Look Good on Paper: Control the Influx and Manage What You Keep - The Clutter Fairy Weekly
Paper is a plentiful source of clutter-and frustration-for many people. Even though our digital lives offer us more options than ever for “going paperless,” paper clutter still seems to keep stacking up. In episode #204 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines habits, behaviors, and attitudes that lead us to keep more paper than we need or can manage and offers pointers for purging your personal paper piles.
Show notes: cfhou.com/tcfw204
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:36 Discussion of the last Weekly Tittle
13:37 Main topic: Look Good on Paper: Control the Influx and Manage What You Keep
54:49 Next episode’s topic
55:53 Weekly Tittle
58:01 Closing announcements
The Clutter Fairy Weekly is a live webcast and podcast designed to help you clear your clutter and make space in your home and your life for more of what you love. We meet Tuesdays at noon (U.S. Central Time) to answer your decluttering questions and to share organizing tools and techniques, success stories and “ah-hah!” moments, seasonal suggestions, and timeless tips.
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My paper organizing supplies were low quality, and that made organizing paper much more difficult than it had to be....for decades. Like pens /markers that did not work, flimsy manilla folders that bent over, staplers that jammed, a weak shredder., etc. So this year, for the first time, I invested in better quality paper organizing products. I do not buy many home organizing products,. But upgrading to better quality paper organizing products, is making a dreaded job, a lot easier. I donated the old heavy 4 drawer metal file cabinet, and upgraded to a new hanging file /rolling cart (so I can sit comfortably in my recliner to do filing). I upgraded to a more powerful shredder, to heavy duty file folders, better scissors, pens, etc I finally realized , that It is a form of mental self-care, to supply myself with easier to use products, to help me with a difficult job that I have to do alone. (p.s. about that old, metal filing cabinet....it is too heavy and large to take it with me, when I downsize and move, anyway. So by investing in a smaller, lighter hanging file cart....I can use it now...and I am "downsizing in place" , until I move..
I love this report! All excellent points about improving your interaction with paper!
Always a Joy !!!❤❤❤
Thank you!
Great topic .. paper/books = my time-consuming project. I have 3 systems =1) 365 days journal entry system - This way I read daily things I thought were important to post. Otherwise they get scratched out. (Using a renewable system, so I can add in pages or delete them) .. 2) Filing system = bulk categories as you mentioned. Unfortunately, I like tracking every $, & putting into categories, which I love, but also time-consuming. Thankfully, everything is limited to about 2 canvas (grocery sz) bags at max. 3)Reread books I like, & see if still relevant to keep. = All self-help type books. Even though time-consuming, stress is cut down, bc I have a system in place, which is helpful mentally. 😊
Love your posts. Thanks.
So happy, I shredded four reams of work papers (I have been working remotely) - took me three hours. the shredder the company sent me is great, very few stoppages to cool down.
Paper is an issue and a non-issue at the same time for me. I handle our household mail each day and immediately put in recycle bin what is junk. I put bills without envelopes in a small pile for my husband to see as he is in charge of handling that part of life. We do have an old school file cabinet full of taxes from more years back than 7 and other old accounts like cable from prior homes so that needs purging/shredding. Anecdote: a very Hard Lesson that I learned was by having our mail sent to a relative (who agreed happily to the task) while we lived overseas for 2 plus years. Person told me an updated credit card never arrived in the mail, but miraculously it appeared when I received our mail upon arrival back to the states. Learned they have a lot to learn in terms of handling papers, too.
I have an easy system to keep up with paper. Two categories are unresolved, photos and genealogy. I will deal with them later. My daily/weekly/annual system is based on KonMari, the Clutterbug and the Minimal Mom. I deal with incoming physical papers daily. Recycling, to do, to pay or reference/to be decided. I empty my purse daily and put all receipts there. Max a few minutes daily. I have one admin day weekly. I pay what needs to be paid. Most bills are digital through my internet bank. The bank files and I don't print paper copies. The paper bills I put in a file for all bills paid this year. In that file I also put receipts for larger items, ie electronics etc. I update my calendar with dates to keep etc. I keep tickets, fliers etc for upcoming events in one file. I look through the reference materials if they are still relevant. And I trash everything I don't need to keep. Annually I transfer the previous years paid bills to another container where I sort into insurance, utilities, household, art etc. Rather large categories. I have 2 annual containers: forever and temporary.
I have a weekly pill container with 4 tiers Once a week I put my daily vitamins and pills in the appropriate day and time. That way, they are in a small container AND I can tell if I have taken them.
If there are journaling groups in Houston, those old ephemera papers are desired and might be sold or donated.
I am so happy I get to burn my paper🎉
I am a junk journaled and many of the family papers are great for. Y journals, but those papers have their own place. Ive leaned from Gail to recycle junk mail when it comes in. But it is the not knowing what papers I need for taxes later. I realize as I listen that the whole file of “interesting information” papers I’ve cut our of the paper or magazines can be recycled Because anymore almost everything can be found online if i need the information and I have already forgotten what is in the file!
If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you!!!
I’m really satisfied with our paper management system. It’s been working for us since 2016. I did just as Gayle discusses. ✔️1. Gathered all the loose papers from all over the house into a box and sorted them into: Needs Action, Keep, Trash, Shred. ✔️2. The Needs Action papers became my Active File. These are papers still in play. I put those in a wall file hanging on m6 kitchen wall. This is where incoming papers go daily after they’ve been stripped of unneeded envelopes and inserts. I process my active file once a week. ✔️3. I emptied our 2 drawer lateral file cabinet into the living room floor. Sorted into Trash, Shred, Keep. The keep pile was small. Mostly medical procedure files, tax returns, property-related docs like appraisals, appeals, receipts. The property deeds are in the Important Paper binder. ✔️4. I created an Important Papers binder with a Table of Contents in front. ✔️5. I use a “Project Organizer” spiral bound notebook with 24 slash pockets to hold those papers I want to keep to read or reference. I put a table of contents in front of it. I clear it at the end of the year. No more loose papers.
I am impressed and encouraged! Thx!