I can't stand paper clutter... and yet, before I created a simple 5 step system to keep my desk organized, I always seemed to struggle staying on top of the piles that accumulated there. Since starting to use these steps daily I have managed to eliminate the paper piles - and it only takes a few minutes each day!
Step One: Go through mail daily.
I have found that when I have accumulated a giant pile of mail, it is mostly "junk mail" that I am going to toss out anyway. As I am walking back to the house from my mail box, I am already sorting through the "junk" and separating things out that are going to be immediately tossed into the trash. I think 7 or 8 out of 10 pieces of mail go right into the "circle file bin" (trash can) or shredder. Even if I can't get to the rest of my mail right away, I only have to sort through the important things when I do. On the days where my kids or hubby get the mail, they know to place it neatly on the desk and I will go through the mail when I get home, etc. To stay on top of it, I go through it daily, even if that means I have to sort it before I go to bed. By using my five steps it only takes me a few minutes and therefore is easy to do daily.
I am not a "drive all over town to hit all the sales" kind of person. I just simply don't have time for that. I tend to go to a few specific places and will create my menu and shopping list according to their ads. However, if I do happen to stop by a store that I don't normally visit, I can always grab an ad on my way into the store. Most places keep ads on a rack right in their entry. For the ads I do keep, I have two paper trays (3 shelves total - picture at the end of blog) on my desk and I use the middle tray for ads. As soon as I bring the mail in the house, I put the ads on this tray and then I can look through them when planning my shopping trip. When the next week's ad arrives, I simply swap the old for the new. This keeps my ads current and I never have to search through a bunch of ads - the ones I use are quickly within reach, not outdated and I know right where to look for them!
Step Three: Keep 2 files for coupons - current month and last month.
Are you a pizza, burger, Chinese food, oil change, car wash and steak dinner (plus so much more... ) coupon saver? I love to save a buck and as a result, I love to save up all these coupons just in case we visit one of the places around town. We love to treat the family to a dinner out once in a while and we like to try new places. As a result, I like to keep these kinds of coupons on hand. In the past, when we wanted to go somewhere, I found myself sifting through a huge pile of coupons, trying to find ones that hadn't expired and frustrating myself and the rest of my family for having to wait. (Crabby, grumpy, whiny children replace my usually well behaved children when they are not fed on a timely basis! hee hee) So I came up with my simple two file folder system that has a home in the drawer of my desk. One is for any coupons that I get in the mail THIS MONTH and one is for the PREVIOUS MONTH. When a new month starts, I simply toss out all of the previous month's coupons and that folder is now ready for the current ones. Now, when we want to use a coupon, I pull one of the file folders out of my drawer and quickly find the coupon I need... and 99% of the time it has not expired. (I've found that most of these types of coupons expire 60 days from when they are sent.) I also keep a separate file for take out menus so that they are also handy to find.
*Just as a side note, I have a similar system for my magazines. I have a cute little magazine holder in my family room so that I can grab a magazine to flip through if I have a few moments to myself (so rare... really... I am a mom of 3, wife, house to clean, meals to cook, 4 pets to care for and I work from home... I rarely have a moment to myself! Please feel for me!) I only keep one month's worth of magazines in my holder at a time. Even if I haven't read last month's magazine, when the new one arrives, I donate or recycle.the old one. (Be sure to cut out or cross off your name and address if you plan to donate.) I figure that if I haven't had the time to read my magazine for an entire month, then I'm not going to have time to read two the next month!! This keeps the most current one handy if I do have a chance to flip through one - instead of grabbin one about Easter activities when it is almost Christmas! (I know this from experience!)
Step Four: Have a designated place for bills.
I have a small spiral type note book with pockets on each page where I keep bills waiting to be paid in one of the pockets and in another pocket I keep anything I am waiting to clear my bank account. Although I pay most of my bills online, I still have a few paper bills that arrive by mail. I would lose them or even forget about them because I am so used to paperless billing. Now, when paying bills, or checking my account, I have everything in one organized spot so I don't have to worry if I remembered everything. The "things waiting to clear my account" pocket, I also use for any receipts that I have accumulated throughout the day. I have also trained my husband to place any receipts he may have into this pocket so that I can file accordingly - even if that just means right into the shredder! As I said before, while I bring my mail in the house, I am already sorting it. And by the time I reach my desk, I already have the bills separated and they go right into my spiral notebook without starting a pile of clutter on my desk. The pocket notebook is also great to organize other paperwork that I need to keep filed and handy.
Step Five: Have a designated space for "read later" items.
As I mentioned previously I have paper trays on my desk, and I use the the bottom tray for any mail, brochures, papers my kids bring home, bulletins, etc that I plan to read or file later. My kids and hubby are trained and know exactly where to put notes or papers they bring home. I place any items here that I can't get to "right now." I try to go through this tray every few days so that it doesn't start to pile up and I deal with each item as needed, whether that means read and toss or read and file.
On most days, the above picture is how I wake up and find my desk. This system has really helped me and I hope that my simple 5 step system can help you tackle paper clutter as well. Working from home, it is imperative that I have an organized space from which to work. I am one of those types that can't concentrate when surrounded by clutter! Since I have started this system, I feel so much more organized and ready for the day when my desk is clean and tidy. I spend less time sorting and trying to conquer the endless paper piles (that can become out of control with just one days worth of mail) and more time being productive. Its as easy as 1,2,3,4,5!
Now if I could only organize the rest of my house like this... yeah, I know, its a process!! One small space at a time!
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