Hi mamas, today we are going to talk about how to organize paper clutter. If your house is anything like mine, there is a constant influx of paper on all fronts from mail, school flyers, homework, artwork, bills, invitations, magazines, receipts, and the list goes on. Does this sound familiar? Do you dream of clear countertops but don’t know how to get rid of the piles currently residing on all your flat surfaces?
Well, friend, I’m here to help. Getting rid of paper clutter doesn’t have to be a constant battle. It’s all about having a system. And once you have a clear and organized system in place, minimizing paper clutter is totally do-able. These are my 4 easy steps for how to organize all. the. paper. once and for all.
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How to Organize paper Clutter: 4 Steps
Step 1 – Recycle the Junk
The first step is to throw out all the papers that you don’t need. Anything that is unnecessarily cluttering up your space: junk mail, old magazines, expired coupons, old receipts, school papers that aren’t important, etc. Toss them all in the recycle bin. (Feels good, right?) For now, just set aside the papers that you want to keep and put them in a separate pile. For documents that you want to throw out but that have sensitive personal information on them, read the next section.
Step 2 – Shred Sensitive Documents
An inexpensive paper shredder is super convenient to have on hand when you need to discard sensitive documents or credit cards. You can keep one in your office, kitchen, or garage for a quick and easy way to stay on top of the paper clutter. We have one in our garage and it works great. If you don’t own or don’t want to buy a paper shredder, or you have a huge pile of sensitive documents to discard, you can also look into paper shredding services near you such as at your local UPS store or Office Depot for a reasonable price.
Step 3 – Divide and Conquer
Now you should be left with a pile of papers, bills, documents, etc. that you want to keep. But first, we need to categorize them! (You’re super excited, right?!) I know, not the most fun, but you’ll thank me later.
To help you sort through your paper pile, here are some category suggestions:
- Bills/To Do
- School Papers/Flyers
- Kids’ Schoolwork/Homework
- Kids Artwork
- Household Paperwork (Medical forms, Tax receipts, Car paperwork, etc.)
- Coupons
- Receipts
- Gift Cards
- Takeout Menus
- Recipes
Make separate piles and put them into one of the above categories (or whichever ones make the most sense to you).
Step 4 – Give Your Paper a Home
Finally, now that they’ve all been sorted, it’s time to give your papers a home. The goal here is to keep it up and off all the surfaces, but still easily accessible. For me, personally, I have several little “drop zones” throughout the house to help keep things organized. Just to give you some ideas, here is our current situation:
In the kitchen, there is a single hanging wall file holder (if not this exact one, then very similar) for holding papers that I want to be able to grab and reference easily. Sometimes it’s magazines, school flyers, order forms, or to be honest, lately it’s just been kind of the “junk drawer” for random papers, but that’s ok! It’s keeping things off the counters, so I’m happy.
We also have this beautiful Pottery Barn wall organization sytem on the main kitchen wall. It’s definitely on the spendy side, but I love that you can customize the different components according to your needs and create an “organization center” for keeping track of mail, papers, calendars, grocery lists, notes, keys, etc. We have the hanging shelf with hooks + chalkboard + letter bins and we keep mail, coupons and kids school paperwork in those file bins.
For other papers that I want to reference easily, I have a desktop file holder (love this one!) to keep things organized. You can buy pretty file folders so everything is contained and cohesive. This is great for organizing bills, work-related projects/paperwork, school forms, to-do items, stamps and mailing labels.
Finally, we have a desk drawer with hanging files for keeping important documents like medical records, important household documents, tax returns, car paperwork, insurance information, important receipts, appliance/electronics manuals, etc.
As far as kids schoolwork, typically the boys keep most of their school stuff together in their backpacks, so we don’t have a separate homework “station” for them, but I just found this organizer on Amazon that would be perfect! Or you can check out some really awesome ideas on Pinterest to help give you some inspiration. And now, since Covid, we also have this rolling cart for organizing school supplies (and some books and papers) at home.
Paper Organization Products – Available on Amazon
Now that you’ve categorized your papers, here are some some great organization and storage ideas to keep the clutter under control once and for all. For everything from mail and bills to coupons and recipes, I’ve listed them all by category:
Mail Organizers:
Letter bins, baskets or hanging trays are perfect for keeping “drop zones” organized so mail doesn’t end up on the table or counters. And the key hooks are an extra bonus.
Hanging Paper Organizers:
These hanging wall organizers are great for flyers, forms, school work, magazines and papers you want handy for easy reference.
Desktop Organizers:
For bills, mail, school papers, to-do’s, and current projects. Keep on a desk or countertop work station.
File Storage:
For desk drawer organization, simple hanging file folders will do. If your drawer isn’t set up for hanging folders, you can install this frame. Here is where you will want to file important paperwork for long term storage like medical forms, house documents, tax documents, car paperwork, insurance info, important receipts, etc.
If you don’t have a desk or drawer space for hanging files, here are two great options:
Coupon/Reciept Organizers:
When I said we would find a home for everything, I meant everything! How cool are these handy organizers for receipts and coupons?
Recipe Organizers:
These are a great solution for keeping all your recipes organized and in one place! I love that you can store a combination of recipe cards and 8.5 x 11 sized pages for magazine clippings or recipes printed out from the web.
Kid’s Artwork Storage:
Finally a place to keep all those precious drawings and mementos your kiddos have created over the years! I have a similar portfolio folder for each of my boys and the included tabs make it easy to categorize by year/grade level.
Say Goodbye to Paper Clutter
So how are we feeling now? Are you excited to declutter and get organized? The key here is to continue the process as new paper comes in and make sure paper goes into its proper “home.” For example, as soon as mail comes in, recycle it or put it in the mail bin. Once a week, go through your purse and wallet and throw out receipts or file the ones that need keeping. Shred sensitive documents as they come in, and put things like bills in an easy to reference folder. Once you get the hang of it, it will be easy to stay organized and clutter free!
I’d love to know what you think of these ideas and if you have any great paper decluttering ideas to share!
With love,
