Organize + Energize: 5 Reasons Paper Clutter Forms

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalWorcester Organizing Expert

You know if you have paper management issues. You have paper scattered in every room. It’s by the entry way on a table, it’s stuffed in baskets and bags, on your nightstand, in your pocketbook, you name a room and there will be paper in it.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and you can get out and start fresh. This is a very overwhelming project for some. You may have tried to tackle this before and it was too stressful, so you just decided that it was easier to continue working the way you have rather than tackle this project.

Some people are in denial about their paper clutter and enjoy functioning with piles and piles of paper. Some will say they know exactly what’s in their heaping piles. It never fails, as I help clients go through their piles, we always find something important they had been searching for. We also find things they forgot they had and let’s not forget all of the cash, checks and gift cards that are found.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter and talk about why this clutter forms. Here are 5 reasons why paper clutter forms:

No systems in place. When there is disorganization and chaos at home and work, it’s because there aren’t any working organized systems in place. When there are systems in place, life has a better flow. Create a working filing system for every piece of paper that enters your home.

You continue to work with broken systems. You may have made attempts at creating systems with your paper, but the systems have failed. Have you continued to work with failed systems? Re-visit your system 3 months after you implement it. If it’s not working, it’s time to re-evaluate and tweak your system to work for you.

Postponed decisions. You may have a piece of paper in your hand and you don’t know where it belongs, so you place it on a table. This will continue to happen on a daily basis. Before you know it, all of these postponed decisions will lead to piles and piles of paper.

A life-changing event occurred. You may have had a death in the family, a newborn baby, or you are going through a break up or a divorce. A life-changing event can turn your life upside down. Routines that you practiced before now get pushed to the wayside and you let things slide. Before you know it, the paper management system that once worked really well, has turned into paper piles all over the home.

Not enough time in the day. Do you have 5 minutes in your day? Once you have systems in place, it’s a matter of taking your mail when it arrives, sorting it and processing it. Tackle it when it arrives, take less than 5 minutes, handle it and be done. Create that routine, the routine will become a habit and it will become an everyday way of life.

After you tackle this project, you will have a fresh start. You will have a process and a system to handle every piece of paper that enters your home. Your mail will arrive, you will take less than 5 minutes, process it and be done with it.

How many attempts have you made to tackle this project? You may find you get distracted and lose focus easily while tackling this project. It may be time to bring in a professional to help you with this overwhelming project.

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on Mondays at 8:30 a.m. on http://www.talkstreamradio.com.

Related Slideshow: 10 Minute Organizing Projects

Declutter and Organize

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Spices

As you take all of the spices out of the cabinet, check for expiration dates and smell for potency. Categorize and itemize your spices to how you utilize them. Contain them in a spice rack that fits the space where they are kept. Don’t purchase a spice rack until you are finished organizing. You want to measure the space and make sure the rack fits and holds all of your spices. There are a variety of spice racks out there. Choose the one that best suits what you need it to hold.

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Makeup

How many items do you touch in the morning to find what you need? You want to be as efficient as possible in the morning and having your makeup organized will be a big time saver. Do you have difficulty deciding what to keep or toss? When is it time to throw away makeup? Aline Sarkis, a Providence, RI-based makeup artist, states lipstick can be used for 2 years or until it starts to smell like a crayon. Mascara is good for 2-3 months. Eye shadow is good for 2 years and foundation is good for 1-2 years. Aline also states that some makeup and skincare will be marked with an expiration date of 6-12 months. Begin counting once you start using the product

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Women: Purse

Depending on the size of your purse, and what you keep in your purse, this may take you a little longer than 10 minutes. Empty the entire contents of the purse on a table. Declutter, categorize, and itemize the contents. Break this process down and take it one category at a time. Develop a system going forward so the inside of your purse doesn’t look like a cyclone hit it. Contain receipts, gift cards, money, and makeup.

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Men: Wallet

It’s time to empty all of the receipts out of your wallet. Do you also store receipts and random items in your car? While you are tackling this project, head over to your vehicle and declutter the center console and glove compartment.

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Underwear drawer

If you aren’t using drawer organizers, you should start now. They are very inexpensive and will maximize the space in the drawer. How many of you wear the same item over and over again? With drawer organizers in place, you will be able to see everything you own and can categorize and itemize. Nothing will ever get pushed to the bottom of the drawer again.

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Under the bathroom sink

If you haven’t taken everything out of this area in awhile, you may find some scary items under the sink. Empty the contents, itemize, and categorize. Throw away anything that you can’t recognize. Contain items in containers that fit the space like a puzzle. Once again, utilizing containers will maximize the space and allow you to store more items. Develop a simple system where you can locate items and locate them quickly.

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Pets

Ninety percent of my clients have a pet. It’s time to organize their belongings. Medicine, leashes, bandanas, clothes, dishes, food, etc. Take this time to also organize any paper work related to your pet. Set up a filing system for your pet. Keep their medical records, rabies and vaccination information categorized in these files.

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Junk drawer

Nobody says you can’t have a junk drawer. Junk drawers can be organized. You just have to think about if you need everything in this drawer and if there is a better place to store the items. Remember, store like items together. If you have tools in the junk drawer, maybe you should keep them with the tools in the basement.

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Office supply drawer

So many people have office supply drawers that are out of control. Money is wasted on purchasing duplicate office supplies. It’s very difficult to figure out what you need to purchase if items are scattered all over the office and are disorganized.

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Top of your office desk

If you can’t see the top of your desk, take this time to focus on this area and categorize and itemize what is there. Do you have a working filing system in place? If so, once your desk is cleared, make a habit of filing once a day or a couple of times a week. If your system isn’t working for you, it may be time for you to re-evaluate your system and make it work for the way you function.