Happy Tuesday! I thought with the beginning of summer that it would be a perfect time for me to start back up with my fun little weekly tips so here goes…
I do not know about all of you but I can handle a lot of household chores and tasks around here but there is one thing that I really struggle with and that is Paper Clutter!! Ok, I admit it… Now you all know my little weakness.
It really drives me nuts and it seems like there are just never enough hours in the day for me to tackle that crazy ‘ole desk of mine. Perhaps it is truly a motivation thing but I am going to blame it on my lack of time, alright? I am not sure why this is such a problem for me because I do love to organize and keep things in order – just not our desk. Ahhh!!! I so wish that I could share with you all that our home office armoire (where we keep all things paper related) looked like this today…
Sadly that little Inbox up there on the top right has taken over and it now looks like it threw up all over the place.
Perhaps I am exaggerating just a tad bit or maybe it is the fact that I have a brand new 4 week old newborn baby that I would rather hold than balance the checkbook or maybe it is just that I am really bad at filing away papers and I can so easily close the doors to the armoire and thus not have to deal with it all.
Perhaps I should not be giving tips today on dealing with paper clutter? Ha!!
Seriously though, I do have a tip for you all today and that is when you find yourself in the situation where your paper clutter is out of control – all over the kitchen counter, little piles laying here there and everywhere – then set your timer for 15 minutes (20 if you have the extra boost of energy and willpower), grab your trash bin, and just start diving in. I recommend handling those urgent action papers first. You know… The ones that have real consequences if you do not take care of them right away – bills, registration forms, invitation RSVPs. You get the idea, right? Just start tackling that pile first and then move on from there. I have done this so many times and you truly can get a lot done in those mere little 15 minutes where you are focused and then you feel so good about your little accomplishment that you want to set the timer for 15 more minutes and handle the next pile. Word to the wise… Do not overdo it with that 2nd or perhaps even 3rd round with your timer. Congratulate yourself and go enjoy a nice chilled glass of lemonade. In other words, take a break and then if you have the time, come back to work on it some more.
I am really going to try to get a handle on my paper clutter this summer so I will do my best to share in the future what is working for me and what is not. So if any of you out there have any tips on what works for you, then please do share in the comments below because I seriously need some help in this little area of my life.
Oh and if you are looking for some “expert” advice on this topic, I suggest you check out Aby’s workshop – Organize Your Paper Clutter. You better hurry because I believe that class starts today!
Gotta run… I am headed to set my timer and find that phone bill. 
2 comments:
I LOVE Creative Organizing and have gotten a ton of tips from there. I actually went through my paper this evening because it was getting out of control. This summer I want to work on a better filing system so things don't pile up as easy. Hope your decluttering went well.
I am here after seeing your comment on Stacey's blog.
I used to have the same problem...especially with when I added baby 1 and then 2!
I now have a system that works for me...
When I get home the mail is already on the counter (hubby gets home first). I pick it up, stand over the shredder/trash/recycling bin and go through the mail...
The keep stuff goes into my inbox which is a metal bucket I have hanging on the wall on the way down into the basement (where "office" is).
After the kids are in bed I take the mail downstairs and open all the envelops and set them up to pay on line. If I need to write a check for one I do that (even I won't mail it for a week or two) put a stamp on it and put the mail it date on the outside of the envelope. ****this usually happens 2 or 3 times a week.*****
My filing system is simple...each month gets a folder and the "stubs" go in a folder labeled with month and year. At the end of the year I go through and purge anything in the folders I don't really need to keep and then all the "month" folders go in a box labeled with the year. I do have a different folder for tax stuff.
All recipts that I think I need to keep go into a box with dividers for home, kids, clothes and misc.
Wouldn't work for everyone, but does work for me!
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