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Paperwork is never-ending. It is a constant influx, isn’t it?
There’s always more papers creeping in. If you feel like you’re slowly being buried under piles of papers, then here are 10 easy tips for you to finally, once and for all, tackle that paper clutter and keep it from coming back.
Feel free to watch the video or keep reading below:
1. Digitise
The first tip I have for you is to digitise as much as you can. Obviously, this is not possible for every single type of paperwork you have. Yet for a lot of them, you can actually reduce the amount of physical papers you have in your home.
In many cases, you can take pictures of or even scan them.Then you can create specific folders for each of your files. You can maybe have a system on your Google Drive or on your Apple iCloud. There are so many different ways you can do it.
This means that when you have to find a set of papers, you can actually just type in on your computer the name of the document you need, and easily find it. Whereas, if it’s a stack or a mountain of papers around your home, it’s going to be so much harder to find that paper you’re looking for, and obviously, it takes up a lot more space.
So, when you can, do try to digitise your papers.
2. Stop the paper bills
No, I’m not suggesting you stop paying your bills—obviously, that’s a recipe for disaster. What I do mean is to stop receiving the physical paper bills into your home.
For us, we have actually decided to stop getting any sort of paper mail bills. We simply receive the digital format in our emails, sometimes on an app or a website depending on the service.
For a lot of the bills you pay, you usually have set up monthly debit payments that happen automatically, so you don’t really need a physical reminder every single month coming through your mail. You can simply check any bill online and pay it when needed, usually online as well.
This step reduces the amount of paperwork that comes into your home every single month. It’s one of those really simple things you can do that can actually make a big difference down the line. Remember, it’s not those big actions you take that make a big difference—it’s actually those little habits and little things you do throughout the week, throughout the month, that stop that big influx of papers coming into your home.
3. Create a filing or folder system
Obviously, certain papers do need to be kept in physical copy, but having a simple filing system ensures you know where everything you actually need to keep goes.
This doesn’t need to be intricate or complicated; it can be a super simple filing system so that when papers do come into your home, you know where they go, where you store them, and where to find them.
In our case, we have a folder that’s separated for each member of the family – my paperwork, my husband’s, the kids’, everything goes under their named, separated section in that folder. We also have one for the house and one for the car.
4. Organise less, declutter more
We often think we just need that perfect organising system—if we can find just the right bins, just the right folders, that’s going to help us have a clutter-free home. The truth is, we usually don’t really need to go out and buy more things. We just need to get rid of some stuff, and that’s the same with paperwork.
I find the only way to stay on top of paperwork is to simply have less paperwork. So, when it comes through the door, try to tackle it, try to declutter as much as you can.
Things you don’t really need to keep a physical copy of can go in the recycling. Obviously, shred or rip them with your hands if there’s any sort of sensitive information on them, but do declutter as you go.
If you have things that have expired, things you simply don’t have a use for anymore—just get rid of them. It’s going to make organising so much easier. When you have a small stack of papers that you know you need to keep, you can simply organise those in a folder. Whereas if you have a big pile of papers, it’s going to be so much more overwhelming to go through.
5. Create an inflow system
I’ve mentioned my inbox system before, and this one is just so simple. Have something like a letterbox or a little tray somewhere next to the entrance so that when you come into your home, you can put those papers there until you’re ready to address them.
And try to make it a point to actually address those papers, at least every week, if not more often, because usually, it doesn’t take that long if it’s a small stack of papers. It doesn’t accumulate, whereas keeping a pile of unmade or delayed decisions is just going to add to your stress level. Then, whenever you go past that hallway and see a stack of papers, it’s not going to be a nice feeling.
So, have a place where people can put those papers when they come in through the door, and that’s your little inbox. This way, you control the inflow of things, know where they go and where to find them when you’re ready to tackle them later on.
6. Sort junk mail straight away
This is probably the simplest I’m going to give you today, to just sort your junk mail straight away—put it in the recycling. You don’t need to keep all those flyers for the pizzeria that’s just opened down the street, the dentist that’s around the corner, or that roofing service they’re advertising.
When you do need some sort of service like that, what’s the first thing you do? It’s probably going on Google and searching, ‘dentist in my local area.’ You’re not going to be searching through that big pile of junk mail in your hallway to find the one you’re looking for.
So just do yourself a service—get rid of those, recycle them, and free up some of that mental load as well.
7. Tackle the artwork
Possibly one of the most asked questions is, “What do you do with the kids’ artwork?” We love them so much, but they bring so much of it! Honestly, if we were to keet every single piece of paper they scribbled on, we would probably get buried under their papers.
I know it can feel hard, but getting rid of those papers doesn’t mean you don’t love your child. Creating a calm and tidy environment for them to live in is actually going to benefit them a lot more than keeping every single paper they’ve ever drawn on.
In our case, we do keep some special ones, the ones we want to have in their little memory box. We have this little folder where we keep them, and they do have a memory box in the loft where we keep some items like that.
For some of their artwork, if we really like them but we’re kind of ready to recycle them, we will simply take a picture of them on our phones, keep them in our Google Photos drive, and let go of the physical copy.
Our kids’ artwork is absolutely lovely to see, but equally, it can really, really clutter up our spaces. So I think it’s good to try to have a good balance here that works for our family.
8. Let go of (most of the) instruction manuals
In the flat we used to live in, in London, we actually had this big box that was filled with instruction manuals for every single device, gadget, and appliance that was in that flat. And I don’t think we looked through those once the entire time we were there.
Whenever we did need something, the first thing we did was go on Google, and find the digital instruction manual for that particular thing. Then we could also search within that manual by typing a keyword so it was easier to find the information we were looking for. We realised that a lot of these instruction manuals are actually not that useful in physical format.
If there’s a specific manual we want to keep, as we do have some that we have to keep for the house (like the oven or boiler manuals), we store them in one folder that’s designated for all the house stuff that we need to keep.
Anything else, like the hoover, the Nintendo Switch, or a TV manual? We don’t keep them anymore.
Any sort of Ikea flat-pack manuals? We had so many of those because, if you look around my house, I think 90% of it is an Ikea showroom. We love Ikea, in case you didn’t notice! But we don’t keep those manuals either. If we do ever need one—and we actually have needed some when we moved them or wanted to change something with that piece of furniture—we just go on Ikea’s website and find it straight away.
9. Tackle the magazines
If you keep magazines, newspapers, or any sort of paperwork like that, really ask yourself if you actually read and enjoy having them.
If there’s something like a special edition or something that’s meaningful to you, something that you like looking through, obviously keep that. Maybe display it nicely somewhere or have this little box or storage bin where you keep them for future reference.
But if they are just magazines lying around all over your living room, your bedroom, or any sort of space like that, and you’re not referencing back, maybe you flipped through it a few times but it’s not anything special to you—it’s a good idea to let go of those and just create more space in your home.
10. Do the 15-minute sprints
I think you will be surprised to see how much you can accomplish by doing 15 minutes every day—or not even every day; if you don’t have the time for it, every other day, every week, whenever you have time for that.
Just dedicate 15 minutes to it. I know, especially for paperwork, if there is a pile in front of you, it can feel like you’re never going to get it done. I promise you will, and the hardest thing about it is getting started.
As you begin going through it, you might even get a bit into it—you get sometimes more motivated. Maybe you can play some nice music, put a timer on your phone, do those 15 minutes, and then that’s it—you’re done for the day.
Then, whenever you have the time, just do that again. And in time, you will be surprised at how much progress yo’ve made. This is one of the things my students in my Simply Decluttered course often say—they’re always surprised at how much they can achieve in those 15-minute bursts. So don’t underestimate the power of those tiny declutters.
I hope this was helpful, and you’re now ready to tackle your paper clutter. Remember, start with small, manageable steps, stay consistent, and watch your space transform. Soon, you’ll find yourself enjoying a more organised and stress-free home. You’ve got this!
