Is paper taking over your house?

We all accumulate a lot of paper from the mail, school, doctors office, etc. Pretty soon you can't see your desk, the kitchen counter is buried, and your filing cabinets are overflowing. Are you spending precious time filing papers in a file cabinet only to never look at them again? The majority of the information you need is online, therefore you don't need to save everything. This paper is cluttering up your life and it is time to stop the madness!

Below are a few tips to reduce the paper clutter in your home:

1. Sort your mail at the recycling bin and toss the junk mail. If the task associated with the mail can be handled in 2-3 minutes, do it right away and then toss.

2. Credit and insurance solicitors retrieve your information through the major credit bureaus. You can elect to be removed from these offers for 5 years or permanently. Call 1-888-567-8688 or visit: http://www.optoutprescreen.com.

3. The Data & Marketing Association offers a simple process that enables you to manage your mail preferences. You can register at www.DMAchoice.org for a processing fee of $2 for a period of ten years. This will not stop all junk mail, but it will slow it down considerably. 

4. Sign up for automatic bill payment and online statements. This will save you time and eliminate unnecessary paper.

5. Cancel subscriptions to magazines you don’t read or have time to read.

6. When the cashier asks for your phone number or email address, kindly say "I don't share that information."

7. When you receive a paper invitation or school information with important dates, put the dates on your phone or paper calendar and then recycle. If you need to do something in preparation of the event (like buy a gift), put the task on your to-do list.

8. By keeping all of your child’s art, you lower the value of the pieces you truly love. You can take a picture of your child holding the art, or scan it, and then recycle. You could also display a few favorites on the fridge, bulletin board, or frame it for the kids/play room and recycle the others. Another option is putting your favorite pieces in a box and at the end of the year only keep 2-3 pieces.

I had the pleasure of helping my client who was overwhelmed and stressed by all the clutter. While sorting through the papers in her office, she realized she didn't need 90% of them. My client now has a space where she can work, read a book, and relax without the distraction of clutter. She loves that everything has a designated place and now has the skills to keep her office organized.