Paper contributes to a great amount of clutter in any home. With all the junk mail, medical records, bills & receipts, tax documents, takeout menu cards, catalogs and newspapers that keep coming into your home on a daily basis, you are bound to feel overwhelmed.
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While it’s always good to hold on to the hard copies of certain documents like birth & death certificates, medical reports, home buying/selling papers, loan documents and other similar paperwork, you are better off getting rid of documents that aren’t as important. And if you still believe that going paperless isn’t your cup of tea, let me tell you that over 70 percent of the paper clutter in your home can be conquered quickly and painlessly. Now imagine what all you can do with all the space that will be vacated after getting rid of unnecessary paperwork.
Even though I talk a lot about the major sources of paper clutter and how to conquer them, I understand that it isn’t entirely possible to eliminate paper clutter from your home. But you will be thrilled to know that with the right tools in your hand, you can go a long way towards living a paperless lifestyle.
Here’s a list of tools that you need to own if you’re looking to conquer paper clutter in your home:
1. Paper Shredder
Many documents like old taxation records, expired insurance policies and medical records might have personal information that can be misused if you trash them. If you want to discard these documents properly, run them through the shredder after making sure that you have digital copies of them.
2. Scanner
You can easily conquer over 70 percent of the paper clutter in your home with the help of a scanner. Documents like bank statements, photos, insurance policies, tax records, bills and receipts can be digitally scanned and stored in a secure manner. If you are planning to go paperless, make sure that you stick to a good-quality scanner that can help preserve your old photos and documents in the best possible quality.
3. File Tray
In order to stop paperwork from cluttering your desk, make use of a sturdy file tray. While it’s always good to organize important files and documents in a filing cabinet, a file tray works great in organizing the documents that you need on a daily basis. Not only does a file tray helps you save some desk space but also makes sure that you are able to easily access the paperwork while working.
4. Filing Cabinet
Important paperwork like medical documents, home buying/selling records, insurance papers, birth/adoption certificates, marriage/divorce papers might be needed anytime which is why they need to be securely kept in a filing cabinet. It’s always good to go for a fireproof filing cabinet which is big enough to store all your paperwork.
5. Recycle Bin
Always keep a recycle bin in a corner of your home that is most likely to attract clutter. If you receive too much junk mail, keep a recycle bin in your entryway so that you can open the mail as and when it arrives and toss it right away if it isn’t important. You can also use the recycle bin to trash the packaging of the online orders you receive on a daily basis.
Another place that should always have a recycle bin is your home office. If you come across bills that have been paid or receipts that are no longer required to be kept, toss them in the recycle bin straight away. Any paperwork that is contributing to the clutter in your home should go straight into the recycle bin if you want to stay on top of paper clutter.
6. Wrapping Paper Storage Container
Wrapping paper often gets overlooked when you are looking to declutter paperwork, but it actually amounts to a lot of paper clutter in your home. As much as you need to declutter the gift bags that are occupying an entire shelf space in your home, don’t forget to use a good-quality wrapping paper storage container to keep the clutter in check.
7. Magazine Holder
Newspapers and magazines account for a load of clutter in your home and if you haven’t yet figured out a way to tackle it, you may soon find yourself being hit by a tsunami of paper clutter. Apart from creating a habit to declutter magazines and newspapers at least once a month, you need to invest in a decorative magazine rack or a magazine holder to keep your newspapers and magazines nicely organized.
8. Mail Organizer
While most people like to have a key holder cum mail organizer, you can go for a desk organizer that can be kept on any flat surface in your living room. A mail organizer helps in keeping all your incoming mail organized until you get the time to open it.
9. Files And Folders
Since every member in your family will have their own identity documents and paperwork, you must have separate files and folders for each one of them. Documents like birth certificates, marriage certificates, medical records and social security documents should go into the respective files of each member to make it easier to access them. Make sure that you keep all these files in the file cabinet so that you know where all the documents are in times of need.
10. Trash Bags
Trash bags are a must if you are looking to control the paper clutter in your home. You can’t be done decluttering the paperwork if you haven’t yet taken the pile of paper trash out of your home. Try not to allow the trashed bills and receipts live in that recycle bin for more than a day. Transfer them over to the trash bag and dump it when you get time.
Gone is the time when there were no tools to digitize or store the paperwork in a secure manner. With the right set of tools and a bit of intent, you can overcome paper clutter in no time.
Sounds Wonderful! Will try it.