You know it’s time to get rid of paper clutter if you are sick and tired of looking at piles of paper. Or, you have no idea what’s in your filing cabinets even though you spent years labeling and filing. Keep reading to learn how to get rid of paper.
Other reasons to declutter paper may include:
- Not being able to find what you need.
- The anxiety of someone else going through your paper one day.
- Feeling overwhelmed with one more thing you have to manage.
Get rid of paper clutter by asking 2 simple questions
There are a few steps you can take to get rid of the paper clutter you already have (which we’ll unpack below), but first let’s stop the incoming paper clutter. You can prevent future paper clutter by asking two simple questions. Until you start asking these questions, you’ll continue to print and save paper without really understanding why.
1. Why should I print this?
In many cases we print things just to save it. Buy why? Before you click “print” see if you really need it. Could you save it digitally or let it go? What’s the reality of you using what you print? Just pausing to ask why and then making a more intentional decision to print or not to print will prevent paper build up.
I haven’t owned a printer in many years and while I still occasionally have things printed, it’s rare.
2. Do I have to save this?
Aside from taxes and important documents, what are you saving that you are actually using? Understanding the categories of paper that you save and noticing how you interact with them, will help you know what’s useful to save or not save moving forward. Instead of always working to better organize your paper, keep way less of it. Saving less is gentler than organizing more.
I remember when I emptied two filing cabinets of paper I had diligently saved and organized over the years. Hardly any of it was important and I never looked at it once it was neatly filed.
If you’ve ever printed something just to save it and never used it, you see how powerful these two simple questions are. Stop printing and/or saving paper (for the most part).
How to get rid of paper clutter
With the right approach, this doesn’t have to be a painful process. Start by choosing the pace that works best for you.
If you want to get this all done in one day, turn on your favorite music or feel good movie and move all of your paper into one room. Bring in the paper from the filing cabinets, the banker boxes of papers you’ve been saving (just in case), the piles on your desk, from your nightstand, and the kitchen table. All of it.
You might choose a slower pace, working for an hour every Saturday or another day during the week. Or perhaps you want to work on your paper clutter 15 minutes a day.
Once you choose your declutter paper pace, set aside anything you need to keep legally, like tax forms or important documents. Ask an accountant to be sure of what those forms actually are.
Next, admit that you’ve been holding on to the rest “just in case.” I’m not judging. I’ve been there. The question as you go through each piece of paper is, “Is this helpful?” If the answer is no, put it in the “shred or recycle pile.” If the answer is yes, put it in the “keep” pile.
Remove the “shred or recycle pile” from sight and revisit your keep pile. Go through each piece in this pile again and ask “Do I need to keep this and why?” If your why doesn’t make much sense to you, let it go.
Next, separate the keep pile into two piles, “NOW” and “LATER” — Your NOW pile will be paper that requires action. For instance, bills that need to be paid or anything that requires your response. Your LATER pile is paper you will access later. You can keep your important documents in your LATER pile.
Scan what you can from the LATER pile. You don’t have to organize these piles further. They should be small enough that you can put them away and easily find what you need, when you need it. In other words, you can say goodbye to your filing cabinets and 200 folders. You might not need that label maker or stapler anymore either.
More tips on getting rid of paper clutter …
These tips will help you get rid of paper clutter. They may not all apply to you but many will. If you want extra accountability and support while you get rid of your paper, join me for a paper-focused declutter hour here.
1. Go paperless with banking and bills.
Sign up for e-statements and do your banking online. You probably don’t need to be getting this kind of mail anymore. Once you confirm that you can access past statements, shred the ones you’ve been holding onto.
2. Release your books and magazines.
Read and recycle. When you are finished reading, donate your books. Here are 25 places to donate books. You can bring them to your local library, share in a neighborhood tiny library or pass along to a friend. You can also read digital versions of almost every book and magazine if you prefer. I like to hold an actual book in my hands, but digital books are great for travel and convenience.
3. Open your mail outside.
Open your mail outside and recycle what you can. Only bring in what’s important. Most of it isn’t.
4. Try a “no print” challenge.
Turn your printer off and try a 30 day print-free challenge. It’s easier to live without than you think. If you need your printer for accessibility reasons, ignore this suggestion.
5. Limit catalogs and junk mail.
I have yet to figure out how to permanantly stop receiving catalogs or junk mail but here are some suggestions to reduce junk mail.
6. Burn your journals.
I journal almost every day and I save hardly anything I write. I don’t journal to save what I write. I journal to move thoughts from my head to paper. You might not like this idea. That’s ok. It’s not for everyone. Personally, I don’t want to leave behind my journals for anyone else to read. I do keep a 5-year journal that I won’t mind if anyone reads. This is why I shred or burn my journals.
7. Scan personal identification.
Scan and store. You won’t get far with a scan of your passport, but having the scanned version will help if you lose the real one.
8. Children’s artwork, report cards and love notes.
Instead of saving every report card, and work of art they bring home from school, select a few pieces and display them on a “wall of fame” that rotates monthly, or create a meaningful collage. A digital photo book is a nice way to preserve those memories too. Don’t tell yourself you are saving it all for them. They won’t want it all.
9. You don’t need all of those photographs.
Sort. Toss the duplicates, bad images, and pictures of things you don’t want, need or remember. Scan or display the rest. They aren’t doing any good stuffed in a box under the bed. This is what I did with photos of my grandparents after they died.
10. Medical records.
Most hospitals and medical offices keep digital files that you can access too. If you can’t part with your medical records, scan them and keep them in one digital folder.
11. How to get rid of the paper clutter that is sentimental.
Parting with those old yearbooks and love letters can be challenging. Save the thoughts, words and memories that are meaningful to you, and then let go of the past to make room for the future. See what my friend Krissy discovered when she let go of decades of birthday cards, invitations and other messages.
Parting with those old yearbooks, birthday cards, and love letters can be challenging. Save the thoughts, words and memories that are meaningful to you, and then let go of the past to make room for love in the present and future.
All paper isn’t clutter, but most of it is. When you finally get rid of paper, the question you’ll be asking is, “why did I save this for so long?”