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   There is enough paper clutter coming through our house in one week to choke a horse. Somehow, I just don’t remember my mom having to deal with all of the paper daily the way that I now seem to have to do. For one thing, the extraordinary amount of junkmail is just overwhelming these days. Buy this, buy that, buy me, buy me! I’m really sick of it. So, I’ve been taking a really strong stand over the past 6 months or so.

Sort The Mail Outside – Near The Trash Can

   In the afternoons, no matter whether I’m coming in from work, returning from picking the kids up, or just hanging out at home, I go to the mailbox and get the mail (just like the rest of you . But now, I sort my mail next to the trashcan. I make an instantkeep or toss decision, on the spot. It nevers hits a flat surface in my house, if I can help it. Grocery store weekly circular – keep. Junk mail – toss. All catalogs – toss. No peeking in them either. That will only prolong the process of mail sorting / tossing. (I don’t need another single item nor any more debt! Period!) Magazines – keep or toss (depending on if I know that I am going to have the time to read it or can give it away to someone within the week). Bills – keep but I open them outside, ditch all interior “junk” and throwaway the envelope.

   This exercise has been tough but very liberating.

I am getting over:

1.   the need to read absolutely every word of every piece of mail that hits my mailbox. I just don’t have time for that any more. I’d rather spend that time talking to my kids about their day or starting dinner.

2.   the yearning to look through all of the catalogs and drool. It’s a terrible waste of human energy and time, not to mention a financially ruinous habit, if you were to actually follow through with purchasing something. Nope, catalogs just give people a case of the “I wanna’s”. No thanks.

3.   the mentality that “I am going to have time to sit down and look through all of this later”. Know what? I am not going to have time to look through any of this later, so quit kidding yourself and ditch it now. Release yourself from the obligation. Just say no. It has really done absolute wonders for my life.

Start A Project / To Process Binder

Step by Step Instructions For Doing What I Do

   At any given time, I have 5 – 20 to-do’s. A to-do list really isn’t doing the job for me any more. Nowadays it seems like many of my to-do’s have a piece of paper attatched to them. Fill this out, return this, send this to so-and-so, take this to the docter then return it to us, blah, blah, blah. On top of the typical mom stuff, I still have all of my business to-do’s to do! Sign this contract, email this person, call this vendor. Recently, I have started a project management binder on steroids.

   First off, I sprang for a super thick, durable plastic binder with a funky color and modern design. I figured that if I like looking at it, perhaps I will actually open it and use it. Seems to be working so far.

   Inside the front cover, I have taped a piece of paper with my financial goals, predominantly related to this year. $1000 in savings, 6 months worth of living expenses, credit card debt amount and the corresponding interest rate (and also expiration date of that rate), amount per month for college fund (and date it auto withdraws), ditto for my retirement account. This little piece of paper keeps my from writing this info down again and again, just to get it out of my head.

   The first page is a master to-do list with every single to-do for me, the kids, and the house. I am currently switching some of that over to a little project block sheet that I have created. I will try to get it cleaned up a little so that I can upload it for you all to use. It has every project grouped together with tasks that are similar in goal. Yard, downstairs bathroom, self, child #1, child #2, etc..

   The very last page in the binder is a similar master project list except that it is only business related. I put it as the last page of the binder in the interest of time. There is no fumbling to look something up. It’s just open and bam, there’s your list.

   Between these two pages are heavy duty, clear pocket pages, about 20 of them. Inside each of these are located all of the slips of paper that need to be processed, handled then mailed, pictures to send Grandpa, birthday card to be mailed, slips of paper with phone numbers that need to be written down somewhere else, etc.. Similar tasks are grouped in the same pocket. As each task is completed the pocket is then emptied and freed up for the next task. Leftovers from those tasks head to the trash or the filing cabinet for long term storage as needed.

   Towards the back of the binder, there are two pockets that I am putting new recipes in to try. Pocket #1 has only the recipes that I might actually fit in this week. Pocket #2 has recipes for within the next 30 days. My guess is that if I didn’t get around to it in 30 days or so, then that new recipe probably needs to go right in the trash. It just wasn’t compelling enough to actually make it.

   I’m still getting in the habit of putting all pieces of paper in the binder but it’s been so handy that after the first few days, it really hasn’t been a problem. Every single piece of paper that I need to do something with now has a home. Not on a desk somewhere or hidden in a pile (where I won’t have time to look for it), but thoughtfully added to it’s own little container within the book.

   I hated cleaning my room as a kid but I’m loving this. No more paper piles. I feel utterly liberated! ::cleansing sigh::

Get And Use A Filing Cabinet

   After I got married, I bought a small two drawer filing cabinet. When I started my own business, I dedicated one of those drawers to the business. Huge mistake. In hindsight, it needed at least two drawers, hence this is how paper piles got started at my house. After the kids were born, I broke down and bought a huge, 4 drawer filing cabinet, extra deep. It’s been the best investment I could have ever made. Let’s call it a sanity saving investment. Now, the business has two drawers, personal has one drawer (current tax year), and long-term personal storage has one drawer.

   I misused and under used my filing cabinet for years. Do you have one that you aren’t using? Then it’s not set up right. (It literally took me years to figure that out!) It needs the file folders in it that you actually need to have. At the end of the year (or at least once per year), you’ll go back through every single folder. Empty ones either get their content matter absorbed into a different file folder or loose a place altogether in the cabinet.

   At a later date, I’ll do a blog entry with my filing cabinet master plan. Until then, enjoy all of these ideas. They’ve really freed up literally hours of my week!

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