Is paper clutter overwhelming you? For one reason or another - and there many- paper piles up, and dealing with the accumulation can feel like just too much to handle. The word "accumulate," though, doesn't cover the severity of the situation. Paper stacks up, builds, becomes compacted; it agglomerates, amasses, becomes dense and complex. It turns into an undifferentiated mess, in other words, and is discouraging, at best, to live with. We sometimes go into denial about our papers. We hide them in closets and boxes, stack them up on shelves and shove them into file cabinets, and hope they'll just go away. What Paper Is Really All About Here's the thing: these papers represent important parts of our lives. They represent our interests, belongings, finances, and careers; our travels, friends, families and children; our memories, plans for the future and even our pets. All this and more might be buried in those stacks. It's likely that your papers contain important records you'd like easier access to, and documents you've forgotten all about. And in my experience, every huge stack of paper contains a hidden treasure or two that's wonderful to re-discover. For all these reasons and more, if you have a paper problem, it's time to make room for yourself by clearing out the hiding places and creating convenient storage. Now is the moment to discard papers that have lost their meaning and to take control of the documents with lasting value. Maybe most importantly, it's time to let go of "toxic" papers and unearth the things that make you feel great about yourself. The issue is how, exactly, to do it. I admit it can be daunting, but cutting your papers down to size doesn't have to be difficult. Make the project easy on yourself by following the steps below. Eight Steps To Making Peace With Your Papers 1. Identify all the places where you keep papers. If you have an existing filing system, this counts because it's probably time to update it. It's not time to pull everything out of its hiding places (yet), though, because I don't want you to create a bigger mess than necessary. Just knowing where everything is the first essential step. 2. Get the supplies necessary for creating a filing system: disposable file boxes, manila folders, hanging files (to begin with I recommend 50 of each of these), bags for trash and recycling, a good pen for writing out the file names (or a label maker if you prefer). 3. Take a look at the papers you found and begin pulling them together by broad category: home, financial, personal interests, etc. 4. Toss the papers you know you don't need. For example, it's generally only necessary to keep tax records for seven years; right now you can toss everything before 2001. Refer to my Paper-Reduction Timeline for a complete overview on papers to keep or toss. 5. You'll inevitably discover at least a few magazines and catalogs, which make any stack more intimidating. My advice on catalogs is to toss them unless you are immediately interested, and/or to tear out pages with items that interest you. Magazines are a different story. Separate them from your other papers and use your best judgment to reduce their number. My suggestion: start by discarding anything that pre-dates this year. 6. As you toss unnecessary papers, start organizing your new files: refer to Starting from Scratch: Create A Filing System That Works, and to Getting Access to the Papers You Use for precise advice about setting them up. 7. Along with the files you're creating to organize your life, be sure to create one for the notes you've received over the years from people who really appreciate you. One of my clients suggested a name for this file: Rave Reviews. It's a fabulous boost to have a file like this! 8. Finally, separate supplies you've come across - extra file folders, blank pads and writing books; pens, pencils and markers; staplers, clips, rulers, etc. -- and use one of the spaces that used to hold papers as your new supply cabinet. You'll be so glad to have all this in one place when the project is finished. Imagine a home without paper clutter? This home can be yours. It takes a bit of effort, but the rewards of being clutter-free will blow your mind. Happy Organizing!
