I Need a Paper Clutter Sorter

Dear FlyLady,

Help! I'm surrounded by paper clutter. My home office is the size of a closet and it's the place where papers go to die.I work from home and am blessed to have an office with a door that closes, even if it is tiny. However, everyone in the family gives me papers to hold on to. There isn't a horizontal surface that isn't overflowing and avalanches are a common occurrence.

Have you ever thought of offering a paper clutter tool similar to your decluttering bags? I have no idea how to sort through all this and, even if I did, have no room. In the past, I've used the dining room table for sorting but that never works because I end up with piles that have to be cleared for dinner and I don't know what to do with the piles I've made so they end up in a box and back in the office.

Cindy in VA, wishing for a paper clutter sorting tool for Christmas or sooner!

Dear Cindy,

Our offices become the happy dumping ground! It does not matter what size they are! You don't need a special sorter to deal with the papers! STOP SORTING and MAKING MORE PILES!

You need a motto! Click the image to download one for you.

This motto helps you to curb your
urge to procrastinate! It is procrastination that causes the piles. Our motto of Only Handle It Once works because it is the Do It Now Principle in action.

Here are the steps you take to get control of your paper clutter as it comes into your home before you can pile it up. We will deal with the piles later. For now you have to stop making more piles. This means you have to process the paper. Set your timer for 2 Minutes. Two minutes will eliminate piles.

1. When you find a piece of paper in your hand do not put it down until you process it. Open envelops and discard the trash immediately.

2. What is it? A bill, an appointment, trash. Keep in mind that the best sorter is your trash can or recycle bin.

3. If it is a bill you have some choices to make; Pay it now, Process it to pay when it is due, put it on your calendar to remind you to pay it in a timely fashion, and put it in your Office in a Bag. This is a place to keep your unpaid bills.

4. If it is a paper to be signed; sign it and put it in your child's backpack, in an envelope to be mailed to who needs it.

5. If it is trash! Throw it away! Recycle it! Shred it! Or put it in a burn bag to be used as kindling in your fire pit.

This same process works for those piles you have in your office. All you have to do is process them a handful at a time; 6 inches at a time. Most of it will be trash! The trash can is the best filing cabinet! Those piles are mainly trash that you have not processed!

Dear Friends,

Every year we declare that this year we will be ready for the holidays and every single year we find ourselves wrapping gifts or running to the grocery at the last minute. Do you want to have a stress free holiday? I can see you affirming this with your head nods! Well it is not going to happen if you just sit and wish things could be different. It is going to take a little action on your part for you to have a peaceful Cruise through the Holiday. Are you ready to look at some simple ways to keep your life calm during the holidays?

1. Crisis Clean your home with our podcast! Clear your clutter to get ready for more stuff to come into your home and keep your home maintained with your routines.

2. Pick up after yourself and follow our Holiday Cruising Missions.

3. Keep up with your holiday spending on: Food, decorations, food and travel. We have a FREE Holiday Control Journal for you to print out!

4. Stop the holiday WHINE! Commit to doing one thing each day to prepare for the holidays.

5. Have a family meeting to discuss what traditions each member of your family loves and hates. Please listen!

6. Decorate in babysteps! Let go of your perfectionism of getting it all done at one time. Make a pleasant nightly ritual of putting one ornament on the tree or putting up one decoration.

7. Let go of the guilt and last minute stress of making "Homemade" gifts. Start now and keep it simple.

8. Plan your holiday menus now and start buying your groceries with each visit to the grocery store. This means for your holiday baking too! Cookies, cakes, breads and rolls.

9. Make a gift list of all you want to buy for. Establish an amount that you want to spend and stick to it. Start shopping now. Also think about "Clutter Free" Gifts. Gifts of time.

10. Set up a gift wrapping station. This consists of one roll of paper, tape, scissors, ribbon and a tag. Less is more.

11. Your family can't read your mind, help them and help yourself by letting go of the Holiday Martyr. Write down what you would like for a gift and give them your list. We ask our children to do this so that we at least have some idea. All they want to do is please you.

We start our Holiday Cruising Missions on Monday. Our goal is to be ready for the holidays by December 1st. We are pretending that we are going on a Holiday Cruise that is going to last for three weeks. If we were really going on a cruise we would have to have everything ready for our departure. By getting everything done by December 1st we are free to have fun and not be stressed out by the holidays.

Are you ready to enjoy the holidays for the first time ever?
FlyLady

Have you gotten your calendar ordered? Get it today! Our calendar has large squares that are big enough to hold your busy family's schedule and milestones.

We have what you need to keep your home shining! Sometimes we need a little motivation. Our efficient tools give us a jump start! They make a tough job fun. If you make it fun; it will get done!

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Get our Free Holiday Control Journal and join us for a little laughter and learning how to Finally Love Yourself. Send an email to [email protected] with FREE HOLIDAY COJ in the subject line.