Conquer Your Paper Clutter

The paper didn't build up over night. And it's not going to go over night either. It's time to figure out why this happened in the first place. Have a read of the article here, and then download the PDF for your first exercise. 

Now, let's let go of the past and focus on what a perfect scenario with your paper would be! You'll be amazed at how this interacts with your life goals overall. Getting organised is setting up systems in our external environment so that it reduces the amount of thinking we need to do in our mental world. This frees us up mentally, emotionally and physically and we can now get on with doing this we enjoy! 

Paper is one of the most difficult things to get organised. Mainly because we are really unsure what we should and shouldn't be keeping. So we end up keeping everything. This module examines this fear and lack of decision making more closely. 

In this module we discuss paper that you CAN and should keep. So that's easy at least, right?! 

The most important module of the course. Understanding how to deal with paper from the minute it arrives into your life, to the minute it leaves will help you make decisions on whether to keep it or let it go. Have a read of the article and then download my Paper Lifecycle chart which should help you make decisions on every piece of paper in your life from this day forward. 

Going forward with this e-course, it's going to take time and dedication. You have to make appointments with yourself, as if you were sticking with an exercise class at the same time every week. In this module we look at blocking out time slots over the next few days or weeks (whichever suits YOUR busy life best) in order to declutter the paper piles and create new filing systems. 

You will also need to organise the tools you need to hand to make decluttering paper and filing super easy and straight forward for you. In this module we tell you everything you will need and encourage you to gather it together so you're ready to go. 

Finally, we need to start putting some order on the paper and this module shows you the first step. There's no decluttering or filing involved, it is as straight forward as the module says. You are gathering it up as much as possible. 

This module is the first system you are going to create. And you can start today! We start as we mean to go on! Your short-term paper system has two branches to it - everyday and once a week. We create a system to deal with paper everyday, and then we work that system with our once-a-week system. Together it keeps paper together, tidy, and it keeps us in control of it. Most of all, it keeps the paper moving through it's lifecycle and by extension our home or business. 

Now a week has past and we have a certain amount of paper that we have contained in our short-term system. It's time for a new habit and this is a big one. Once a week, we take control of the paper that has come in during the week and put some sense on it. This module looks at this paper and how it goes on to affect our To-Do list, our time and our filing of it for the long term. 

In this module, we discuss long term filing. When we have paper we need to keep, organising a good home that is large enough, and strong enough to keep the paper together over the long term is essential. Not doing this right will deter us from filing and that will only lead to a build up again. We take you through the various long term filing solutions that are out there and how to use them. We give tips on which ones are good, and which ones can cause you hassle. We want it to be super easy for you to put your paper away in the future, so we're giving you plenty of options to help you out with that. 

Once kids head off to creche and school, the amount of art work, school documents, print-outs, notes etc drastically increases. Add to this report cards, graduation certificates, paper awards for various after school activities and you are surrounded in paper. In this module, we offer a solution for corralling such paper per child per year of school. 

It's not unusual to have loose photos scattered among piles of paper. When you decide to declutter paper, random photos can bring welcome relief as you reminisce. However, this is a distraction to getting the job done with your paper. In this module, we offer a very simple option to corral photos quickly and stay on track with your paper. 

Manuals, warranties, guarantees are another form of paper that needs long term filing should you ever need them. In this module, we show you a solution for corralling this form of paper together. 

Having piles and piles of paper to wade through can be very overwhelming. Follow our method to get through each page and what to do in between each session. Eventually the messy piles reduce and clear, categorised piles emerge. These are then added to your long term filing solutions. The work is done, you have only the paper you need out and every other document is neatly filed away and easy to access 

You have finally done it! You have whittled your paperwork into two clear systems - one for short-term paper and one for long-term storage of paper. This has taken a massive effort, and now it'll be much easier to contain and maintain. Maintenance is essential now as we have learnt that while paper won't stop coming in,  our attitude to dealing with it has changed. Now you keep on top of incoming paper with your short-term system for everyday & once-a-week. Sticking with this habit will make maintenance of paper very easy and you will have conquered your paper clutter! 

If you do need any further help with your paper, or any aspect of your home or business life, we're here!