Lets reset: your paperwork
The Calm Home Paper System: How to Finally Get Ahead of Mail & Admin
In nearly every client home there is a few consistent hot spots or issues. Paper is almost always one of those issues.
There is the “I will deal with this later pile”. Followed by the guilt of, “I never deal with pile.” And then comes, the overwhelm. I am here to tell you a secret. It is not the volume of papers, it is the systems in which you have to deal with them.
Why most systems fail:
Too Complicated
No clear zones
Too many “ideas”
Too many files, binders, etc.
Lets talk what does work: The 4 Zone approach
Zone 1: Incoming Papers
Examples: mail, school papers, etc.
Zone 2: Action Items
Examples: Bills to pay, things to follow up on, permission slips to sign
Zone 3: Reference
Examples: Insurance, Home Insurance, Guides.
Zone 4: Archive
Examples: Tax Documents, Kids School work
Lets be clear though, this category is as minimal as we can get it.
Okay great, but how do I get there? So glad you asked. We start by decluttering
Old statements or anything you can access online in under 10 minutes
Duplicates
Expired items like warranties, or manuals to appliances you no longer own
and sadly, the kids art that doesn’t make the memory box cut (You can’t keep it all, nor do your kids want you to)
My favorite paper organizing tools
In Box:
Woven Basket in box — This is actually the one I own.
Paper Sorting System (lets keep this minimal)
Okay and this is truly the key part of this: the system to maintain your newly decluttered and organized space.
First- place your inbox where you naturally drop your mail. Lets not change what is already natural for you and your family.
Set aside a time to go through your mail
I like to sort my mail as I bring it in: (This takes 2 minutes)
Trash
Needs Action
To file
If you cannot do that, simply place it into your inbox and keep rolling
Carve out regular times to go through your mail and set an alarm or calendar reminder
If you have kids this might be nightly so you don’t miss any valueable information coming home in their backpacks. The more you do it, the quicker it will take.
I do this 3x a week around my kids’ activities: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday/Sunday
During my Sunday Reset I take the time to sit down and go through my action items and either take care of them right then and there or schedule a time to complete those tasks.
They live in the “action” section of my paper storage system until I come back to it, or it goes into my bag immediately if this is an action item that I need to take care of out in the wild.
Do not get discouraged if this is not a perfect system. Let it evolve as your life evolves. Don’t beat yourself up if you didnt check your kiddos backpacks every night. Just get right back at it.
This might be a hot take, but I am not a huge fan of filing my long term or archive papers. I do this quarterly. It seriously only takes a few minutes but that is what works for me. Until that day, they sit in a “to file” slot in my paper organizer. Again since this category is minimal it doesnt add up too much.
I truly hope this helps! I have set up variations of this system in so many client homes, and while the systems and structure holds, it does take work and some effort on our part to maintain them.
If you are in need of support please reach out, I am always here to help.
Now, if you are ready… go tackle that mail pile!
Choose Simple,
Sarah
Ahhhhh, you did it!
