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Paper Purge I - Clearing the Clutter

© Bonny Albo

Yay! It's that time of year again - Back to School! Now, my daughter still has a couple of years to go before she's on her way (she'll be three on the 25th of September), but I'll be starting again at both College of the Rockies and Athabascau University this fall.

And with this new beginning comes - you guessed it - cleaning. I always find that after the summer months, I have paper in places that I shouldn't (like the bathroom, or next to the kitchen sink). So, every fall, I do my paper purge.

The idea originally came from the book, "Conquering the Paper Pile Up", by Stepanie Culp. If you can find it at your local libray, do pick it up - it is invaluable. And if you're anything like me - paper EVERYWHERE! - then buy it.

In order to do this properly, you'll need:
1 - 5 boxes big enough to hold letter size paper;
2 - 1 garbage bag;
3 - About 3 hours of time; and
4 - A large space to work in.

I make this first step, Paper Purge I, a three day event in my house, because I have a busy time schedule, and I can't sit in one place all day going through my papers. Tackle it in one day if you like - or break it up like I did.

Day One

First, designate one room in your house as the Paper Purge Centre. This ended up being my home office, because this is where my filing cabinet is housed. It really doesn't matter where in your house, but the closer to where your filing system is, the better. A door that closes is a HUGE plus.

Secondly, gather together ALL of your papers from all over the house, and put them in this room. Get the kids to help - my daughter was excellent at finding things in weird places (like underneath the bathroom sink and in the sewing closet). This means every paper in your house - receipts, invoices, bills to pay, certificates, scrap paper, messages... you get the idea. Don't forget the kid's rooms, the fridge, your car and the garage!

This was the end of day one for me and my family. It might not seem like a lot, but it is!

Day Two and Three

First thing - enter the room / space that you put all of the papers in. Take a deep breath - it's not as bad as you think!

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