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It’s that time of year. While some of us love shopping for them, others simply cringe. The sheer amount of items required for the beginning of the year drives some parents even to the point of insanity. Finding the exact set of Crayola markers seems impossible, and of course, you would need the 8 pack for one child and the 10 pack for the other. On July 31st, grab a banker's box (or large Amazon box) for each child to contain all those required back-to-school items. (If your kids are little, I'd keep these boxes up high or behind locked doors so the crayons and new lunch box don't disappear before mid August.) Toss your school supply list into the box so you'll know where to find it when you're ready to brave the crowds (or order online in the comfort of your PJs). If your kiddos require uniforms or signed paperwork, store it in the box too. The box will be emptied once the year begins, so this is simply your way of momentarily containing the chaos.
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The amount of paper coming through your front door is about to drastically multiply in the next thirty days, but we’re going to help you manage that hot mess. Create a landing zone near the door you most frequently use when entering and exiting your home. Chances are, you've already got one....it's that spot where you drop your purse, your kids kick off their shoes, and you're constantly having to pick up jackets. You know what I'm talking about, right? After adding some hooks for your purse and jackets, and maybe a shoe rack, consider adding a basket where ALL papers (except homework) can be emptied. If your kids are older than 10, create divisions with hanging file folders OR use multiple baskets to sort the papers. Unless your child's teacher has specified at the beginning of the year meeting that you need to initial/sign paperwork or planners coming home every night, you can get away with going through this basket once or twice a week. (It's true. I used to be a teacher before I had kids.....almost ALL of those papers can wait a few days.)
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When you go through the basket (on Tuesdays or Thursdays), you're going to sort it into three piles: things to read or review, things to sign and return, and graded art or school work. The things you'll need to read and review might be that month's lunch menu or the sport's schedule. Keep these items in a folder, binder, or command center area where you can readily access them if you need them. The things that need to be signed and returned, need to be signed and returned. Finally that art and school work. Notice I said graded. (The homework should be completed daily and then returned to the teacher so it can come back home a second time with a big fat A+.) Your child's teacher sends this stuff home because they don't have space to display it all. Make sure your kid(s) understand that the same principle rings true in your home: your walls can only hold so much. Help your child select one or two items a week to save as examples of the work that gives them the greatest sense of pride or accomplishment. In full disclosure, I don't do this part each week; I wait until the end of the month and still recommend that we only choose one or two items to keep. Store these items in memory boxes divided by grade. Helping your child to determine WHY they want to keep an item and understand LIMITATIONS of space is of critical importance to developing strong decision-making skills. You'll also thoroughly enjoy the conversations shared as you go through these projects. 

​Getting a solid start on the school year will enable your family to keep chugging along when the book reports and science fair projects begin. In fact, you’ll be able to spend more time with each other, talking about the things that bring you joy rather than arguing with your fourth grader about where the permission slip went. You’ll be able to breathe. You’ll be able to sleep. You’ll even be able to smile. Here’s to the next few weeks of prep, fellow parents! 

Get more back to school tips in our latest magazine feature with Belle Magazine! You won't want to miss it! 

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One of my favorite (and most frequent) recommendations when organizing children’s areas is to create a memory box for each child. Most parents already have something similar in place. They’ve stashed mementos, drawings, and treasures in tote bags and extra large plastic tubs to keep them safe.

While this is a great start, it becomes burdensome as the children grow older. More items need to be stored so more totes are purchased. The amount of storage space required grows like a never ending vine.

Worse, when the kids are ready to move out of the house, you’re both stuck with a disorganized, tangled mess of childhood papers, projects, and random stuff that your children now consider junk.

What in the world?! The intention was great, but it lacked one thing: forethought. Let me explain.

When city planners gather to discuss where the new road should go, they consider many things: frequency of use, amount of cars that will travel on it, potential problems, and ease of maintenance. They think decades ahead so that their work will not be in vain.

Your memory boxes deserve the same attention.

I suggest using a large letter file box. This size box is big enough to hold a childhood full of memories, but small enough to carry, stack, and store. As you shop, you’ll also want to choose a container that is relatively safe from the elements. Although plastic gives off a funky scent after so many years, it is bug and water proof. Finally, your box needs to be easy to open. While I love a good cedar chest with a beautiful brass lock, I’ve found that the keys go missing, the chest gets piled high with other things, and they’re difficult to re-home as children grow. Instead, opt for a solution that is portable and easy to use.
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Just like lanes on a highway, creating divisions within your memory box will give you the direction you (and your child) need to organize their belongings as time goes on. Hanging file folders are a favorite of mine because they take up little space and can hold papers and trinkets. They also allow for maximum accessibility to each division. When I create memory boxes, I use the following divisions for hanging files:

• Newborn
• Toddler
• Preschool
• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade
• 6th Grade
• 7th Grade
• 8th Grade
• 9th Grade
• 10th Grade
• 11th Grade
• 12th Grade
• College

I prefer to divide by grades because most children organize their memories around the school calendar. They remember going to Niagara Falls after 4th grade or winning that soccer championship in 10th grade. The school calendar typically has more firm start/stop points than a child’s own birthday. However, if your child prefers to organize by given age, that’s fine too. I’ve also seen families set up boxes by category rather than grade level (i.e., school papers, sports, crafts, etc.). The only downside to organizing by categories is that it will be difficult to keep organized as the years go by and you’ll have a greater tendency to stop organizing and start piling the keepsakes.
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This is where the rubber meets the road; where you realize whether the system you created for your toddler actually works when he’s a teenager. If you use a file box with the hanging file divisions I shared above, I promise you, the system WILL work. The trick here is to sort and file the keepsakes along the way. You may notice that a file will get particularly hefty…and may begin to crowd out others. If this happens, pull the file out and review it with your child. Are the pieces they’ve chosen to keep really their treasures from that year? Give your kids the gift of wisdom by teaching them to compare and evaluate. Children who learn to determine the value of their own belongings are better prepared to make wise investment choices as adults. Learning to live within the boundaries, within their means, will enable them to comparison shop for clothes, food, colleges, cars, and homes.

Never underestimate the power of a box.

Whether you work from home, operate on the go, or sit a traditional office setting, staying productive is easier said than done. We get by on auto-pilot while our minds wander. Our level of output may rise when a new or exciting project crosses the desk, but for the most part, we’re stuck at status quo. We don’t want to be….but most days, we are.

Like any relationship, our workspaces need us to care for them to keep the magic alive. Here are 3 tips you can use to increase your productivity at work.

School is in full swing for almost everyone in America. There are lunches to pack, bookbags to stuff, and supplies to keep track of.

If you’ve got younger kids at home, you’re also battling the daily onslaught of coloring pages and crafts that have made their way through your front door.

The teachers are genius. The KNOW all the papers cannot be saved --- there just isn’t enough room in the cubbies. So they pass the hard conversation onto the parents: How do you tell your kids that your house simply isn’t big enough to contain every doodle, craft, or writing activity completed each day? And that some of these papers will meet their demise at the weekly trash collection?

You tell them the truth.

Children are very resilient. They learn quickly and bounce back from disappointment when surrounded by a supportive family. Did you catch the word supportive? In order for your kids to be okay with limiting the “prized” possessions, you’ll need to equip them with two life skills:

1. Learning To Determine Value
2. Learning To Establish Boundaries

Lessons about value center on comparison. Which do you like more? Which did you put the most effort into creating? Which is your favorite of the day/week? Questions like these help our kids to select the best and most loved items.

Although it would be great if our schedules allowed us to go through the folder and evaluate each piece every day, that probably isn’t realistic. In the mean time, have a drop location for all the papers that come home in the folder for the week. At the end of the week, possibly on Sunday night, go through the papers and have your child pick out their top 5.

Only 5?! Only 5 per week?! You read that correctly. This is where teaching your children to establish healthy boundaries comes into play. They cannot and should not learn to keep everything. There is no reason to hold onto everything. At the same time, they should learn that there is space to keep those items that are dear to their little hearts. Remember that refusing to let a child to keep anything can lead them to develop hoarding tendencies, so you must find a healthy boundary. I like the number 5. Most likely your kid(s) will learn to choose less than that each week.

At school, it’s likely that your child’s teacher is collecting artifacts (favorites or best samples of work) for the year to demonstrate your child’s progress. You can do the exact same thing at home and even encourage your child that you’re simply following the teacher’s lead.

To contain the artifacts, purchase a clear box that holds letter size file folders and assign a grade level to each folder. (Check out which products I use for this clutter clearing activity here!) Children understand size much earlier than we give them credit. When we let them know, in a supportive and loving way, that we want to collect their best works within a folder, they quickly see that the folder is only so big. For larger projects that would not fit within the folder, take a picture of the artifact. Don’t forget to PRINT the picture and allow your child to place this image within his/her folder for the year.

If you’re collecting 5 pieces each week, your folder will quickly fill up. In this case, also go through the folder with your child as frequently as necessary. Compare items from earlier in the year to items they’ve just brought home.
It’s important during this process that YOU follow THEIR lead. If your kid loves a piece that you think is crap, let them keep the crap.

These life lessons aren’t about you.

Feel free to rescue the cast-offs for your own saving (and store them in that file folder after the year is through so that you can ask your child about keeping them at a later time). The point is to show your child that you trust their decisions and you support them in determining value and establishing boundaries in their own kid-realm.
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Empower your kids with confidence as you tactfully teach them to live successfully.

So you started a business, but the path to freedom from the 9 to 5 isn’t as easy, or enjoyable, as you thought it might be. Instead, you feel more frustrated and shackled than you did (or still do if you haven’t made the leap) with your previous career.

Getting organized can free you from some, if not most, of the entrepreneurial pains and equip you to function successfully in your field.

1. Be Teachable.
Put pride (and arrogance) aside and allow humility to drive for a bit. Sure, you need confidence and a can-do spirit, but these grow exponentially when paired with a readiness to be taught.

Evaluate your schedule and carve out at least 60 minutes a day (and more if you can) where you approach life as the student. The beauty that comes from a teachable spirit is that others who have traveled the path before you will take you under their wing and help you to AVOID some of the common mistakes that result from striking out on your own. Facebook groups like Groove Learning are a powerful tool for bouncing ideas and receiving quick, corrective feedback. Each mistake you avoid is a headache and HOURS saved!

​​​2. Make Time to Work ON Your Business.
Most entrepreneurs are great at working IN their business – handling leads, creating products, and generating sales. But this can only go on so long before you run into a very big problem. All that fun, “in” the business stuff doesn’t leave much room for maintenance of your company.

If you want to KEEP doing what you love, you’ll have to take some time to do the things that aren’t as enjoyable. Be intentional as you develop your business’ scaffolding (procedures and practices). Continue to revise and improve so that your infrastructure grows with your demand instead of lagging behind.

This means scheduling 10-25% of your “work” time solely “on” the business rather than “in” the business. If you’re dedicating just 10 hours a week to your start-up company, then plan to set aside 1-2.5 hours where you’re refining the backend so that it will be able to support you when the floods of orders come.

3. Create Manageable Filing Systems.
No matter what kind of business you’re pursuing, you’ll have a litany of electronic and/or paper documents to manage. These will appear in 3 categories: Creation, Continuance, and Client. (You don't have to call them that --- I just thought a little alliteration would be fun!)

Your creation documents will be those one-time and annually updated documents that keep your business in good standing with local, state, and federal governments. These include your tax ID, LLC (and all other designations), legal paperwork, and business licenses. These Creation documents are the vital documents of your business. Store these in a separate folder so that you know where to find them, but they’re not getting mixed in with the day-to-day matters.

Continuance documents keep your company up and running. These are regularly updated and refined as you work ON your business and may include agreements with other vendors, forms created to work with leads and products, as well as policy, procedure, and training manuals. Think of this as the oil that keeps your machine running smoothly.

Client documents are interactions with leads and clients that are occurring real-time. There are customer relationship management (CRM) systems available online like Salesforce, Insightly, and Highrise in addition to the good old-fashion Rolodex. These pieces of information are always on the move and ever changing. They need to be readily accessible and preferably ordered in a standard form so that anyone on your start-up team can track them down.

Don’t get stuck with piles of papers. Piles create confusion, frustration, and a total waste of time. Wise entrepreneurs know that they must have a clear filing system from the get-go. Learn more about tackling your papers, and different ways to organize them in this one-week series.

4. Keep Track of Your Tasks. 
Nine to five jobs typically offer an auto-pilot scenario. You show up, you work, you go home. There might be some hiccups and surprises, but for the most part, you know what to expect. Entrepreneurship is nothing like that….at least not in the beginning.

Every day is like a new race into uncharted territory. You’re working as fast as you can to create as much as you can to service as many people as you can without a firm blueprint to success. Don’t get lost along the way. Plan ahead.

At the end of each day (which, sadly, isn’t going to be 5pm), create a list of the things that you need to do the following day (or moment when you get a chance to work on your new business). Post-it notes are great for this because they can easily be rearranged to create priority and then removed once the task is complete. Lists are great for some people, but beware of the never-ending list that bogs you down and leads to avoidance rather than freedom.

5. Set Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Goals.
Reach for the stars with those annual goals and use your monthly and weekly goals to break those end desires into achievable stepping stones. If you want to make six-figures within the next 365 days, find out what it will take weekly and monthly to get there. Check out this handy calculator if you need some help!

Go one step further and create categories of goals so that you’re improving all-around instead of in just one direction. Education (time to be taught), maintenance (working ON your business), tracking (document organization and client interaction), and growth goals (financial and team-building) are just a few ideas. Your goals will enable you to stay on track and see the bigger picture.
 
It’s easy for entrepreneurs to get caught in the weeds. Getting your time, systems, and tasks in order can alleviate the microfocus that suffocates and slowly kills start-ups. Keep your energy and attitude high by developing these 5 healthy habits! Good luck and keep me posted about how these tips have helped your business!

​Welcome back to our series about organizing all your papers in just one week! In the last two posts, we talked about prepping your work space and identifying your documents to produce the initial phase of paper organization: labeled folders. Today we’re talking about how to create homes for every folder (and its contents) so you’ll never have to go on another wild goose chase for that missing field trip permission form again.

Zoning Your Files
Before we get started, we need to have a chat about zones. I’ve mentioned their value before, but I can’t stress enough how effective they are for helping you FIND things and PUT THEM AWAY. Zones are defined as areas where you do specific activities. In your kitchen, you’ve got an eating zone, a food prep zone, a food storage zone, and a cleaning zone. Although your zones may overlap, they all have a primary purpose, and you organize each zone a little differently in order to make it the most effective. For example, you would never keep your dish soap in the food prep zone. You’d keep the soap in the cleaning zone because that’s where you clean. Your files deserve the same consideration.

You are going to establish three zones for your printed papers: temporary, seasonal/annual, and long-term. While some files might move in between the three, for the most part, these three zones will help you know where to begin your search when you need to locate a document and where to file something new that enters your home.

Temporary
Temporary files contain actionable tasks and belong close at hand. These documents will move in and out frequently, with items living here no more than 30 days at a time. Some folks choose to keep these files in command centers. Others deal with them immediately and completely skip the need for any temporary files because “out of sight” equals “out of mind” for them. You need to find what works best for YOU and stick with it. Once you've completed whatever action was necessary, toss the item or, if completely necessary, file it. Temporary (actionable) files typically include:

• Bills to Pay/Checkbook
• Coupons (only if you ALREADY have a system in place to USE them ---- otherwise, toss the coupons)
• Invitations/Announcements to Mark on Calendar
• Magazines/Subscriptions to Read
• Names of People in Home Receiving Mail That You Don’t Open (rare)
• New Recipes
• School Papers to Sign

Seasonal/Annual
Seasonal/Annual files change less frequently and may rotate every three to twelve months. You need them close at hand, but you don’t need to be dropping them into files or pulling them out all the time. Instead, these can be kept in a notebook with plastic sleeves or slash dividers. These documents will include reference items that you cannot quickly find online. (Any document that can easily be found online, should be tossed.) ​Files you might find in a home management binder or notebook include:

• Birthday Lists
• Current IEP for the School Year (special ed)
• Current Year Tax Documents/Donation Receipts
• Frequently Used Contacts/Menus
• Home Maintenance/Cleaning Schedules
• Medical Information for Family Members/Pets
• Monthly Statements for Investments
• Recipes (that you actually use)
• Sports Schedules

Long-Term
Important (difficult to recreate or high sentimental value) and vital (extremely difficult to recreate) files change very little and are rarely accessed. Sometimes your annual items will get transferred to your long-term, such as tax documents and IEPs. These items do not need to be stored close at hand and can be stored in filing cabinets, bankers boxes, or fireproof boxes kept in home offices, closets, attics, or basements. If you’re computer savvy, please strongly consider converting your long-term files into electronic files. Scanning is a pain, I get it. But the amount of physical space you stand to save when you convert long-term documents into electronic files is unfathomable over a lifetime. If you find you like it, and you regularly access computer documents in other settings, you may consider converting your seasonal/annual files too. Long-term documents might include:

• Banking/Credit Card Information
• Birth/Death Certificates
• Home Improvement/Mortgage Information
• Insurance Policies
• Investment Year-End Statements
• Kids' Old Cards/School Papers (if you're sentimental and can't part with them)
• Marriage Licenses
• Medical Information
• Tax Documents
• Wills

Based on the information above, let’s take a second look at all the files you created.

• Are there any similar files that should be combined? If so, combine them and update the folder name if necessary. Remember that names should be simple, broad enough to cover a large category, and based on retrieval so you know what you’re looking for when you go searching.
• Are there any files that are so large they should be subdivided? If so, look again. The only folders that should be bulging are taxes, investments, and possibly medical and special ed paperwork. Subdivide these by year, sort in reverse chronological order so that the most recent is always first.
• As you pick up each file, sort files that are constantly changing into the Command Center pile, files that you regularly need to reference into the Home Notebook pile, and files that you need to keep and rarely change into Long-Term.

Containing Your Files
Organizing the limited number of files for Command Centers and Home Notebooks is relatively easy using the file names you’ve already come up with. Long-term storage requires two more steps to make it as efficient as possible. I recommend taking your long-term documents and sorting them into 4-5 broad categories and assigning a colored hanging file folder to each category. These categories might include: Education, Finance, Health, Home, or Vehicles. If you're keeping your kids' stuff, I would recommend setting up a memory box for them using one hanging file per grade level (K5-12th), one file for preschool, sports, and college. This will help you maintain an organized stash of sentiment as well as set healthy limits on how much you keep. 
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Now that you’ve got everything sorted, filed, and ready to be stored, take a few minutes and measure. One of the biggest mistakes I see all the time is clients buying containers BEFORE they know what’s going in them. Papers are no exception. Your command center may look very different from the person’s next door, so wait until you see what form you need to best fit your needs. The same is true for seasonal/annual storage and long-term storage. 

Resources & Recommendations
Command Centers

• Basket – Good for those who don’t have many files (3 or less) OR file any reference, important, vital documents as soon as they come in the door and only need a holding area for actionable items. The basket provides you a “drop zone” to hold your temporary items as you hang up coats, get dinner on the table, and take care of other tasks. You can trust that your bills will be patiently waiting for you to deal with them in the next few hours.
• Slim Hanging File Box – Good for those with 6 or less files. You can quickly sort the paperwork as it comes in and deal with it at the end of the day or once a week, like on Thursday nights.
• Standard Hanging File Box – Good for those with less than 10 files. If you have more than 10 files, you may consider making one of those a “Reference” file to hold the documents you aren’t interested in putting into a Home Management/Reference Binder.
• Hanging Files – Single color is best for such a small group of files.
• Form Over Function – Typically I would tell you function always trumps form, but when you’re storing your papers in plain sight, invest in a container that you enjoy! If you don’t like the container, you most likely won’t use it no matter how efficient the system is.

Family/Home Notebooks or Accordion Files

• One Binder – Depending on the number of documents you need to keep here, you might use a 1-2.5” binder. I use a 3” binder on occasion, but they’re rather bulky.
• Multiple Binders – Good for those with a lot of documents to reference. You might use a series of 1” binders. Go for a uniform look to make the space feel more organized even though you’ve still got a lot of papers on hand.
• Binder Accessories – I recommend using slash dividers, plastic sleeves, and a sturdy 3-hole punch when working with binders.
• Accordion Files – Good for long-term projects with different parts to reference. I like to keep all information related to home improvement in an accordion file divided by room. It makes it easy for me to find paint colors, carpet samples, and landscape designs. I do not recommend accordion files for Command Centers just because they can be annoying to hold open while accessing multiple tabs, but to each their own. Find what works for YOU.

​Long-Term Storage

• Filing Cabinets – These come in a variety of styles, depths, and sizes. Most homes don’t need more than a two drawer. I often recommend using a plastic container that can easily be moved. Rolling files are great too!
• Bankers Boxes – Good temporary solution. They are easy to move around, but the files don’t always hang/slide with the ease of filing cabinets. If you don’t plan on using hanging files, these bankers boxes will work perfectly with your manila folders.
• Fireproof Boxes – Perfect for vital records. You can also keep copies of credit cards in here just in case your wallet is stolen and you need to know exactly what was in there to cancel/recreate. These boxes have a key. Be smart about where you store your key. If the point of the fireproof box is to survive a fire or other severe event, keep your key in a place that will SURVIVE those events and can be easily found. Some folks choose to leave the key in the lock so that the two will remain together.
• Hanging Files – Color coding hanging files are great for creating categories in your long-term storage.

In my last post, you learned exactly how to prepare to conquer your paper dilemma. How did you do? Were you able to find a proper staging area and work space? Remember, this won’t be a forever job. You only need the space for a week (or less if you’re motivated). If you find yourself overwhelmed at the start, don’t hesitate to ask for help from a friend, family member, or professional organizer. It’s important that you are empowered to reach your goals --- we can help you with that!
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Now that you’ve collected all your papers and gathered the necessary tools to help you get the job done, let’s identify what you've got! 

Pick It Up. Begin by picking up the first piece of paper nearest you. Take a deep breath and determine that whatever stack you started with, that you’ll finish that stack before venturing to the next.  This trick will help you easily return to work after taking a break.

Name It. Identifying each paper is only as helpful as the name you give it. File names should be simple, broad in scope, and based on retrieval. For instance, it would be better to “name” a paper/file as “bill to pay” rather than “Greenville Water January bill” because “bill to pay” is actionable and will enable you to find it when you need it, along with all the other bills you need to pay. Your names should work for YOU. Everyone organizes differently and filing is best achieved when the person who will access the files, labels the files based on the associations he has in his mind. So grab a clean manila folder and label it with whatever word or phrase popped into YOUR head when you identified it. Remember, you can always change it later. Don’t waste time agonizing over label names right now. We’ll evaluate them one more time before putting them in their final homes. 

Place It. Put your file over to the empty side of your work space. You’ll end up with quite a few of these, so having a banker’s box or other container to help the folders stand up is handy but not necessary. I recommend putting these files in alphabetical order, so that as you identify similar documents (i.e., another "bill to pay") you can quickly find the correct folder and drop the document in there.

Repeat. Grab the next sheet of paper on top of the same stack you started with. Go through the process again. Do NOT under any circumstances label a file “Miscellaneous” and start dropping items into it. That’s not okay. Misc files are delayed decision making. They are what’s been plaguing you this whole time. Fight the urge to turn back to what you know! It wasn’t working for you then and it won’t magically start working for you now.

At the end of this exercise, you will have NO MORE stacks of paper. Every piece you’re keeping will be contained in a handy dandy manila folder, unless you ran out. If you did happen to run out, I hope you labeled those non-filed stacks with a post-it. Post-its are my trusty backup when I’m folderless. The next time we meet, we’ll be talking about where to store these “contained” papers. I hope you’ll join us.
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I'm so glad that you're joining us for this incredible journey! No one should have to worry about papers, especially you. In just one week, you’ll be able to capture every piece of paper in your home and give it a place to park so that you’re not always chasing it down or stumped on where to put it until you can get to it. This task is not for the faint of heart, but I promise you it's worth it. If you're tired of the papers, now is the time to reclaim your joy, your energy, and your wits!

I want you to share how your experience is going in the comments below as we progress through each post. There is nothing new under the sun and the snags you face aren’t new either. When you share your struggle, others are encouraged and questions can be answered. I can’t wait to partner with you as we embark down this path!

The first big step in conquering the paper clutter is to prepare your workspace.
You’ll need a large flat surface to work on, so a table or floor will work beautifully. If you’ve got young kids or pets around, I’d recommend using a bedroom that you can close off OR your dining room table as long as it’s high enough to avoid sticky fingers and wagging tails.

Next, lather your hands with lotion, layer up with some nice gloves, and grab all the papers in the house.
Every single scrap and stack of paper. Watch out for paper cuts, because you’re going to get it all. This collection includes all of the files from your current system too. You know, the one in the filing cabinet you never use. You may leave all your documents in those folders for now, but you gotta grab ‘em. If you’re going to tackle your papers, you have to know exactly what you’re up against. (Warning: if you only want to tackle loose papers and not all the papers, you can. Just be aware that you’ll eventually need to incorporate your old filing system into your new setup so that you know where everything is. Waiting typically doubles your work. If you don’t want to double your work, then grab those files now.)

As you collect your papers, DO NOT TRY TO SORT THEM.
I know it’s tempting, but getting side-tracked never helped anyone achieve their goals. Getting off-course only creates more micro-goals, and let’s be honest, who’s got time for that? Not you. Try to complete this one task from start to finish without adding more steps.

Stack your papers, overstuffed folders, and piles on your work space.
Don’t stack more than a foot high at a time or they’re liable to fall over, creating more work as you re-stack. Keep the stacks on the left side of your work space if you’re right handed or on the right if you’re left handed. Having a large, clear work space is crucial. You’ll end up using the opposite side to hold all of your sorted piles in the near future, so respect the space.

Position your organizing materials at the top of your work space.
Go ahead and invest in a 100 count box of straight filing manila folders. I recommend using the straight line filing folders (that have the label tab in the same spot for all of them) because they allow you to easily add and move folders without having to worry about your tabs all flowing in a pattern of left, middle, right; left, middle, right. If you’ve got old tabbed folders, just reuse those for now. You’ll also need a pencil with a decent eraser for temporary labeling of your files. For most people, the temporary names become the permanent names. But for others, the temporary files may merge together into one broader category, so pencil is best at this point. You’ll also need a trash can (or box to contain the documents you want to recycle), a shredder (or box to contain all the items you need to shred if you don’t own a shredder), and a notebook to record to-do’s and reference information that you’ve been jotting down on random sheets of paper (before you toss those sheets away).

Do you have any loose papers in your home? About how many? 5? 10? I’m talking individual sheets of paper, not the number of piles. Wait, you’ve got piles too?
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Don’t freak out, you’re not alone! Welcome to the majority, we're glad you're here.

Computers promised to transform homes and offices into paperless environments, but decades later, we’re still swimming in colorful sheets of information. The act of filing hasn’t gotten any easier either. Indeed, no big improvements in the filing world have occurred except for the addition of colored hanging files to the traditional green-grey selection. You’d think after so many years, someone would come up with something revolutionary! But at the end of the day, we’re still storing our printed documents in those blessed hanging folders, because going paperless requires a lot of trust in technology and we’re just not that motivated to make a complete switch.

All this paper clutter is weighing you down. Literally. Studies have shown that tasks left incomplete create a level of anxiety that can only be eliminated when the tasks are completed. For some, this anxiety is motivating. The multitasker has ten projects going on all at once and thrives off of completing a task just so a new one can take its place. For others, the thought of having unfinished work is terrifying. The procrastinator can’t stand open loops and incomplete tasks, so she waits until the very last minute to start. But even procrastinators can’t avoid the anxiety that creeps in as papers are left on the kitchen counter, the entry table, the steps, and the dining room buffet. Eventually, the paper clutter must be dealt with because it becomes it’s very own incomplete task. It’s time to cross this one off your list.

​Over the next few days, I'll be sharing a new series with you teaching you how to prevail over the paper piles! I’ll give you actionable tasks that will help you capture every loose piece of paper and give it a home, as well as incorporate all of your previous (inefficient and unused) filing systems. The final goal will be to easily and quickly access the documents you need when you need them! You’ll never have to panic over that lost paper again.

And we’re going to do it all in ONE week! Who’s with me?!

Just now checking out the series? Here's part 1, part 2, and part 3 so you can quickly follow along.

If you’re really motivated, you could knock this out in a few hours’ time with my friend Lisa Woodruff's Organize All Your Papers in One Weekend program. If you’ve only got 15-30 minutes a day, the results will be the same but at a slower pace. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to catch all the paper-processing details!

​If you’re ready to thin out your publication piles, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• 13 Magazines are roughly 10 pounds. (This varies with the type of subscription.)
• 15 Magazines take up roughly 5 inches of space width-wise when standing up and about 10-12 inches when stacked.
• Almost every image and tidbit of information contained in the subscription is available online. (You may need to pay for an online subscription, but managing electronic documents doesn’t take nearly as much work as sifting through printed publications.)
• Doctors’ offices, local gyms, and other public service locations will take up to 5 magazines on average. Your subscription information must be removed first.
• If you’re parting with more than 5 magazines, consider recycling. If you don’t have recycling service through your waste management provider, click here to find the nearest dropoff.

Decluttering will impact your health and wellness too! Clearing your space will hone your decision making skills. It will also help you deal with some of the emotions (stress, guilt, depression, etc.) connected to eating. (Think that sounds crazy? Check this link out for more info!) Their air in your home will become cleaner as you have less dust to deal with. Your health will improve and your ability to process foods will do likewise. I’m not promising a personal 25 pound loss. I’m not even promising a 5 pound loss. I’m only promising that decluttering will have a positive effect on your body.
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