Welcome back to our current organizing campaign, in which I’m addressing the most common, simplest organizational issues my clients come across.  I’ll offer 2 solutions to every problem–1 strategy, and 1 product.  So whether you’re looking for a do-it-yourself approach or an easy ready-made fix, my intention is to offer you a simple solution to a common problem in your space.

Common Problem #2: What papers to keep
Papers pile up for one reason: lack of decision making.  When we don’t know if we need to keep certain documents and for how long, we avoid taking action and find ourselves with bothersome paper clutter  Until now…

Strategy:
1. Gather all the papers that you need to take action on
2. Sort into categories (paid bills, financial statements, health related, etc)
3. Consult this reference for what to keep and for how long
4. File what needs to be kept, and toss or shred the rest

This can be done in an afternoon if you’re motivated and focused.  I tackled some of mine this past weekend.  I dove into my archived files, finally disposing of such needless documents as pay stubs from my 2008 summer lifeguarding job and old banking records!

Product:
Keep a small shredder handy to dispose of documents with sensitive information.  I filled up the bag below with the use of my very basic shredder.  For smaller jobs, these shredding scissors are great for a page or two at a time.

(Click on the link to see more details)

Encountering especially uncooperative paper clutter?  Shoot me an email and I’m happy to help!

Happy Organizing!