Tackling Paper Clutter

This morning I am catching up on some of my own paper clutter using these techniques, originally posted in September 2012. 

Speaking at Multiple Births Canada National Conference, Oct. 2011

Since founding Simply Organized Life in 2005, the question I am most asked is "What to do with all those pesky paper piles?"

After a busy summer filled with lots of activities outside the home, I found myself with some sizable paper piles in my office. I made the piles go away and am only left with my current project folders on my desk. Here's what I did: 

1) Set Aside the Time

Being a professional organizer, I know how to handle paperwork and (gasp) actually enjoy it. However, several rounds of house guests and our busy summer schedule kept me away from my home office where the paper piled up. At the first opportunity, I scheduled time in my calendar to deal with the paper on my desk. 

2) Just Do It

Paper piles can be pretty intimidating. It is much easier (and more fun) to check your e-mail, surf Facebook or do just about anything other than sorting through the papers. What I find works for me is to set a timer for a short amount of time (say 15 minutes) and just starting dealing with the paper pile top down. If a bill appears, I pay it. If project papers appear, I schedule time in my calendar or create a project file. Most people can handle those types of action papers, but what about those pesky papers that you *might* need to refer to in the future? 

3) Put it Away 

Everyone needs a system for those little bits of paper that we want to refer to in the future. The thing is that if we cannot retrieve those papers when we need them, what is the point of keeping them? 

I utilize a combination of paper files, like the family binder I referred to in my "Get Organized for Back to School" post, and am slowly shifting to a paperless system for other things. For my children's artwork I either take a photograph or scan the items. These things are stored by month and year with our digital photos. For other things, like interesting magazine articles or websites, I scan and save to Evernote, which I can then search at a later date.  

Source:  www.evernote.com

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. Carolyn will be presenting "Spring Clean Your Clutter" at Ann Arbor Rec & Ed. on May 10, 2013. Register now with Ann Arbor Rec & Ed. Please note that Carolyn was not compensated by any vendors for this blog post. 

Organize Paper Clutter

Who among us does not struggle to keep on top of paper clutter? An IDC survey from 2007 discovered that 95% of all information is still processed in paper form; with 45 sheets of paper being printed on average each day per employee (source: www.napo.net). 

It takes a great deal of determination and a few simple habits to conquer paper clutter at home and at work. Here are your new habits to implement:

1) Sort Daily

Take 5 to 10 minutes every day to sort through any paper that has come into your space. In the workplace, I recommend doing this at a set interval such as first thing in the morning, at lunch time or in your last hour at work. At home, I like to sort through the mail and the kids papers around dinner time. The idea here is to eliminate all the unnecessary items (i.e. junk) and deal with anything that takes two minutes or less. 

2) File Immediately

If your sort has resulted in items to file, such as monthly statements, go ahead and file those items immediately. This should take two minutes or less if you have the files set up already. If you do not have files set up, setting up a file should be part of your next habit, act weekly.

3) Act Weekly

This habit is primarily for the home, as work items will typically need to be acted upon according to deadline and priority. Set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour at least once a week to work on and eliminate your action items. If your schedule is flexible, you might opt for 15 minutes several times a week. Your action time might include paying bills, sending an RSVP or setting up files. 

If you need a little extra help getting a hold on paper clutter, please contact Carolyn to schedule a complementary telephone consultation and be your best in 2013. 

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. Would you like to learn how to keep your family organized? Carolyn will be presenting "Organize Your Family" through Ann Arbor Rec and Ed on Friday, February 8, 2013. Register with Ann Arbor Rec and Ed. 

Cut Electronic Clutter

In the March edition of "Your Simply Organized Life" I shared a bit more about my New Year's Resolution to keep my e-mail in-boxes near zero. 

Electronic clutter, particularly e-mail, is very much like paper in that it just keeps coming at us.

Here are some super simple tips to organize your electronic files:

1) Automate Backups

Let's face it...stuff happens. Backing up your electronic files is the first step in getting organized electronically. Most people are not very good about backing up their files regularly, so buy lunch for your favorite techie (or hire a computer service company) and have them set up automated backup. This can be done with an external hard drive or a cloud solution such as CrashPlan or Carbonite. 

2) Set Up Electronic File Folders

Although search features have come a long way, I still recommend setting up electronic file folders that mirror your paper file folders (assuming those are in good order, if not, I can help). The vast majority of us need file folders in our e-mail program as well as on the drive where we keep other electronic files. For digital photos, set up file folders based on how the photos will be used (i.e. by subject or time). 

3) Delete Early and Often

While a ton of files on your computer is not exactly like a cluttered desk, the key issue in both cases is retrievability. The only reason to keep anything (electronic or otherwise) is to be able to somehow use it or refer to it in the future. The more you let go of, the easier it will be to find what you really need. 

Carolyn Anderson-Fermann is a public speaker, organizing expert and founder of Simply Organized Life. For more organizing tips and Carolyn's free "Secrets of a Simply Organized Life" report, sign up for the April 2012 edition of "Your Simply Organized Life".

Insurance Paperwork Filing

Getting rid of items that are no longer needed is a key strategy to getting organized. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know what to toss when it comes to paperwork like insurance policies. These are the items that we tend to hang on to, citing "what if" scenarios.

The folks at Freedom Filer, a "self-purging" document storage system, say that it is generally alright to get rid of old insurance policies if you've received a new one, unless one of their following circumstances apply to you:

• If you have a claim pending, hang on to the expired policy and any related paperwork.
• If you think there may be a claim filed in regards to something that happened during the life of your old policy, keep the policy documents.
• For businesses, it doesn't hurt to keep all policy paperwork through the life of your business.

*Remember, always check with your CPA or attorney about what legal paperwork to keep and for how long.