Paper clutter can add stress to any household, especially when piles of paper constantly cover countertops, dining room tables, and every spare surface. These paper decluttering tips will help you develop a home organization system so you can declutter papers in just 5 minutes a day!
One of the least exciting things about adulting is all the paperwork that seems to come with it. Bills, receipts, tax returns – you name it. They’re all necessary, and they’re all piling up on your counter, demanding your attention and cluttering up your space.
Add kids into the mix, and you’ve also got 1,000 drawings of dinosaurs, princesses, and other sentimental papers that you can’t seem to throw away.
Living amid paper clutter can be stressful, so I’ve created this ultimate guide to decluttering papers in just 5 minutes a day. After the first big decluttering session, you’ll be able to get rid of documents and set up an organization system that works to consistently eliminate paper clutter in your home.
Now, we can all collectively sigh a breath of relief. Let’s get to it!
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Paper Clutter Comes in All Forms…
As I mentioned above, there’s no shortage of paper clutter in almost every home, especially if you have children! And most of these papers and documents fall into the following categories:
Ah, childhood – the time when the only things you received in the mail were birthday cards from Nana and Papa. Those were the good old days!
As adults, the mail carrier brings us less exciting items that we want to throw away but still require our attention. These include bills, bank statements, insurance paperwork, and other documents that you know you should keep but have nowhere to store at the moment.
Kids’ School Papers
We all want to preserve as many memories of when our children were small as possible. Each paper they bring home seems necessary to keep – their first spelling test, birthday party invitation, and every school art project they’ve ever done.
I was definitely guilty of this (and still am!). However, all of those school papers tend to pile up…everywhere. Pretty soon, your fridge, counters, and every available piece of wall space are covered in these items, and you’re about to tear your hair out!
There’s nothing wrong with keeping sentimental school papers if you have a system in place to file and store them! In addition to the paper decluttering tips here, I also invite you to visit my post on how to create a school memory box – complete with free printables! It’s a quick DIY project that will save you hours in the future.
Personal Papers and Official Documents
In addition to everything you get in the mail, you also have personal paperwork and documents that you can’t throw away but don’t really have a good place to keep at the moment. These include things like:
- medical records
- marriage certificate
- social security cards
You obviously don’t want to misplace something like your social security card, but you also don’t want it floating around in your junk drawer!
Receipts and Financial Documents
Another primary source of paper clutter is financial documents. These can include things you need for tax time, stock certificates, bank statements, loan paperwork, etc.
If you’re self-employed, you’ll probably also have a folder or envelope for receipts related to your business. Plus, the government suggests that you keep tax returns for up to seven years – that’s a long time for these papers to be cluttering the corners of your closet!
Product Manuals
If you’ve ever bought any major appliance, computer, or complex toy your kid couldn’t live without, you probably also have the product manuals for those items.
You wouldn’t believe how quickly these booklets can add up (or maybe you can)! Soon, they’re spilling out of drawers, cabinets, and anywhere else you’ve found to stick them because you have no idea what to do with them but also might need them someday.
Sentimental Papers
Along with your kids’ school papers, you also probably have sentimental items you can’t bring yourself to get rid of. These are things like concert tickets, trip brochures, family letters, cute notes from your hubby, etc.
I know how hard it is to let papers like these go – they’re reminders of wonderful memories you had with your loved ones! And the good news is that with these paper decluttering tips, you don’t have to get rid of them!
Once you have a system of organization in place, you can file them away and get them out whenever you’d like to reminisce. Or, if you really need to let some of your sentimental clutter go, then visit this post for tips to declutter sentimental items.
What to Keep When Decluttering Paperwork
So, how do you decide what to keep when you’re decluttering papers? That’s an excellent question and one that I dive into in much more detail in my post about important papers and documents you need to keep! But to give a brief overview, the necessary papers you keep will typically fall into these main categories:
- personal identification documents
- additional legal documents
- medical papers
- financial documents
- assets paperwork
- insurance papers
- education and work-related papers
- end of life documents
- sentimental items
Ideally, you’ll develop an organization system so that you can tackle the paper clutter in less than 5 minutes a day, quickly sorting incoming documents and other items into these categories.
Paper Decluttering Tips
In order to deal with the paper clutter you already have, I recommend setting up good file organization systems. The first step is decluttering papers that are currently stacked up around your home.
Then, when new paperwork and documents come into your house, you have an effective system in place where you can sort everything immediately and file it away. It’s much easier to declutter when you know where to put everything!
Make a stack of all papers that need decluttering from around the home.
The first step of decluttering paperwork is to go through your house room by room. Gather papers that need to be sorted and organized. These can include:
- random receipts in your junk drawer
- old magazines from your living room
- mail on the kitchen counter
- artwork your children have brought home
Sort paperwork into piles.
Next, it’s time to decide what papers you want to keep and which ones to throw away. Sort the paperwork into piles, using categories like:
- Trash – Don’t feel like you have to keep everything! If it doesn’t serve a purpose, chuck it in the bin!
- Keep Handy – These can include paperwork that’s going to be used/needed soon, like kids’ field trip permission slips.
- File Away – important or sentimental papers that you need to keep but that don’t need to be out cluttering your counters, walls, etc.
Set up a filing system for important paperwork.
Once you’ve gone through the process of paper decluttering, it’s time to create a home filing system that will help you stay organized in the future. This is my favorite part of the process, and I have a fantastic step-by-step resource for you on how to set up a filing system for family papers!
In the post, I walk you through what items you’ll need to create your home filing system, how to set up one that works, and give you insights into what mine looks like. Once you have a smooth procedure for filing documents, decluttering papers takes much less time!
You can also head to this post to grab some free printable file folder labels to use when setting up a filing drawer for all of your family’s important paperwork!
Set up a system for all incoming papers.
Congratulations! You’ve set up your own home filing system for decluttering paperwork! But what are you going to do with all of the papers that flood your home on a daily basis? Don’t worry, I have some paper decluttering tips to help with that, too.
It’s essential to determine how you will deal with ALL papers that come into the home, even if you don’t have time to get to them immediately.
I have this vertical file that hangs on the wall in my office, and I absolutely LOVE it! My vertical wall file has eight different slots that I have labeled with a label machine. That way, I can easily file papers away where they need to go. One slot says “To File Personal,” one for “To File Business,” one for “Kids Papers,” which I need to keep easily accessible, etc.
I just quickly add papers to the vertical file, and then once a week, I go through the wall file and transfer papers to their filing folders in my desk. This is just a suggestion -you can also use a slotted desk organizer like this one (if you have the space) or a hanging organizer that goes on the back of your door.
Invest in a shredder for decluttering papers.
When decluttering papers, it’s also important to be mindful of how to deal with documents and paperwork you’d like to get rid of. If these contain sensitive information, such as personal and medical documents, I suggest investing in a paper shredder.
With the incidents of identity theft and fraud rising dramatically, you can never be too careful! Also, as soon as you put your trash out on the curb, it becomes public property. This means anyone can look through it and take whatever they like. Better to be safe than defrauded!
Switch to digital formats when you can.
You can also reduce paper clutter by switching to online statements when possible. Ask yourself if you actually need your paper copies of utility bills or monthly mortgage statements. If not, opt-in to receive digital copies.
Many companies also post their product manuals online. If you can, recycle your paper copies and download the PDF versions for equipment, appliances, toys, computers, etc. Store these in a file on your computer or your Google Drive.
How to Declutter Papers in 5 Minutes a Day
Now that your organization system is in place, follow these steps whenever any new papers come into your home. It doesn’t matter if it’s mail, kids’ schoolwork, etc. – there’s a place for everything and everything in its place.
Immediately trash papers you don’t need.
One of my most important paper decluttering tips is that you don’t need to keep every piece of paper! If it doesn’t serve a purpose or preserve a memory, into the trash can it goes!
I give you full permission to trash junk mail, kids’ school papers that you don’t need to keep, personal receipts that aren’t necessary, etc.
Sort papers you need to keep for long-term storage.
Now that you have an effective home filing system in place, you can either immediately file away papers that you need to keep or add them to a “To File” bin or basket and file all paperwork at the end of every week.
If you’re waiting to file these papers away, you should add this task to your weekly to-do list to avoid them piling up. Otherwise, you’re right back where you started!
Add papers to keep handy to a basket or wall bin.
If you have documents and other paperwork that you know you’re going to need soon, it’s best to store them somewhere easily accessible.
We keep a wall-mounted basket next to our front door in our command center for papers that we will need in the next week or so.
And that’s it! I would like to add that consistency is the key to making any system like this one work. Once you make paper decluttering a habit, it will become second nature – and your counters will thank you!
More Decluttering Resources
Huge Decluttering Checklist – Printable Checklist to Help With Decluttering!
This free printable declutter checklist will help you minimize the mess in your home while experiencing the satisfaction of crossing each item off as you go!
The One Drawer Decluttering Challenge – Great if You’re Super Busy!
If the idea of decluttering your home makes you break into a cold sweat, this one drawer challenge is for you! The free printable declutter challenge worksheet is perfect for anyone who wants to start organizing on a busy schedule.
Free Printable Decluttering Calendar
One of the most challenging parts of decluttering is knowing where to start! This free printable decluttering challenge and 30 day calendar gives you one area of the home to declutter each day so it’s less overwhelming.
I’d love to hear how these paper decluttering tips have helped you! Let me know in the comments section below!
Happy nesting!
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