Tackling the Paper Monster: Part One

Card number two, following Nikki Boyd’s home organization cards, is clearing all the paper clutter in the house. I’ll be honest: this is going to have to be a multi-part project.

I have mountains of old mail in boxes on my porch from years ago, and I absolutely hate going through it. I hate getting mail, and I don’t want mail—yet every time I go to the mailbox, there are junk credit card offers, sales flyers, and the occasional statement, even though I swear I’ve gone paperless! It piles up in my living room as well, even when I had good intentions to not let it pile up again.

Starting with the Boxes

To start this project, the very first thing I decided to tackle—even before the paperwork—was the mountain of boxes living on my sun porch. I get a lot of things shipped; between cat food and orders from other retailers, the convenience is great for a busy schedule, but I have a habit of not breaking the boxes down. Over the winter, those cardboard piles really added up.

The weather was nice, so I spent about half an hour out on the porch breaking everything down, with a little help from my cats. It didn’t take long, but it was one of those tasks I’d just been putting off.

The Mail Sort

Next came the “paper monster” itself. I had to sort through years of accumulated mail, dividing everything into three categories:

1. Trash.
2. Shred/Obscure: I use a little rolling stamp to hide personal details on things I don’t feel like putting through the shredder.
3. The “Keep” Pile: Anything from the last year, like bills or statements, that needs to go into a folder in my office.

I have a three-drawer filing cabinet where I keep important documents like pay stubs, deposited checks, and tax paperwork. I’m eventually going to have to go through that cabinet too, but that’s a task for part two!

Lessons Learned

Going through the mail was exhausting. After an entire afternoon and evening, I ended up with four bags of trash and one small box of items to shred or file. It took a long time, but it is such a relief to have it done.

The hard part now is making sure I don’t let it accumulate again. Processing the mail has to become a new part of my routine. My plan is to bring the mail in and immediately sort, shred, or file it every single time. I’ve had this bad habit my entire life, but I’m determined to change it because I simply don’t want to do this massive process ever again!

What’s Next?

The paper clutter in the house isn’t totally gone, but clearing this mail was a huge, overdue step. In Part Two, I’ll be tackling the rest of the paperwork, the filing cabinet, and the loose papers in my office. For now, I’m just enjoying the satisfaction of having conquered the porch and the mail piles!