Cut the Clutter

by Dorling Kindersley

  bed, the attic, the storage shed in the back yard.

  Banished items can be donated to charity, sold in a yard sale, Now for the second part of your assessment: Stuff. Make or hauled to the dump.

  a quick list of the items you need to retain. These will include: out-of-season clothing; seasonal décor; personal documents; keepsakes; tools and hardware; and original packaging for 3Corral and control.

  Now that your storage plan is largely in place, buy, electronic equipment that is still under warranty.

  scrounge, or make storage containers necessary to corral The other half of your “stuff” list is stored clutter that may what’s left. Last step? Take a brief inventory of your completed, need to be banished. Good candidates for banishment include corralled storage areas. As with your assessment lists, your ugly knick-knacks, unused small appliances, and building and Inventory Control list comes from a top-to-bottom walk through decorating leftovers. Look over your list and circle Banishment your home. This exercise should make you feel good—and Candidates with a big red pen.

  provide your family a road map to stored items.

  ROOM TO LIVE

  217

  Easy storage

  A storage plan is only the starting point;

  the attic, where you’ll add to it when you clear the putting it into effect can seem daunting. Take

  next shelf. Yard sale boxes live along a garage wall the process step-by-step, and try these tips to

  waiting for spring and your yard sale.

  make the changeover easier:

  ▪ Plan your put-away. Like STOP clutter sessions, clearing storage is best done in little 20-minute bites.

  ▪ Keep your assessment list in view. Know

  Clear storage into boxes until the timer rings, then exactly what items are assigned to the top-most

  spend the remaining time moving boxed items to

  shelf in your daughter’s closet: boxes containing

  their proper place. You’ll never get caught with a

  out-of-season clothing. With your plan in the

  clean shelf and a trashed house if you make put-

  guidelines

  forefront of your mind (and eyes), you won’t be

  away part of the process.

  tempted to redistribute extra toys or bed linens

  ▪ Divide or conquer? Only you can determine

  to that space.

  whether delegation and family involvement are

  ▪ Work one shelf at a time. Never tear apart

  appropriate as you put your storage plan into place.

  way more storage than can be reassembled in a

  Struggling with a packrat spouse? It may be best to

  single sorting session. Keep the effort small and

  work alone and spare him the stress of boxing his

  sustained, and you’ll win the storage battle. Spread treasures. Is a clean-freak husband cheering you on?

  your energies too thin and you’ll merely muddle

  Harness that energy with a family garage clean-out

  the battlefield.

  day. Weigh the benefits of family participation against

  ▪ Box it, box it, box it—unless you banish it.

  the potential stress or distraction it may bring.

  Say you’re sorting out the top shelf in a utility room

  ▪ Slow and steady wins the storage race.

  closet. You’ve decided that party supplies should live Keep at it! When motivation flags, return to the

  there, but right now, the shelf is a jumble of old floral spaces you’ve cleared and sorted. Admire them. Pat

  vases, rejected knick-knacks, extra cleaning supplies, yourself on the back. Take the day off, but return to and board games. Drag the garbage can, a box

  that hall closet the next day. Remember, your home

  marked “Donate” or “Yard Sale,” and two or three

  didn’t get into this state overnight, so you can’t

  extra boxes to the utility room. Item by item, pick it expect to undo it overnight, either.

  up and assign it to a box (or execute the sentence

  ▪ Consider outsourcing household storage.

  of Banishment). Cleaning supplies go in a box

  Life changes can bring storage issues in their wake.

  destined for the kitchen. Toss the vases into the “yard An empty nest isn’t quite so empty when the nestlings sale” box. Hubby insists on keeping his Mom’s old

  leave their childhood possessions behind. A parent’s china shepherdess, so wrap and place her into a box

  estate can bring a whole new generation of

  marked “U” for Ugly and Unwanted. Board games go

  possessions to declutter and store. When sudden

  into another box. Repeat until the shelf is empty.

  storage problems arise, consider outsourcing. Small

  ▪ Shift boxes to their new storage site. After storage lockers or units can be rented quickly to

  you’ve cleared your shelf and wiped it down, deliver handle the overflow while you sort out a parent’s

  the contents of each surviving box to the new site

  belongings. To clear adult kid-clutter, next holiday according to your assessment list. Board games go

  season give the grown children notice that their stuff to the family room shelves. Tuck the “U” box inside

  must be collected before the unit’s lease expires.

  sort, save, organize, stor

  Paper and finances

  Do you know where your tax records are?

  Chances are, they’re swimming in a stack of

  paper … somewhere.

  Rafts of paper flood into the average home

  each day. The mailbox discharges letters and bills

  and bank statements. Briefcases explode with

  professional journals, pay stubs, and calendars.

  School backpacks unload the children’s artwork,

  meeting notices, and sports schedules.

  Paper clutter costs money and time, and

  causes stress. A missing permission slip derails

  the entire family on the way out the door. Hide-

  and-seek bills lead to late payment fees. Lose

  the team roster, and it’s back to the telephone

  e

  directory each time you need to contact the

  soccer car pool.

  Without a plan for paper management, a

  household can drown in a rising tide of paper.

  In this section, we’ll establish a center for

  household paper handling, cut paper clutter,

  learn the 1–2–3s of household files, and

  create a home inventory.

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  CYCLES OF AN ORGANIZED HOME

  Information Central:

  create a center for paper

  No business would ask a secretary or a bookkeeper to handle paperwork tasks without an appropriate workspace. Just as in an office, every home needs a center for paper handling: Information Central, a designated location for mail handling, paying bills, clipping coupons, filing chores, business, and social correspondence.

  Information Central’s focus is all aspects of your household Finally, Information Central requires these tools and supplies paper handling: bills to budgets, grocery lists to tax preparation.

  for quick and easy paper handling:

  The specified location of Information Central will vary according to your family’s needs, but all home information

  ▪ Supply of extra file folders

  centers need to have access to:

  ▪ Extra hanging files

  ▪ Stapler

  ▪ Telephone

  ▪ Cellophane tape

  ▪ Household Notebook ( see pages 84–7)

  ▪ Paper clips

  ▪ Address book

  ▪ Sticky notes

  ▪ Calendar

  ▪ Pens />
  ▪ Calculator

  ▪ Highlighters

  ▪ Rolling file cart or file drawers

  ▪ Stationery or letterhead

  ▪ Action file or in-and-out tray

  ▪ Greeting cards

  ▪ Stamps

  A designated desk is ideal; it provides appropriate workspace

  ▪ Mailing supplies

  and storage for the jobs handled at Information Central. If the

  ▪ Scissors

  family owns a computer, add it to the center or locate it in a nearby spot. A document shredder is a smart addition. Use it Use Information Central to handle all your paperwork at home.

  to shred bank records, junk mail, and credit card applications Clip and file coupons. Balance the checkbook. Pay the bills.

  to help protect against financial loss and identity theft.

  File your tax information and insurance forms. Answer your In tight quarters, one end of a kitchen table can serve as correspondence and send greeting cards. Mail a letter.

  Information Central, with supplies stored in a nearby drawer Information Central is the one-stop location to tackle paper and paperwork kept in a rolling file cart beneath the table.

  chores, filing, and financial tasks.

  Finally, make it comfortable. A supportive chair and good lighting make Information Central a pleasant place to work.

  “Just as in an office, every

  home needs a center for

  ▶ Bright ideas. Colorful storage options for paper and desk supplies brighten any office area. Who says office supplies have paper handling.”

  to be dull? Fill your office space with color and style.

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  CYCLES OF AN ORGANIZED HOME

  Save time, save money:

  tips for paper handling

  Paying the bills, filing tax returns, and dealing with correspondence all take time—

  and time is money! Digging documents you need out from stacks, piles, and paper sacks stowed deep within closets slows the pace of household paper handling. Try these tips to speed and organize paper chores. Get the job done fast!

  1Do it now.

  Throughout the day, paper-handling chores pop

  up regularly. If the job can be completed in two

  4Tag it.

  Sticky notes light the way when paper-related

  issues can’t be resolved right away. If a catalog

  minutes or less, you should do it now! Clip coupons

  company sends a broken item, use a sticky note to track from Sunday’s newspaper, dash off a thank-you note to phone calls to the company and other actions taken to a friend, or file a receipt for tax purposes as soon as the resolve the matter. The sticky note reminds you of the newspaper, gift, or receipt comes into your hands. Since current status as you work out the problem.

  it takes at least two minutes to retrieve postponed

  items, doing short jobs on the fly makes sense—and it saves you time.

  5File it fast, file it right.

  A “To File” folder is an invitation to chaos;

  week-by-week, its contents swell out of all

  proportion, leading to a long, weary session of catch-up filing. Stay on top of filing chores and file receipts, 2Put paperwork in its place.

  Information Central features an in-and-out tray

  or action file, so use it! Whenever paperwork

  paycheck stubs, insurance paperwork, and tax records comes to hand—whether it’s upon returning from work

  the first time you handle them. The extra second won’t or when you’re bringing in the mail—put the paperwork be noticed at that end, and will prevent filing gridlock.

  in its place. This way, you’ll always know exactly where to find the bills when it’s time to pay them.

  6Stay stocked up on mailing supplies.

  New technology makes it easier to keep the

  household supplied with stamps—because

  nothing is more frustrating that having to end a bill-3Toss the trash.

  Dispose of any unneeded paper immediately.

  Ditch junk mail and unwanted catalogs as you

  paying session with an unplanned trip to the post office.

  sort through the day’s mail, toss supermarket flyers and Investigate stamps-by-mail service from the United States unneeded receipts as you remove them from a handbag, Postal Service or Canada Post. The United States Postal and get rid of extra memos as you empty a briefcase.

  Service, for example, will deliver stamps and mailing The sooner stray paper hits the bottom of the trash

  supplies to your mailbox, and online mailing options now can, the better. Remember to shred any mail that is

  include buying and printing postage labels from your information sensitive, such as unsolicited credit card home computer, and scheduled pick-up for packages

  applications with your name and address ready printed.

  and parcels.

  PAPER AND FINANCES

  223

  Lean and green:

  7Schedule paper-handling chores regularly.

  Schedule banking, bill paying, and tax chores to

  keep them from overwhelming you—or costing

  money in the form of late payment charges. Set aside the paperless home

  a weekend day early in the year to assemble tax

  Household papers: you can stack them, sort them, and information and prepare tax forms. Waiting until the store them, but why not do without them entirely?

  last minute costs money, time, and stress.

  Electronic options abound for paper-free bill-paying and record-keeping, while “going paperless” saves

  time, money, and storage space. Try these ideas to

  8Create a Chuck-it Bucket.

  A quick and dirty way to help with filing

  encourage paper-free information handling in your

  paperwork is to create a Chuck-it Bucket.

  organized home:

  Designate a single cardboard box for records to receive any paper that you know should be thrown out, but

  which gives your hoarding anxiety meter a good shove.

  ▪ Bank on your bank. Today’s bank portals and apps offer a full range of safe, sophisticated money-Dump all of the above into the Chuck-it Bucket as you management tools. Using smartphone apps and online

  file. Six weeks from now, dump the contents of the box tools, families can download statements, transfer

  into the trash bin. No looking, no sorting, no peeking.

  funds, pay bills, and reconcile accounts—without

  If you haven’t needed that catalog in a month or so, touching pencil to paper. Contact your bank to learn you’ll never need it again—so toss the whole mess out.

  about paperless options for household financial

  transactions.

  ▪ Do it online, not in line. Check websites for 9Buy an electronic labeler.

  For a quick way to label files, invest in an

  credit cards, utilities, and local governments: chances electronic labeler. These small keyboard-driven

  are, you can handle most day-to-day transactions and machines print neat, perfect labels one at a time, and bill paying online. Signing up for e-mail billing cuts the they’re a boon to anyone who wants to have easy-to-daily mail volume and provides a built-in reminder

  find files. Make a mistake on a file label? Easy—just service. Renewing car plates/tags or driver’s licenses print a new one. Need to re-label a file? It’s as simple over the Internet means no more time in line at the

  as type, print, and stick.

  motor vehicle office!

  ▪ Yes, you scan! Scanners and smartphones can turn a bulging pile of papers into streamlined

  10 Make friends with your files.

  Filing is the bedraggled stepchild of home

  digital content. Scan must-keep information into

  office chores—yet doing it promptly pays off

  the c
omputer for safekeeping, then shred or

  a hundred-fold when it comes time to find Duff’s vet recycle the unwanted paper.

  records or a receipt for a returned gift. Bulging “To File”

  folders are the enemies of an organized home office,

  ▪ Become a whiteboard whiz. Sticky notes,

  scribbled reminders, and to-do lists are a refrigerator so complete each session of paper chores with a brief fixture in many households. Replace the scraps and

  filing session. Tuck receipts, pay stubs, utility bills, and scrawls with a family whiteboard. Track the calendar, credit card statements into their respective file folders.

  assign chores, keep a shopping list—and share love

  Filing “to the back,”placing each new paper behind

  notes—using erasable markers. No more paper clutter!

  previous ones, makes it easy to drop new items into

  their proper place.

  T

  An Action File makes quick work of

  aking

  daily paper management. When it’s time

  to handle weekly deskwork, you’ll find it

  all in the Action File.

  action

  ▪ Use a small tabletop file and add

  to it hanging folders labeled “To Pay,”

  “To Do,” and “To File.”

  ▪ Include separate folders in each

  one for every member of your family, and

  for religious, sports, or school activities.

  ▪ Sort and drop incoming paperwork

  each day into the appropriate file.

  ▪ Bills go into the “To Pay” folder,

  while medical insurance papers and other

  important paperwork should be assigned

  to the “To File” folder.

  ▪ File things that need doing, such as

  permission slips that have to be signed,

  correspondence that requires a reply, and

  reminders to schedule the children’s dental

  check-ups, in the “To Do” folder.

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  CYCLES OF AN ORGANIZED HOME

  Free yourself

  from paper clutter