Eliminate Paper Clutter Once and for All Review $95 Course

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Notebooks and Mail service-its and bills, oh my! If yous have been swimming through an endless sea of paper and feel every bit if you are virtually to drown, let me throw you a life preserver! The KonMari method is here to help yous eliminate paper clutter — permanently. See the exact steps you tin take get rid of paper clutter and start getting your life in lodge.

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Why you should declutter paper KonMari-way

Marie Kondo's decluttering method isn't just a method; information technology'due south an unabridged philosophy. According to Marie Kondo herself:

The approach is rooted in a single question: Does this item spark joy? Identifying what sparks joy leads to a tidy home filled only with items you cherish. It's also a path to self-discovery, mindful living and fulfillment.

That's what makes the KonMari method so special.

Yous see, whereas most other minimalist philosophies focus on the getting rid of part, the KonMari Method is all virtually mindfully choosing to keep things that spark joy.

By focusing on what tokeeprather than on what to discard,the procedure becomes positive and empowering. You might even experience m moments of self-discovery while tidying up!

(Indeed, it's not calledThe Life-Irresolute Magic of Tidying Upwards for nothing; it has literally inverse my life and helped me move on afterward decades of grief.)

Encounter it now!

Why does Marie Kondo put paper 3rd?

In her fantastic book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing , Marie Kondo stresses the importance of following anverbal progression of tidying categories in her book.

These are:

Article of clothing
Books
Paper
Komono (Miscellany)
Mementos

Her reasoning? Starting with items you have the least corporeality of attachment to yous increases your probability of success in letting go equally you lot move towards more difficult categories.

Chucking clothing was a snap.

Banishing books was a breeze!

Paper in the 3rd spot perplexed me…after all, how does one become attached to paper?

Paper schmaper, I thought to myself, rubbing my hands together and cackling like the Wicked Witch of the W.

Afterward all, who cares about paper?

It's not like books you read and consider to be old friends. Or photographs of loved ones or souvenirs from travels.

Psssh, how hard can tidying paper exist?

Reader, oh how incorrect I was!!!

**Information technology wasn't until I found myself in tears over paper that I got it.**

Former notebooks with humorous quotes from professors scrawled in the margins.
Drawings given to me past the children I taught at school.
Binders stuffed to the brim with syllabi and erstwhile schoolhouse forms.

Even though I hadn't so much every bit looked in these notebooks in 10+ years. Even though I know I will never look at them again.

I realized I have been lugging massive amounts of newspaper around with me for over a decade because of what they represented:

Time – All the fourth dimension put into writing these notes
Money – Thousands upon tens of thousands of dollars spent on a higher education
Dearest – A love of learning that never goes away
Hope – My father's hope that I wouldn't be a laborer like him

Information technology's never but about decluttering paper

Marie Kondo, in her space wisdom, recognizes what I certainly didn't prior to starting.

It's not about the papers — it's what the papers represent.

So before you start decluttering newspaper, peradventure have a moment to consider: what do these papers represent to you?

On to the KonMari paper decluttering tips!

Hither are a few items I recommend having before you lot tackle decluttering papers to make your life easier and reduce the stress and mess.

Item 1: A high-quality paper shredder

My paper shredder is the real hero of this story. He made it through nearly 25 pounds of sensitive document shredding without one hiccup.

If y'all plan on discarding documents with identifying information on them, credit cards, or other newspaper that contains information that could be recovered and used fraudulently, delight brand sure to take the fourth dimension and shred it before recycling!

Below you can run into the bodily newspaper shredder that I used.

This paper shredder made the shredding process very easy,micro-shredding upwards to 12 sheets at once into super fine pieces.

It is likewise able to shred credit cards, CDs, and DVDs! Highly recommend.

Update 12/2019 – the paper shredder that I used is no longer available.

Hither is the link to the newest model that has been updated for even better performance. Nevertheless features and it shreds up to 15 papers at one time!

Item 2: 2 or 3 Large Plastic Bins

These are going to be labeled "Recycle" and "Shred + Recycle". You may also want a "Keep" bin.

These bins are going to help proceed u.s.a. from getting overwhelmed by the masses of paper that we are discarding.

As I mentioned before, yous will want to exist sure and shred whatsoever papers with sensitive information (like credit menu statements, bank statements, bills, etc) before recycling!

I but used some bins that we had already in our garage (perchance you have some too?) If not, large cardboard boxes could also be used in a pinch.

(I implore yous to recycle, rather than just trashing all this newspaper. Y'all can feel even better nigh decluttering if you are mindful of the planet at the same fourth dimension!)

Item three: Storage methods

These are going to be used to store the very few papers that you lot determine to go along.

Marie Kondo recommends that your paper storage method should "pursue ultimate simplicity"; use whatever makes sense for your storage system!

We have a filing chiffonier that also doubles as a arts and crafts storage unit, and then I simply repurposed three of the filing folders.

You could besides apply a vertical organization organization like the one below that will keep your papers neat and tidy upon your desk.

I think vertical organizers are an attractive option if you are someone like a teacher or boyfriend speech-language pathologist who needs to keep papers and take them be accessible.

I use this 1 myself:

See at present!

Throw it all away!

Just kidding! Well, partially.

Kondo is pretty tough when it comes to newspaper. In general her philosophy towards paper can be summed upwardly equally "Toss it all!"

Obviously, at that place are papers that are absolutely necessary to keep and maintain for rubber and identify purposes.

According to Kondo, in that location are only three categories of paper that y'all should non discard.

Those are papers that:

Need attention – bills to pay, paperwork to submit, forms to sign, etc
Are needed for short-term – current tax documents, current warranties, etc
Are needed indefinitely – birth certificates, marriage certificates, social security cards, etc

These are the documents that volition be placed into your filing folders for storage, although if y'all choose to get the control center route, papers that need attention coming in and leaving the house can be stored there.

How to declutter newspaper with the KonMari method

i. Gather all of your paper and laying it on a wide, flat surface

If yous don't have many papers, you could use a table. I found information technology easier to place everything on the floor. You can see that I had my bins of notebooks total of papers from schoolhouse.

Basically, just lay information technology all out in that location at once. Have your bins ready for discarding prepare most you.

2. Brainstorm sorting

Begin to sort through the papers.

In accordance with the KonMari method, hold each piece of paper in your hand and ask yourself, "Does this spark joy?".

If not, that item should be discarded.

Equally y'all become, place the papers that need to be discarded into the advisable bins at your side. Sensitive documents will exist placed in the Shred + Recycle box.

Documents that don't incorporate sensitive information can simply be placed into the Recycle bin.

Optional step: curiosity at prehistoric times when you detect a floppy deejay!

three. Keep on sorting

Similar Dory just keeps pond, you are going to but go on sorting. You are going to sort, and sort, and sort, until you feel like y'all can sort no further.

Just keep sorting 🙂

Once you become through all of the papers, then it is fourth dimension to discard.

It'due south okay to take a few moments and reminisce over papers.

I got hung upwards for a moment on this old invoice to my grandmother for Barbies that she purchased me in 1996.

It brought back the ghosts of Christmas' by.

iv. Shred and Recycle

Try and recycle the not-sensitive papers right after you terminate sorting.

I took mine straight to our recycling centre. After that, yous will only exist left with the bin full of sensitive documents to shred.

The beautiful thing well-nigh using bins is that if you run out of time for shredding, you lot tin can salvage that for another day by simply endmost up the bins and stowing them abroad.

This is helpful if you lot are decluttering while your children are taking a nap, at school, etc.

That little trick was honestly a real time saver for me. Because of the sheer volume of newspaper, it pretty much took me all day to sort through information technology and I wasn't left with enough time to shred.

(Take some breaks if necessary to stretch and rest if you have a lot of paper — don't get too stiff and stay hydrated!.)

If you lot do need to set up it to the side, brand sure you accept intendance of your shredding as presently as possible the post-obit mean solar day or subsequently!

Don't wait likewise long, or you risk that bin of paper condign just another pile of clutter left unaddressed!

Y'all can come across that my paper shredder reduces the newspaper into very small pieces, almost similar snowfall! The shredded paper tin can then be bagged upwardly and taken out for recycling.

5. Replace those papers that you need to keep

You should be left with a few select newspaper items that you need to keep.

You lot can either sort the paper you want to proceed past using the KonMari categories (Needs Attention, Need Brusque-Term, Need Indefinitely) or you could sort them in so that they are arranged in like categories.

After we finished, we had nearly 5 filing folders divided by topic: medical documents, identifying documents, etc.

Check out how clean our filing cabinet drawer is now (wish I had taken a "before" picture…information technology was stuffed to the gills!)

Update: yous can read all my other posts most the KonMari method, including:

Ultimate FREE Printable Comprehensive KonMari Checklist
15 KonMari Method Practise's and Don'ts to Tidy Your Entire Life
KonMari Folding: A Step-past-Step Visual Guide on How to Fold Literally ANYTHING!
ten Tips to Joyfully KonMari Your Clothing
KonMari: Decluttering Books
KonMari: Decluttering Your Kitchen
KonMari: Decluttering Toys

Now yous are all finished!

Was information technology easier or harder than you expected? Let me know your newspaper decluttering experience in the comments section below.

Related posts:

7 tips to help you organize paper later on decluttering
20 genius DIY command centers to assist you stay organized

But await! Don't leave without signing upward for your Free KonMari checklist.

Information technology has five pages of items listed in all of the KonMari categories so that you don't miss a single item!

Pivot this!

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