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1. Divide and Conquer
Gather all your paperwork into one pile and divide everything into 2 categories: keep & recycle.
You may also have a third pile if you need to shred some top-secret info. 🤫
You'll be left with a lot fewer papers already once you've removed the stuff you want to recycle or shred. No doubt, you're already breathing a sigh of relief! 
Now divide the "keep" pile into 2 more categories: active and inactive papers.
Active Papers
Things you regularly refer to, such as timetables or upcoming payments.
Inactive Papers
Documents you don't regularly use, such as tax information.
2. Find Homes for Your Papers
So now you have 2 stacks sitting there: active and inactive. It's time to find homes for them!
Photo by James Lee on Unsplash
Active
Take the active stack and find an easily accessible home for it.
For example, use a wall organizer, bulletin board, or desk tray to help make these files more visible.
Inactive
Organize the inactive pile into folders in a filing cabinet or boxes.
Put the cabinet or boxes in a convenient, out-the-way spot.
3. Label and Forget About It
Whether the item is active or inactive, be sure to keep each type of document in its own container or folder and label it. For example, bills to pay shouldn't be tucked in with a notice about carpet cleaning in your building.
Choose labels that are:
brilliantly easy to read
understandable to you
generic (for example, label a folder "Insurance" not "Scotialife")
but not too generic (like "Documents")
Quiz
Sally just finished recycling all her old magazines and outdated financial documents. What should she should do now with the stack sitting on her desk that she wants to keep? Select all that apply:
Sally should divide the "keep" pile of papers into active and inactive stacks. Then she should find a place close by (for example, near her desk) for her active files, like her school calendar and building notices, so that she can access them easily. She should also use a separate folder or container for each type of document so they don't get mixed up.
4. Go Digital
If you're a minimalist or don't want to handle paper constantly, you can use your phone or a scanner to scan all your documents!
You can then keep them in folders on your computer with a backup on Google Drive, Dropbox, or your backup app of choice.
Once you've gone through the trouble of scanning all your stuff, you can throw out some of the paper versions.
However, some paper documents, such as passports and birth certificates, should be kept in paper format. But you knew that, right?
Did you know?
Adobe Scanner has a free app for your iPhone.
5. Rinse and Repeat
You have everything neatly organized. Now what? We all know papers pile up quickly, so keep things moving.
When you get incoming mail and other paper items, take action immediately! Ask yourself: shall I keep it, or shall I trash it? Then do what needs to be done.
Take Action
Get started on your paper decluttering today!
This Byte has been authored by
Sonia Kernan
Instructional Designer
BA., BEd.