Organizing Paper Clutter... and a Giveaway - Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry

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I received “The Home Decluttering Diet” free for review. You can see my full disclosure policy here.

Before I start talking about getting all that paper clutter organized, I want to say, “Thank you!” Today marks two years since my blog went live on the internet. Two years! I am truly grateful to all of you that read my blog consistently, and to those of you that pop over from Pinterest just to browse through a post for ideas. So, thank you. At the end of this post there’s a little giveaway as a token of my appreciation 🙂

Alright, let’s tackle that paper clutter, shall we?!

Jenn, from the blog Clean & Scentsible, just came out with a book called The Home Decluttering Diet, and it releases tomorrow! (FYI, this book is currently on sale at Amazon. I’m not sure how long the discounted price will be available though, so grab it quick.) I was lucky to receive my copy already, and I cannot tell you how excited I am to start my Home Decluttering Diet on March 1st. Just as many weight-loss diets begin with a 30 day detox, so does this “decluttering diet”. Each day, for 30 days, you tackle one area of your home for 15 minutes. (You can follow my decluttering journey on Facebook and/or Instagram during the month of March). After the 30 day detox, the book takes you through each room of your home so you can really hone in on decluttering every space.

Guess what we’re decluttering on Day 1? Yep. Paperwork… Now, I’m not saying that I never have piles of paper sitting on my counters. I do. But, I also have a system to keep those piles from completely taking over my house.

Enter, what I like to call, The Inbox.

This tray houses all those piles of papers until I have a chance to deal with them; which I try to do at least once a week. Instead of mail, school flyers, magazines, and coupons scattered about, they all get put in one spot; keeping my surfaces “paper-pile free”.

You want to make sure your inbox is durable. I started out with a fabric-covered cardboard bin, and it quickly tore due to all the use. Here are some ideas for your inbox (Just click on the image for more details):

When I have a chance to sort through my “inbox”, I place the paperwork into 4 separate categories:

Trash: Pretty self-explanatory, right? Flyers from companies you’re not interested in, junk mail, kids’ math tests (unless it’s a winner and deserves a spot on the fridge 🙂 )…
Things to Deal With “Now” (Within the next 48 hours): If my children come home with a permission slip for a school field trip, I probably need to sign it and return it to school rather quickly, so I file this in my “To Do Now” folder. Other items for this folder might include bills, coupons, etc.
Things to Deal With Soon (Within the next week or two): If my child comes home with a flyer to join the baseball team, but sign-ups don’t start for another couple weeks, I put that flyer in my “Soon” folder. While there’s no hurry to address these items, there is a deadline. Make sure to check this folder regularly so items aren’t missed.
Things to Deal With When There’s Time: I get magazines and catalogs that I really want to look through, but I don’t always have the time. These get put into my “When There’s Time” folder. There is no rush on the items in this folder. They could sit around for a year, and I wouldn’t be missing a deadline. It’s sort of an “at your leisure folder”.

To keep these folders all together, I purchased a hanging wall file to house my three categories. I found mine at Homegoods, but here are a few options for you (Again, just click on the image for more details):

The trick is to keep up with the system.

At least once a week, go through your inbox.
File paperwork according to urgency.
Remember to look through your “Now” and “Soon” folders regularly so you don’t forget to deal with the paperwork that’s in there. Things in your “Soon” folder quickly become items you need to deal with “Now”. If it’s helpful, keep your “Now” folder in a more obvious spot (perhaps next to your computer), so you remember to deal with those items over the next couple days.

As I mentioned, in celebration of my two year “blogiversary”, I’m giving away a copy of The Home Decluttering Diet to one lucky reader. ~~Enter below. Good luck!~~ This giveaway has ended.