Overcoming Busy

My New System For Paper Clutter

March 18, 2011 by Marci

Paper clutter has been my nemesis. No matter what organizing system I tried, I couldn’t keep up with the amount of paper coming into our home.  When Simple Mom announced that this week’s Project Simplify hot spot was paper clutter, I was determined to come up with a organizing system for our paper clutter that would work for me.

What’s The Problem?

Why have I always been unsuccessful handling paper clutter? Why have I set up systems and then have clutter pile up on me in just a few days? As, I look back I can see I used other people’s paper organization systems to handle my paper clutter. They didn’t handle my paper, my hot spot area where it all piles up, my storage and handling needs. I figured now it was up to me to come up with something that addresses my true paper clutter problems.

Here’s what I started with….

Problem #1
My file cabinet is upstairs, so paper that needs to be file gets piled up to be taken upstairs later but then gets buried. And then there are some papers that might need to be filed but I want them to be quickly accessible.

Solution #1
I grabbed leftover small file box from my husbands old office to store those common papers in file folders so they will be organized yet accessible. The box is large enough that it will hold the folders I need yet  small enough to fit into my cabinet off the counter.

Problem #2
We (my husband) had a complicated bill paying system. It was so complicated that sometimes bills didn’t get paid on time and it required this bulky accorian folder. He liked to keep every bill from the year to refer back to. (which we never did)

Solution #2
The accordian folder is history! So are all the old bills. There is no  need to keep old paper bills around when they can be accessed online. That cleared up a lot of room in my cabinet! Now, just the pending bills are stored in a little basket with the due date written on the envelope.

Problem #3
We have 3 different checking accounts for personal and business. All those check boxes and check books get thrown into the cabinet and we have to sort through all the boxes to find the right checks when we need them.

Solution #3
I sorted through the check boxes and found a couple could be consolidated. I threw away old check registers that didn’t need anymore. To make sure we don’t have to root through every box looking for the right check, I wrote the checking account type on the box. (Real rocket science huh?)

Problem #4
I needed a place to store note paper that we use everyday for lists and a place to store all the cords, cameras and other various electronic accessories.

Solution #4
The former “catch all” basket became the new home for paper and electronics.

Problem #5
This drawer that is supposed to be storing various odds and ends we use frequently was being taken over by papers that I didn’t want to file but would need soon. Problem was, important stuff got buried and forgotten and there was no room left for the things we really needed.

Solution #5
Use the new filing system to handle all that paper!!

The Finished Product

I feel much better about this system. It handles all my paper clutter problems. I already used it yesterday when the mail came in and the kids brought papers home from school and ice skating. It worked great! My counters are still clean and the papers are trashed or filed! Success!!

Do you need help with all the incoming paper in your home? Check out the Project Simplify link up at Simple Mom for some great ideas.