There's no doubt, we're all inundated with paper on a daily basis. Even though we're living in the digital age, for most people, paper has not gone away and is still very present in everyday life.

Just between the mail carrier bringing mail to the door, paperwork brought home from school and work, contractor agreements, medical forms and so on, paper piles around the world continue to grow. Here are five ideas to help you halt the paper pile-up in your world.

1) Corral the paper clutter. The problem often starts small. Jack brings the mail in the door and leaves it on the coffee table. Jill puts the insurance forms she has to fill out for work on the kitchen table. Jane comes home from school and drops her permission slips on the home office desk. Jeff flings his college applications on the living room coffee table. In just a few days, paper piles are forming all over the house!

Contain this problem by designating one place where all paper is handled. Consider using a tiered document tray... one tray for each family member. When mail, or a sheet a paper, can't be read or attended to immediately, it can be placed in that person's tray for a day or two, where it's not going to be lost.

2) Handle paper daily. Handle paper within a day or two, and you'll be able to keep it under control. Wait a week or more, and you'll be drowning in a flood of paper. Go through your mail on a daily basis, immediately recycling anything you don't need, and putting all important papers into their designated homes (e.g. pending bills in the bill paying binder, details about your insurance policies in your filing system, etc.)

Go through your in box once per day, and empty it out each night before you leave the office.

Read at least one item in your To Read file each day to keep it under control. Then, immediately file, or recycle, those papers.

Don't let your To File papers pile up. If you have a sheet of paper to file, file it in your file cabinet right away. Don't first put it in a To File tray, and then file it later after lots of paper begins to grow. It will only take a second to file one or two sheets of paper now, but if you allow it to grow, it's going to require quite a bit of dedicated time. That's one of the main reasons people hate to file. They allow it to pile up until it's out of control.

3) Don't generate more paper than is truly necessary. You would think that because more people have computers these days, that the paper clutter has been reduced. No chance of that. It has actually multiplied. One of the reasons for this is that people are printing things that don't have to be printed. Another reason is they stay on mailing lists for catalogs they never buy from, rather than getting off of that list. Yet another reason is they haven't opted for 'paperless delivery' from some companies they use.

4) Eliminate scraps of paper. Use one binder system, such as the Get Organized Now! Easy Organizer , to hold all of the information you must keep on hand, such as books to read, birthdays, To Do lists, cleaning schedules, grocery lists, meal planning logs, exercise logs, and so on. This will eliminate lots of sticky notes, and loose sheets of paper floating around--which tend to get lost. Plus, you'll save time as you won't have to search for your important information when you need it. It will be all organized together in one place.

5) Be careful about what you're filing. Most people are not satisfied with the amount of free space they have in their filing cabinets. Yet, eighty percent of papers most people file, NEVER get looked at again. Food for thought.

Before you file anything, be sure it's truly necessary to keep. In a nutshell, you only want to file papers that:

a) you need to keep for legal or financial reasons and

b) you are very likely to reference in the near future, that you won't be able to easily access somewhere else, such as the Internet

Just a very quick shout out to let you know that my latest issue of Anything and Everything is now available. It's the OCTOBER 2021 issue, 12-pages and all in full color. I know you're going to love it. Check it out:

https://www.getorganizednow.com/rd-ae.html

If you don't already receive it, it's a great time to get your hands on a full year of Anything and Everything because, when you do, we're giving away 10 Bonuses, AND ALL of the back issues...complimentary!

Here are the topics in the OCTOBER Issue...

Setting Intentions
Recognizing your personal values and living them

Same Room, Different Purpose
Just because a room was included with a specific purpose in mind, doesn't mean you can't be creative

The Pros and Cons of Retail Therapy
A little shopping, when done in moderation, can lift your spirits

Getting Ready Early for the Holiday Season
A few early preparations can release stress and pressure and invite more enjoyment

Nails: Keep Them Nice and Healthy
Easy Tips for Excellent Nail Care

The Art of Art Journaling
Make Your Own Visual Diary

Enchilada Meatballs
Quick, easy, delicious and a great comfort food for fall

Find Your Enthusiasm
10 strategies to find that spark and light that flame within you

Do Something Fun This Halloween
5 unique, not-scary ideas

If you don't already subscribe to my 'Anything and Everything' resource, you can learn about how to do so here:

https://www.getorganizednow.com/rd-ae.html

We have thousands of readers who LOVE it...and I'm certain you will too!

Maria

P.S. BONUS SPECIAL...Only Until 11:59 p.m. on OCTOBER 8: When you sign up for your Anything and Everything Subscription, you will receive tons of bonuses, plus ALL the BACK ISSUES COMPLIMENTARY!

___ 1. Do today's task on my October Monthly Organizing Checklist. The October 5 TO DO focuses on kid backpacks. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access my October Monthly Organizing Checklist.

___ 2. Recycle 25. Go into your filing cabinet or tackle a paper pile. Your mission: recycle 25 sheets of paper you no longer need.

___ 3. Vote in my new web poll. Our question of the month is, 'What are your favorite fall activities?' Vote in my poll. Results will be shared in an upcoming newsletter. Visit: GetOrganizedNow.com to access the poll and vote.

'The best decluttering project is one you can finish.' (Ayla Xiao)

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Warmly,

Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!
getorganizednow.com

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