my way), mom would tell me that dad also complained about her clutter and that he'd tell her to throw out stuff. 

 

Her response was that she wasn't going to get rid of any of her stuff because dad wasn't throwing away his clutter!

 

Although I've heard about sentimental clutter or aspirational clutter, my parents' house was filled with spite clutter, things they didn't feel that they should get rid of until their spouse got rid of some of their things. 

 

After mom died and dad had to go into assisted living, I did clean through the house.  I found cancelled checks from when they got married in 1964 (and every year after that).  There were envelopes from the electric company with the informational inserts that they mail with your bill.  There were cash register receipts so faded they appeared to be nothing more than yellowed pieces of paper. 

 

I realize that at some point, the paperwork became so overwhelming that they didn't know where to start.  Papers would get shoved into bags and boxes and tucked up in the attic or down in the basement or in corners of the living room or beneath furniture. 

 

You may be thinking, "At least I'm not that bad," but it doesn't matter.  If you feel as if you are fighting the battle against paper clutter, I want to offer help, through this blog. 

 

Get ready to get organized.