Lately, I’ve been clearing out a lot of unneeded things. I sort of follow Marie Kondo’s advice of tackling like items all at once (clothes, books, etc.) But since it's more satisfying to organize a single room or closet at a time, it’s been a bit of a hybrid approach.
I was making good progress until I decided it was Time To Tackle The Paper. So much paper.
My office filing cabinets have been overstuffed for years. I bought a smaller extra cabinet, even though the solution was really to get rid of the paper, not expand the storage. I’m not talking about old bills and takeout menus (although there were a few of those). I mean the kind of paper writers might accumulate, like journals of novel notes, research for books and articles, and folders from writing conference filled with driving directions, hotel receipts, and carefully handwritten notes dating back to 2002. (I know. It's bad.)
In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Marie Kondo says that when sorting papers, “Rule of thumb—discard everything.”
I didn’t go quite that far. But I did complete my biggest purge in decades, creating *lots* of space for future projects. I’m also making a new vow to use the scanner more. :) If you struggle with paper, too, Elizabeth Larkin's How To Get Rid of Paper Clutter Once and for All: 7 Steps to Reduce Paper Clutter might help.
I found another article that featured a free printable checklist for reducing your paper clutter. Ha! I didn't print it.
I was making good progress until I decided it was Time To Tackle The Paper. So much paper.
My office filing cabinets have been overstuffed for years. I bought a smaller extra cabinet, even though the solution was really to get rid of the paper, not expand the storage. I’m not talking about old bills and takeout menus (although there were a few of those). I mean the kind of paper writers might accumulate, like journals of novel notes, research for books and articles, and folders from writing conference filled with driving directions, hotel receipts, and carefully handwritten notes dating back to 2002. (I know. It's bad.)
In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Marie Kondo says that when sorting papers, “Rule of thumb—discard everything.”
I didn’t go quite that far. But I did complete my biggest purge in decades, creating *lots* of space for future projects. I’m also making a new vow to use the scanner more. :) If you struggle with paper, too, Elizabeth Larkin's How To Get Rid of Paper Clutter Once and for All: 7 Steps to Reduce Paper Clutter might help.
I found another article that featured a free printable checklist for reducing your paper clutter. Ha! I didn't print it.
“When home feels out of control, no matter what the reason, unsettledness and anxiety can seep in, and then the chaos becomes internal as well as external.”
—Myquillyn Smith, Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff
—Myquillyn Smith, Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff
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