Decluttering

Paper Clutter to the Recycling Bin

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Do you have a file folder filled with cut out articles and/or recipes tucked away in a drawer or box? When was the last time you looked into this file folder?

Last night I continued my paper decluttering project for January. The files in my file drawer were getting so tight I could hardly fit another piece of paper in them. It was time to purge! After dinner I pulled out a couple of file folders from the back of the drawer. I sat down on the couch and while watching TV went through them.

The first file had a bunch of catalogs from a book club I no longer belong to. They weren’t too old but needed to be filed in the recycling bin. The other file folder had some recipes and articles I had cut out from magazines. After going through the recipes I only found one I wanted to try. The articles all seemed a little outdated. Since they were torn out of magazines some of the pages had the date of the issue on them. Do you think articles from 1992 are a little old?

That’s right. I have kept this file folder for over 16 years and didn’t bother to look at it. I guess those articles really weren’t so important to keep. I wonder how many other outdated articles are hiding in file folders. I think I will be pulling one folder out each night and decluttering them.

It felt real good last night to put those old papers into the recycling bin.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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“Clean Off Your Desk Day”

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Today is “Clean off Your Desk Day“. It is always easier to work at a clean desk than one that is cluttered up with papers, pens, coffee mugs, water bottles, and lots of other misc. items. As I am typing this I can see I have a little work to do with my desk. I will set a timer for 15 minutes and clean it up.

With January being “National Get Organized Month” I have decided it was time to go through my bookcases and declutter some books and notebooks. I don’t have any more room on the shelves so books and papers are starting to stack up on the floor. Time to reorganize.

I decided to add a new bookcase. I had room to move a small, three shelf one to another area and put a new five shelf one in its old place. This will give me more room to put the books and notebooks. Sometimes we have to change things to make them work more efficiently for us.

Once I get the new bookshelf built (hopefully by tonight) I will put everything on the shelves. It won’t be organized just yet but I will take care of that later. I will go through one shelf at a time and get rid of any books I don’t need. This way will be better than trying to tackle the whole mess at once. It’s too easy to get overwhelmed.

Time to go clean off my desk!

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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Decluttering Receipts

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Each year I put my receipts in a file folder I keep in my file cabinet. If I need the receipt for anything that is broken or I’m just curious how old something is I can look for it in the file.

By the end of the year all these receipts can take up way too much drawer space so it becomes necessary to declutter them. January is a good time to sit down and go through the file and clear it out. It’s easy to do while watching TV in the evenings. It feels so good to throw away all those small pieces of paper I don’t need anymore.

The question comes in as to which ones to keep and which can be thrown away or shredded. Last night as I went through the file I kept only the receipts of items that may be under warranty or I may need for business or tax purposes. Usually I file the business or tax receipts in their respective files but occasionally they get in the general receipt file. All those receipts for clothes, shoes, or misc. items that were put on the charge cards will be shredded unless they fit the categories above. I will keep the receipts for the items that are only a couple of months old. I can declutter them later in the year.

I have a few receipts that ended up in the general file that should be stapled or tape to the warranty or instruction sheet. I will need to take care of those. I have separate file folders for different types of items such as kitchen appliances, small electronics, computers, household appliances, etc. Keeping the receipts with corresponding papers makes it easy to know if it is still under warranty when something goes wrong.

I found this site that handles receipts a little differently than I do. Her way requires more discipline to handle the files monthly. I would probably not remember or find the time to do it that way. Everyone needs to find out what works best for them. So check out the site to see other ways of how to handle those multiplying receipts.

http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-handle-receipts-one-persons.html

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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Paper Clutter

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January is designated by the National Association of Professional organizers (NAPO) as “Get Organized Month”. The one area that I like to start with this month is the paper clutter. This is because we start receiving all those year end summaries from the banks, brokerage firms, our employers, etc. Tax season is right around the corner.

Most of these statements start coming in towards the end of the month but there is a lot we can do to clear out the paper clutter before then. If you have a pile of papers that didn’t get filed because you were busy with the holidays ( I know I do) then now is the time to file them. Getting all the papers off your desk and filed in the proper files (including the trash can file) is the first step to organizing your papers. Once they are cleared off the desk then you can start examining the papers in each individual file.

I will be blogging this month mostly about how to declutter specific areas of paper clutter. My “Tip Newsletter” this week will be addressing magazine clutter and how to reduce it. If you don’t already subscribe to this newsletter then please sign up on the right sidebar to receive it.

There are plenty of papers we keep just because we are not sure whether we need them or not for tax and other legal reasons. I will let you know which ones are necessary to keep and what can go. I will give you plenty of resources to look up more information if you need it.

So let’s make January the month we get rid of papers that are clutter and organize the ones we do need to keep.

If you have any suggestions, ideas, or know of any good web-sites that can help us know what to keep and what to get rid of, please let me know in the comment section.

Thanks,

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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Yesterday millions of Americans took action and exercised their right to vote. That one action let us determine who will be our next president and the direction we hope he will lead us in.

The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is so true. Whether the action is casting a vote that can help change the course of history or it is finally getting rid of a beloved dress that no longer fits, the action moves us forward.

Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you sit there.” So take an action today, however small it may be, to declutter your home or life.

Recycle that pile of old magazines or newspapers. Your time is too precious to waste reading old news. Put that dress that never fit right into the charity bag. You’re not going to wear it, maybe someone else can. What about your stockpile of food on the pantry shelf? If it is expired then throw it away. If it is good then either plan on using it soon or if you don’t like anymore donate it to a food pantry.

Take an action today and another one tomorrow and another one the next day. You’ll be moving forward and virtually eliminate the chance of getting run over.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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