When it’s time to get things organized, there are many ways you can do that. There are also different sections of your home to work on. That way your efforts will be easy to see, and you won’t get overwhelmed with everything at once. For your bills, files, and desk, you have plenty of options. It all comes down to whether you want to just keep things organized, or you want to minimize at the same time. When you do both, your desk or office area can be neater and cleaner. But you don’t have to throw away anything if you don’t want to. There are also plenty of options for organization only.
Go Paperless to Reduce Clutter
Getting bills, statements from your bank, and other common documents can be a thing of the past. You don’t need to get them in the mail any longer, when you can get them in your inbox instead. By turning paper transactions into digital ones, you’ll be much better able to reduce the amount of paperwork you have on your desk. Your bills will be in your inbox instead of your mailbox, and your files will be smaller and easier to handle. That will keep your desk looking great, and ensure you can find things when you need them.
Sometimes, Mail is Still Necessary
With an in-and-out mail system, you have two trays. One is used for mail you need to read or act on in some way. The other one is used for mail that needs to be thrown away. That makes it easy for you to see what mail is important and what isn’t. Filing your mail in one of the trays as soon as it comes in means you can deal with it properly and it won’t add to your clutter. That system also reduces the chance of paying bills late, since they’re in your “In” tray where you know you need to take action. If you want to keep paper bills, that can be the best option for a file system.
Use a To-Do Board Instead of Writing Lists
Making lists used to be common, but lists can also be easily lost. That’s especially true if there’s a lot of paperwork already on your desk. But you can use a to-do board instead, where you pin mail or files to a cork board on your wall. Then you can easily see what you need to do, and nothing will get lost in the shuffle. You can take things down and file them or throw them away as they get completed. You won’t have to worry about creating a to-do list and then not being able to find it, so you’ll spend less time searching for your list and more time completing the tasks on it.
Sort Your Paperwork According to Use
You don’t need to keep all your paperwork in one place. As a matter of fact, keeping everything in one location can actually be very inconvenient and lead to more confusion. By separating your work documents from your home expenses, you’ll be ready to find anything you need and won’t accidentally confuse work and personal papers. You could consider color-coding your documents according to their use, or putting them into different storage spaces or containers in your workspace. You can also use a label maker so you can find specific folders or files more easily.
Clear Out the Paper You Don’t Need
Any out-of-date documents you don’t need can be shredded, and the recycle bin emptied. Then file anything you have to keep, so it’s put away neatly. Put your recycle and trash bins where you can easily see and access them, too. That will help you remember to throw things away, and to empty the bin when it gets full. Not only will that reduce clutter on your desk, but it can also make the process of paying your bills, filing your documents, and getting rid of junk mail more efficient. Less clutter means faster processing of anything that comes across your desk.
Organizing your files, bills, and desk are all great ways to help keep clutter out of your home as much as possible. The more you move your bills and documents online the less paperwork you’ll have. Then having a place for the paperwork you do keep will mean an organized home and life.
