how to sort through all the papers you own in 6 simple steps
How to Sort Through All the Papers You Own in 6 Simple Steps
Ah, paper. As a professional organizer, I’ve learned firsthand that paper is most people’s least favorite category when it comes to organizing. Paper can be bulky, time-consuming, and generally not pretty to look at. But sorting through papers is an essential part of working through difficult emotions, simplifying your home, and living a more minimal lifestyle. And the truth is: you can get rid of almost all the papers you currently own, even if you’re not interested in becoming a minimalist.
The KonMari Method of minimizing tells us to pick up each item in a given category and ask ourselves whether it sparks joy. But sorting through papers is less about what sparks joy and more about taking a realistic, utilitarian approach to figuring out what we need and don’t need. That’s why it requires looking at things from a slightly different angle.
With tax season upon us, now is the perfect time to embrace minimalism and reduce the amount of paper you own so you can properly organize your files and find what you need when you need it. Let’s start by talking about how sorting through your papers can improve your life.
how having less paper can make your life easier
Before we outline the steps for how to edit the papers in your home, let’s review why minimalism matters when it comes to paper.
Paper is heavy—both physically and emotionally. In a literal sense, a standard ream of printer paper weighs 20 pounds. Energetically speaking, paper can represent unsuccessful endeavors, past relationships, and financial worries.
By reducing the amount of paper you have in your home, you can:
reduce overwhelming desk-top clutter and improve your desk organization
minimize distractions and boost your productivity
let go of negative emotions
create more physical space in your home
find the papers you need more easily
I’ll outline six steps for minimizing your papers and achieving these goals next.
6 steps to minimized and organized papers
You can minimize, contain, and maintain all the papers in your home in six simple steps.
prepare
Sorting through paper can be a very overwhelming and tedious task. Here are some ways to set yourself up for success:
find an accountability partner—such as a partner, friend, or family member—that you can update throughout the process
put on music that you find soothing or fun
make a snack that you can munch on while you sort
if you have a pet, bring them into the room where you’ll be working for support
gather
Collect all the papers you own. This includes:
mail
paperwork
important documents
magazines
kids’ school stuff
kids’ artwork
the hodgepodge of other papers you keep in your file cabinet, desk drawers, kitchen drawers, junk drawer, and purse or briefcase
For a complete list of items that fall under the paper as well as other categories, check out my free organizing checklist.
By gathering all the papers you own, you can confront the true amount of paper you own and commit to having less.
express gratitude
Before you begin sorting, express gratitude for all the things your papers represent. This includes negative facts and experiences as well as positive ones. For example, if you have records from a business venture that didn’t work out, they may be painful to look at. But you can thank them for helping you embark on a journey that taught you that the opportunity was not meant for you. Then you can acknowledge that letting it go gave you time and energy to pursue other opportunities.
By expressing gratitude for all of your papers, you can appreciate the continued value of some of them and come to terms with getting rid of the rest.
sort
Now that you have gathered all the papers you own, you can start sorting them. As categories start to reveal themselves, write each category down on a post-it note and separate your papers into piles. Don’t worry about deciding what to keep or toss at this point—just categorize each paper quickly.
If you find sentimental papers—such as letters, your children’s artwork, certificates, or awards —put them in their own “sentimental” pile to sort through another time. Sorting through sentimental items is typically the most challenging part of practicing the KonMari Method, so it is best to save it for the end when your decision-making ability is strongest.
minimize
Now that you have separated your papers into piles, you can go through your categories by picking up each piece of paper one by one and considering its utility. Start with the easiest category and end with the most difficult.
Papers you can get rid of typically include bills you have already paid, receipts for items you don’t intend to return, coupons you don’t plan to use, and outdated business and financial records. You can save time by placing these papers in “sensitive” (to be shredded or burned) and “non-sensitive” (to be recycled) discard piles.
pro organizing tip no. 1:
Instead of storing piles and piles of your kids’ art projects, set the ones you like most on a plain background and take photos of them, then let go of the physical copies.
The papers you need to keep generally fall into three categories:
papers that require immediate attention
e.g. bills, receipts, and coupons
papers you need for a limited time
e.g. contracts, warranties, manuals, seven years’ worth of tax documents, medical documents, and veterinary documents
papers you must keep long-term
e.g. birth certificates, marriage certificates, car titles, and wills
As you decide which papers to keep, you can begin to re-categorize them. Some examples of more specific categories are:
to-do this week
automotive
finance
health
house
kids
receipts
taxes
store
Now for the fun part: you get to decide how you would like to store your papers.
Ideally, you will scan most of your paper documents and keep only the digital copies. Digital files take up less space, bring calm to your home office and other areas, and are easily searchable. Of course, digital spaces can also become cluttered easily, so be sure to bring the same degree of mindfulness to digital documents as you do to hard copies. For a step-by-step guide to digital decluttering, check out my digital declutter course.
Then, you can store any hard copies you keep in a way that sparks joy by using the right storage containers for your home. For time-sensitive items, try using a desk paper organizer like this vertical storage system as a landing area. For everything else, I recommend using hanging file folders in a drawer, file box, desktop file box, or plastic storage container (which makes the perfect small space organizer). For organizing important documents such as birth certificates, consider using a fire- and water-proof chest or safe.
Most people need one or two drawers or boxes in total. If you go the file route, try storing papers by alphabetizing or color-coding your files. Then, you can use a label printer to make uniform labels that create a sense of calm.
pro organizing tip no. 2:
Keep all the papers that require immediate action in their own category and store them in a very visible place (such as in a vertical magazine file or letter tray on top of your desk) so you don’t forget to see to them.
Whatever storage solution you choose, make it one that is easily accessible so you can put new papers where they belong right away.
To see more of my favorite home organizing products, download my free favorites list and check out this blog post featuring my top picks from the KonMari collection at The Container Store.
maintaining your papers going forward
Now that you have minimized your collection of papers, all you need to do is maintain your system. By going through the minimization process, you should have a more keenly honed sense of what papers you need and don’t need, so you can keep fewer papers going forward. But for new papers that you must keep, it can be helpful to put the majority of them away as they come in and keep only papers that require immediate attention in your designated landing area.
From there, you can declutter seasonally or during big life transitions, but be sure to do so at least once every six months. That way, you can keep from accumulating as many papers as you had before and maintain a streamlined paper storage system going forward.
pro organizing tip no. 3:
Set a recurring calendar event reminding you to go through your papers periodically so the next sorting session doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
more resources
Having fewer and more organized papers is well worth it, but getting there can be a challenging task. If you are interested in working with a home organizer in the Portland, Oregon area or beyond, schedule a complimentary consultation with me today!
For a more in-depth guide to minimizing paper and other categories, check out the modern minimalist method workbook, which walks you through creating an intentional life using visualization exercises, minimalist design and styling principles, and energy rituals.
To see some of the spaces I’ve helped clients organize, follow me on Instagram and Pinterest and sign up for the mindful minute newsletter.
