People often ask, “What’s the hardest thing to organize?” My answer is, “there are two: sentimental items and papers.” Sentimental because of the emotional toll, and papers because there is so much and it’s hard to see progress. Plus, papers can also be sentimental.
I organized three small 2-drawer filing cabinets with a client and it took 6 hours to go through. And more than half of it was stationary paper, which was easy to make decisions about.
My advice is to avoid saving the paper, to begin with. Deal with it now and be done with it. There will obviously be papers that you need to save but limit those to only the most important (one filing cabinet or less). And label things so it’s easy to find what you want. You should also go through and purge papers that are no longer important or applicable.
Going through papers is exhausting. So don’t let it build up. If it has already happened then try to go through things in small batches every day. Make a list ahead of time of what you will keep and stick to that list.
- The first rule of thumb is: if you can find it online, throw it out?
- The second rule of thumb is: if it belongs to someone else give it to them.
If you want one-on-one help organizing a space, call me at 208.736.3306 for a free consultation. I’d love to help you on your organizational journey. Virtual options are also available.