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I love household systems …planning them out and setting them in order. But I must admit, daily and weekly upkeep gets a bit tricky. However, the results of keeping up speak for themselves, and I’ll show you that today with my household paper management system.
Consistently following through on my systems saves me time in the long run. Years ago, I set up a household paper management system that only needs major decluttering once per year (sometimes once every TWO years!).
In this post, I’ll cover how to set up a household paper management system by using paper hubs and how implementing weekly paper management will allow you to declutter papers once a year!
Set up a household paper management system
In order for once-a-year decluttering to work, a paper management system must be in place. I use a system I call the Paper Hubs System to store different types of papers:
- Actionable
- Reference
- Long-term
- Educational
- Kids
Here’s how to set up a paper management system in 4 steps:
01. To begin, gather all the paper together in the area where you’ll work on decluttering.
02. Then, going one paper at a time, sort papers into 3 different piles:
- Keep
- Shred
- Recycle
03. Next, sort the “Keep” pile by paper type. To identify which papers to keep and which type it is, use the free downloadable Guiding Questions, found here.
04. Then, choose a storage type for each paper hub, such as filing cabinets, file boxes, paper sorters, etc, and file away the papers.
Once all the hubs are set up, your paper management system is ready for use!
Weekly paper management using the Actionable Paper Hub
Weekly paper management is the key to decluttering once a year. I sort incoming papers weekly and only keep what’s necessary, determined by using the Guiding Questions.
Every paper is filtered through the Actionable Paper Hub to determine whether it should be filed or shredded.
Sorting weekly prevents overwhelming piles of paper stacked around the house. Fewer filing cabinets and boxes are needed for storing papers because there’s a process for determining which papers are actually needed.
Decluttering household papers once a year
Investing time to set up a paper management system ultimately saves time. Since papers are decluttered weekly and only the most important ones are saved during the year, it’s easier to scrub through the files to remove anything “expired.”
I like to declutter reference papers & long-term papers around tax time. If I’m not sure whether or not I need to keep a financial document, I check the IRS website or ask my accountant.
At the end of the school year, or when I begin planning the next school term, I declutter homeschool papers and records. (Here’s a post about which school papers & records to keep.)
How to declutter household papers in one day
To successfully declutter household papers, plan a day ahead of time to work on it. All the papers should be together in one area (at least each hub should be together). Then follow this process:
- Sort one file at a time, determining which papers to keep using the Guiding Questions. (For any questionable papers, check the IRS website).
- Return papers to keep in the paper hub.
- Shred or recycle unneeded papers.
Tips for decluttering
Decluttering can be daunting and overwhelming, so here are some tips for making it easier.
- Take a walk outside before beginning to declutter.
- Turn on some motivating or soothing music (your preference) while you declutter.
- Set a timer to work for 20 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. Repeat until you’re done decluttering.
- Reward yourself when you’ve finished with coffee, playtime, or whatever motivates you!
Setting up & using a paper management system
To sum it all up,
- The four steps to setting up the paper management system include gathering all the paper together in one area, sorting papers into Keep, Shred, and Recycle piles.
- Weekly paper management is important to prevent overwhelming piles of paper and to keep the system in check.
- Declutter reference papers and long-term papers around tax time, as well as decluttering homeschool papers and records at the end of the school year or when planning the next term.
- To successfully declutter household papers in one day, sort one file at a time, determine which papers to keep using the guiding questions, return papers to keep in the paper hubs, and shred or recycle unneeded papers.
For a complete plan to set up a household paper management system, get the Paper Hubs System, the paper organizing guide that teaches you how to declutter and organize your papers and implement a simple weekly paper management routine in 7 days.
Check out the Paper Hubs System here >>>
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