How To Declutter Paperwork Quickly (& 5 Important Organizing Tips!)

The Ultimate Guide To Paper Decluttering

Are you overwhelmed by the paper clutter in your home? Looking for an easy and quick solution to decluttering paperwork? Read on to learn how to declutter paperwork quickly.

Paper clutter. It’s the most unassuming type of clutter in a home.

From receipts to bills to greeting cards and more, it just never seems to end!

Many of you store our paperwork because you’re convinced they’re important and you may need them someday.

Or maybe you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amount of paper accumulated at home. And, you don’t know which ones to keep and which ones to discard!

As a result, many of you may think that decluttering paperwork takes a lot of time. You’ll rather hang out with your family and friends than sit around and go through piles of paper (I don’t blame you!)

But, decluttering and organizing your paperwork can bring you more peace in the long run!

Firstly, decluttering, in general, will reduce stress and anxiety. It will also help to improve your productivity.

More importantly, you won’t ever have to waste time searching for your important documents because you know where they are at all times.

Ready to banish paper clutter forever?

In this post, I’ll share how to declutter paperwork quickly (plus five important paperwork organizing tips!)

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that are at no additional cost to you, and I may earn a small commission if you purchase any products via my links. I only recommend products that I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. Read the full privacy policy here.

The Ultimate Guide To Paper Decluttering (Plus Five Steps To Organize Important Paperwork!)

How to declutter paperwork

People are often clueless when it comes to paper decluttering.

We are so ingrained to believe that if it’s on paper, it must be important. My parents used to stop me from throwing away any type of paperwork because “you’ll never know when you need it!”

Truth is, you can discard most paperwork these days because you can keep digital copies of them. However, most people don’t know what to keep or discard.

Therefore, the quickest (and easiest) way to declutter paperwork is to determine which documents you need to keep, shred and recycle first.

Keep important documents

As a general rule of thumb, you should keep all of your government-issued personal documents. For instance, passport, birth certificate, and marriage/divorce papers.

Besides that, you should also keep all of the important documents relating to your education, income, business, tax, property, and investments.

With that said, some of these documents do not need to be kept forever and can be discarded after a certain period.

Here’s a guide that tells you how long you need to keep your documents. Pin this so you’ll never forget!

Shred documents with personal information

Everything else that’s not included in the list above should be shredded.

Identity theft is increasingly popular these days. That’s why it’s important to shred documents containing personal information.

Here’s a list of personal information you should look out for:

Social Security number
Bank account numbers
Signature
Date of birth
Phone number
Email address
Home address
Driver’s license number
Passwords
PIN numbers
Medical information
Financial information
Legal information
Personal information of family members and relatives

Common documents with such information include:

Expired debit and credit cards
Credit card applications
Credit card receipts
Bank statements
ATM receipts
Utility bills
Tax returns
Expired IDs
Insurance policies
Academic records
Medical records

Looking for a paper shredder? Here are some paper shredder options for all budget types:

Don’t have a shredder? You can take documents to select FedEx locations and have them shredded for a reasonable fee.

However, if you have a ton of paperwork to shred, try this hack instead! Submerge your documents in water and leave them for an hour. The paper will get wet and soft, which makes it easier to shred.

Be warned that this method is time-consuming and can get a little messy.

Furthermore, wet paper cannot be recycled. You should only consider this alternative if you have a lot to shred and can’t afford a shredder.

Recycle

Not everything needs to be shredded! If your documents do not contain personal information, you can recycle them instead.

Take note that paper with plastic, chemical, or wax coating cannot be recycled. This includes certain artwork, photographs, wax paper, frozen food boxes, and bubble-lined mailing envelopes.

For other things like magazines and junk mail, make sure you use an ID protection roller stamp to conceal your name and address before you toss them into the recycling bin.

I love the Miseyo Wide Identity Theft Protection Roller Stamp because it’s so easy to use. All you have to do is remove your cover and swipe across the information you want to conceal!

Plus, the ink used is oil-based, so it fully protects your personal information without bleeding through your documents.

Tips to help you declutter paperwork quickly

Once you’ve identified and sorted your paperwork by category, you will need:

Three large storage bins or boxes
A shredder
Trash bags

Follow these helpful tips below to help you declutter quickly and efficiently without feeling stressed.

1. Stick to a decluttering schedule you’re comfortable with

Most people think they need to declutter in one day. Sure, it’s doable, but is it realistic for your schedule?

Consistency is key to decluttering successfully. That’s why it’s so important to stick to a decluttering schedule you’re comfortable with.

For people with short attention spans, that might mean decluttering for 30 minutes every day. On the other hand, some of you may find decluttering for a few hours once a week more productive.

Don’t worry if you lose motivation to declutter! It happens to all of us. Take a break, get inspired, and start again.

2. Start with your oldest paperwork

If you’ve been hoarding paperwork for a long time, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed. Where do you even start, right?

Here’s how: start with your oldest paperwork.

Why? Because you don’t need to think twice to discard a receipt from 5-10 years ago!

Decluttering becomes autopilot when you don’t have to give it much thought. That’s why it’s a lot easier and quicker to declutter your old paperwork first.

3. Do not declutter and organize paperwork simultaneously

Do not attempt to organize while you are decluttering! You will get distracted and frustrated because multitasking interrupts progress.

Remember, the goal here is to first and foremost get rid of your paper clutter. Once that’s out of the way, you can begin to organize.

5 steps to organize important paperwork

Now that you’ve identified what to keep, it’s time for you to organize important paperwork. Here are five steps to keep your paper clutter at bay:

1. Sort and label your important paperwork by category

First things first, take some time to sort important paperwork by category.

Common categories include:

Banking
Business
Insurance
Healthcare
Tax
Investments
Personal documents

If you have children, you should also have a separate category for each child.

The key here is to create specific labels so that you can locate what you need quickly and efficiently in the future.

Is it essential to physically sort out the paperwork? Yes!

Take an afternoon to sift through the paperwork and create a pile for each category. Doing this will help you with the second step, which is to file them by category.

2. File them by category

Once everything has been sorted out in different piles, it is time to file them using binders or folders.

I prefer to use ring binders because they make my documents look neat and they’re easily accessible.

After you have filed each category, label the binder or folder clearly.

You may be helping your whole family with their paperwork; labeling creates an easy filing system everyone can understand.

3. Create a separate filing system for receipts, warranties, and coupons

I highly recommend creating a separate filing system for receipts, warranties, and coupons.

Receipts and warranties should be attached and kept together because most retailers require both documents to process a return or a repair.

Similarly, keep coupons in a binder with clear sleeves and place them on an entryway table.

It’s easy to lose coupons so keeping them somewhere near and visible on your way out helps you to use them!

4. Keep your filing system in a suitable place

Now that you’re done with your filing system, it’s time to keep it in a suitable place. Paper is fragile so be sure to store your binders in a dry and cool area.

The best place to store them is inside a traditional file cabinet or a drawer in your home office.

These are some of my favorite file cabinets; they’re chic and do the job well!

5. Include your filing system in your weekly routine

We already know paper becomes cluttered if they’re not organized over a while. To avoid this, include your filing system in your weekly routine.

Select one day of the week where you either toss or file all of your paperwork. I do this every Friday because it’s the last day of the week and I typically don’t receive any documents during the weekends.

Types of paper clutter

Here is a list of typical paper clutter found in a home. Can you spot how many from this list exists in your place?

How to prevent paper clutter

We have so much paper in our lives; it’s time to go the extra mile and take these steps below to eliminate as much paper as we can.

Go paperless

Whenever possible, go paperless. Not only does it reduces clutter and saves trees, but it’s also safe and convenient.

You never have to worry about misplacing your documents and you can always track them with just a couple of clicks on your phone or computer.

Start by signing up for digital copies of your utility bills, bank statements, and credit card statements.

Use a cloud storage system

If you have a habit of printing recipes or online articles, try downloading and saving them in a cloud storage system like Google Drive or Dropbox instead.

With a cloud storage system, you can save a huge number of online articles and label them by category. It’s easily accessible and saves a lot of physical space!

Don’t sign up for junk mail

Are you still receiving old catalogs? Consider subscribing to digital newsletters instead so you can still get updated on your favorite brands. This applies to your favorite magazines too.

Avoid signing up for junk mail. Chances are, you don’t need the information that’s in them. Besides, you can always visit the company’s website if you’re looking for something.

If you’re still receiving junk mail despite not signing up for them, don’t worry. It’s OK, I get them too.

Just toss them out as soon as you receive them. Don’t brush it off and say “I’ll do it later” – get the job done now so you don’t have to think about it at all!

Use a digital calendar

Are you saving your family and friends’ event invitations because you’re afraid you’ll forget? Well, that’s what the calendar function on your phone is for!

Save key dates as soon as you receive an invitation. If you don’t care for the invite, toss it immediately. If you do, scan it and save it in your cloud storage for memories’ sake.

Use Pinterest

People think Pinterest is a source of inspiration, BUT did you know Pinterest is a massive search engine and a platform to organize your ideas?

Pinterest has a wealth of information like recipes, DIY tutorials, wedding guides, and more.

The best part? You don’t have to print anything! All you have to do is simply create a board and save a relevant pin to the board.

If you have multiple ideas within a category, Pinterest has a function where you can set up “Sections” within a board for further organization. How cool is that?

Conclusion

When it comes to decluttering paperwork, it’s OK to be ruthless.

Searching for important documents can be very stressful; so having an organized system will make life easier for you and your family.

I hope this post gives you the confidence you need to start decluttering your paperwork at home. Good luck and happy decluttering!

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