Decluttering October: Paper Files

One of my decluttering mini missions this month is paper. I did a big purge of paper files in 2015. Check this blog post out to get an idea of what a big job it was! That job put me in the mindset of not saving much paper to begin with. And this is one reason, I can make progress on paper in just 20 minutes.

I pulled out these files the other morning just before I left to go to an appointment. These were tax files and 'important papers' for our two daughters. But I actually got to several other files as well. 

I found 13 pieces of paper to shred, and 21 to recycle. 

In my hunt to make a quick note, I found several pens to toss. Bonus decluttering!

It looks like this will take one more mini mission session to complete. The file on the lower left is our 2012 tax return supplemental documents. I'm going to review what I have on file and scan anything else from this file to it. All papers will go to the shredder! 

The green file is actually where we keep most of our files, so I'm just going to do a once over to see if anything needs to be tossed. For example, we keep track of vehicle maintenance on a spreadsheet, but now only keep receipts for those for one year. There's bound to be a few that need to go. This should take just a few minutes.

My suggestion for this month is that you spend at least one mini session on visible paper in your home. Think of the STOP method here. Sort, Toss, Organize (if desired), Put Away! This is not the time to take on a large purge like I mentioned before, but just get through that paper pile on your kitchen counter, coffee table, or dare I say your dining room table!! In fact, sort and toss are probably the most important, in addition to finding another place to keep your paper during the holidays. 

Did you declutter paper recently? Tell me about your experience!