Getting Rid of the Paper Clutter for GOOD!

This post was sponsored by Fellowes as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Being a mom to 3 kids (all in school) and a blogger, you know I’m swimming in paperwork. There is way too much paperwork in my house.  Now I’m not a hoarder of paper, but you never know what you will need in the future, right?  Well,  I need to stop thinking like that or else my family will be living in a paper house!  

So my desk is the first thing to get tackled and get rid of the PAPER PILES! When you have piles of papers don’t you feel overwhelmed, I know I do!  Then I avoid it like the plague, and that doesn’t do any good, the piles get bigger. I heard Walmart has Shredders so got me a Fellowes’ 12Cs Shredder and a bin to put all my papers I no longer want or need. My plan is to get rid of my paper clutter for good! 

By the front door, I set the Fellowes Shredder, a bin for the trash paper, and a paper organizer for all other papers. I will SHRED every Saturday and put all the shredded paper in the recycling bin for pickup.  Now my husband says we will be using the shredded paper during the winter for the fireplace, great idea hubby! 

There is no reason to make this complicated, set up a filing system that works for you and your family.  By the way, this is also teaching the kids to organize, and maybe they won’t have to go through the paper piles when they get older. By then you never know what they will have so for now, I’m teaching them to SHRED!  

My filing system is super easy:

• Keep-File Away: Need to keep important tax papers, school information, and anything else that I will need in the future.
• To-Do: Take action papers- blogging paperwork, bills that need to be paid, permission slips that need to be signed, and other papers that require attention. 
• Shred: Useless paper like advertisements, credit cards requests, sales, and other annoying paper that is worth nothing to you or the house. 

Deal with the mail/papers AS SOON AS THEY COME THROUGH THE DOOR! 

I shared what I plan to do but Laura Stack, aka The Productivity Pro, has some tips for our readers too!  Now you can organize your home so you can spend less time dealing with the mess and more time WITH FAMILY. 

1. Create the habit: File It, Recycle, Shred, or Take Care of It. Receipts, permission slips, and paperwork can be processed immediately using this method. Shred all documents with a cross-cut shredder like Fellowes’ 12Cs that shreds up to 12 sheets of paper and have the SafeSense® technology. 
2. Label: Make sure files and folders are clearly labeled by subject- you can color code it too. 
3. Set Up a Routine: Establish routines that help you complete things faster, such as setting out everything you’ll need for the next day the night before. Work smarter not harder! 
4. Time Tasks: Use a kitchen timer for any task you don’t want to do  Estimate how long the task will take and schedule it – just do it!  When you become focused time seems to fly, and you’ll get the job done easier and faster.

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Please let us know how you handle PAPER CLUTTER?