Are you ready to get organized today? (I know you are!) Now that we've stopped procrastinating (right?), the first thing we've got to get under control is the clutter. . . and there's no other way to do than to scoot on up and do it. However, anything you can do to stop the clutter before it starts will help make your life so much easier! Here are a few habits that have worked lately for me:
1. Â Before the mail even hits the kitchen counter, sort through it and throw out junk mail immediately. If you have a free sample (or two ~ lucky you!), go ahead and get rid of the paper clutter, put any coupons in your coupon binder or organizer, and throw out any cards as soon as you've read them (unless they're especially sentimental for you, but I mean really special!)
2. Assign a specific place for any bills that don't get paid right away. I use a simple clip shown in the picture above to keep bills for my husband that need to be paid. (Right now he pays most of the bills for our family, so I try to keep them in a specific spot so I don't get in trouble if they get lost . . . not that that's ever happened before . . . )
3.Don't sign up for freebies (or even free magazine subscriptions. . .) that you won't use or can't donate. I post a lot of freebies here, but don't always get them myself if I know they won't get used or I don't have a specific place to donate them to. Â While I love a freebie as much as any good penny pincher, if I can't really use it I don't want the extra “stuff” to make it's way through my door!
4. Â Keep a box for mail that needs to be shredded close to where the mail comes in at. Your shredding box doesn't have to be anything fancy (mine is just in a cardboard box), but you do need a place to keep junk mail that has personal information included on it until you can shred it. For years we've had our shredding box as far away as possible from our kitchen (where the mail always comes in at our house.) Over the holidays I simply moved the box downstairs, and it has been so nice not to have a pile of junk that constantly needed to go up or down the steps. (Why didn't I think of that one sooner?)
5. Â Come up with a daily plan to deal with kids papers that come home from school. This one has been huge for our family! If your kids bring home a permission slip that needs to be filled out, fill it out immediately and put it back in their backpack (don't waste time with it sitting on the counter ~ it'll just drive you crazy!) If you have to write a check for a specific trip or activity (and can afford it. . . ) don't wait to write the check ~ just get it done the minute they get home from school so that it's off your to-do list. We do have some papers that my kids bring home which can't be dealt with immediately, so I have a magnetic clip like this one that hangs on my fridge for those items ~ it keeps my countertops cleared off, but the information is easily accessible when I need it.
And here are a few specific items to work on today:
- Do a ten minute walk through of your kitchen and main living area. If there is anything there you can donate or throw away right now, get rid of it. If your family isn't really using it, it's not worth keeping, and it might just bless someone else.
- Come up with a plan for any piece of paper that comes in your home. If it's something you need to hang onto, give it a specific home as soon as it comes in the door until it can be dealt with, but if at all possible, take care of it and mark it off your to-do list.
I save shredding for our summer fires. I have so much (have own business) and paper shredders are my personal nemesis (I break them-not sure why..lol). I use a box, kind of like Laurie’s, then by the end of summer it’s gone. Perfect timing for a clean slate when school starts.
That’s a smart idea, Colleen!
I am a self admitted paper hoarder! On New Year’s Day, I spent the entire day sorting through 15 years of cards, bills, papers, etc., and 11 years of the kids school work! It took me 8 hours, but I now have room in our spare closet! Good thing I pay for an extra trash can, because I filled up one, and still had enough to fill up the second! I have decided that an organized life is a happy life! I have committed to uncluttering one area of my home every day, and so far, so good! Thanks for your inspiration!
WOW! I’m so excited for you Faith ~ what a huge way to start 2013! I think you will absolutely feel so much freedom – I was just talking to a friend today about how much are kids even like rooms that are organized (as much as they absolutely hate getting them there. . . ) Yay for you!