Tackling Your Paperwork in Six Steps

Do you have an ever increasing paper pile that is getting out of control? Are you avoiding tackling your papers because it feels too overwhelming?

We recently discovered a large file of old papers and I must confess it has been sitting in my "to file" draw for some months because I just couldn't face dealing with it. I knew that the papers needed to be sorted but as there were no urgent papers for our attention, I was delaying tackling the job! I much prefer dealing with small amounts often rather than having to tackle a huge filing job! Maybe you have a similar paper challenge?

This is my six step system for handling papers:

1. Collect all papers together in a single spot ready to be sorted.

Create an in box or basket where you can regularly drop incoming paperwork. If possible, try to decide immediately what needs to be done with each piece of paper as it comes in instead of allowing a pile to accumulate. Deal with your most recent incoming papers first if you have a large backlog. As I have a school aged child, I have a separate basket for all incoming school papers as there are a lot of them! You might also choose to go digital where possible to reduce incoming paper.

2. Create an "Action" file of everything that needs immediate attention.  

Create a folder of items that need action taken (or if you are a visual person it might be useful to pin reminders to a noticeboard). I keep a small concertina file of "current" paperwork. Remember to act on these papers and then file or shred them once they are dealt with. I also like to make a note in my planner of things to do and remember.

3. Sort papers into categories.

This is really the worst and most time consuming part if you have a lot of papers. Basically you need to decide what must happen with each piece of paper.In my mind there are basically three categories of paperwork: "Action", "File" and "Shred".

If you have a daunting paper pile like I did,  it might be helpful to tackle the sorting job in one extended session (taking regular tea breaks of course!). I like to play music I enjoy while I am sorting, and set a timer for breaks. Although it is a painful and boring job, I am so glad and relieved to have got it done! If it is not feasible to get the job done in one day, it might be helpful to set a timer for a set amount of time each day and just do what you can manage.While you are sorting, try to keep like documents together in the "file" pile to make the next step a bit easier.

4. File everything that you need to keep. 

If you don't already have one, you will need to create an effective filing system. I try to keep file categories as broad as possible so that it is easy to file and I don't have to look through a multitude of folders to find an appropriate piece of paper. This step might take some thought as you may need to have different methods for different types of paper.

For example, important documents to keep indefinitely might need to go into a fire proof box. You may keep a sentimental items box to keep a few pieces of children's art work per year. Manuals and guarantees might have their own box or other filing method. Other documents could go into labelled folders. It is worthwhile to give some thought to what will work best for the types of papers that you need to deal with. Basically you want to be able to find papers that you have filed relatively easily!

5. Shred what can be recycled.

I have created a "to shred" box so that I can spend a small amount of time on shredding each day while watching TV or listening to music. This is far less overwhelming that tackling the huge pile all at once!

6. Review your system. 

You may find that your system is not working well for some reason. It might be useful to reflect on what works best for your personality and habits and to tweak your method from time to time to make it more effective. It might also be useful to go through your filing system periodically to purge old papers that are no longer necessary.

I encourage you to make a start on that paperwork you might have been avoiding! You will feel so happy and relieved to get the load off your mind. Once you have dealt with all that paper make a resolution to keep on top of it in future so you never need to face that mountain again. You can read a previous post on dealing with paperwork by clicking here.

10 Decluttering Tips

Sometimes it is difficult to find the time and energy to declutter when there is an overwhelming amount to do. So where to start and how to declutter effectively? If one of your new year resolutions is to get organised, here are ten tips that might help with the decluttering mountain:

Photo by Sarah Rudolph

1. Start with surfaces and clear those first before you start on bigger projects. The satisfaction of having some tidy spaces may help you feel the motivation to tackle bigger projects.
2. Consider starting on a space that is the most annoying/dysfunctional to you. Think through what is working and not working in that space and try to design a more effective way of using it by listing the functions the space needs to perform. Only keep what supports the functions that you listed.
3. When you are working on a project, clear out the entire space before sorting out the contents and then deciding what needs to go back. Although it can make a lot of mess, it is really helpful to see the space empty and make considered decisions about what to keep.
4. When working through the decluttering process, make a mental shift to decide what you will keep rather than deciding what you will get rid of. Remind yourself that others may be able to use and appreciate the things that are no longer helpful to you.
5. Use pictures of your ideal space to help you keep a vision in mind of what you would like to achieve. It sometimes help to start with the end in mind and to consider how the newly organized space will make you feel when it is functioning well and looking its best.
6. Deal with items that are easier to declutter first (for example, clothes or kitchen items) and then move on to more sentimental items later in the process.
7. Try to make the decluttering more fun by roping in a friend and playing upbeat music while you work.
8. Use a timer to make the process more manageable. Stop and take a break after the timer goes off and have a snack or do something else for a while.
9. Reward yourself for making progress with your decluttering projects.
10. Break up big projects into smaller steps and estimate how much time each step will take. Then schedule appointments with yourself to complete each step.

What is your best decluttering advice? How have you motivated yourself to tackle decluttering jobs?

Three Steps to Organizing a Home Work Space

If you work from home, pay your bills electronically, do some blogging or study at home, you could do with a dedicated work space!

Photo by Alisa Anton

Although we have gone through a few attempts to set up a home office in various places in our home, I have recently needed to think again about how to do this effectively. I started out with a desk in our bedroom - this was a temporary fix but it was not calming to have a reminder of work that needed to be done. Next I tried a small corner of the living room - but the area was too small and drafty and didn't work well as there was not much space to spread out papers. When we re-organised the living room I moved the printer to our outside art room/music studio. This area was initially a great place to work, but we found it was not easy to have to go outside in the late evenings to work there and it was too far away to always have a good internet connection. I was tending to set up on the coffee table or dining table each time I needed to do some work. Time for a re-think!

The following questions have helped me to re-assess our work space requirements:

1. What purposes will we using this space for? What will we need to fulfill those purposes?
We need our work space to accommodate our home admin, my blogging and homework for my daughter. To do these things we need a desk with drawers for homework supplies and lots of work surface space. We also need enough light to work at night and a good internet connection.

2. Who will be using the space? When will it be used?
The whole family will use it at different times of day from mornings until late evenings.

3. Where is the best location considering the above requirements?
I have decided to move our work space back to the living room as it is the largest room in the house and the place we spend most of our time as a family. I have chosen to use a long console table as a desk so it is not too out of place in our living room and gives plenty of room to spread out paperwork. There is a also a wall light above the console table so it can easily be used at night. We will try it out as a solution, but so far it is working out well.

What are your thoughts on creating a work space at home? Where have you located your work space? If you would like to read my previous post about creating a home office click here.

Dealing with Sentimental Items

I find it really difficult to get rid of particular “sentimental” items. In particular things that use to belong to family members and were passed on to me. I think it is fine to keep some sentimental items that are useful or bring joy, but I realized if they were simply boxed up or put away they were doing neither of these things. A particular example is a vase that belonged to my granny. I used to see it on her pelmet when I visited her as a child and thought it the most beautiful vase in the world. She graciously passed it on to me, but as an adult it was perhaps more the lovely memory than the actual item that made me happy. It sat at the back of the cupboard for ages before I realized I needed to get it out and actually use it for it to be worth hanging on to for many more years.

The blogosphere has various suggestions for dealing with sentimental items:

1. “Upcyle” items to make them more useful. Some examples are making fabric items into a teddy bear, quilt or cushion cover so that they can have a new life. I have some lovely old (and chipped beyond use!) china pieces which I hope to turn into a mosaic tray.
2. Choose one of a collection to keep rather than keeping the whole collection. This may be a bit tricky, but if you can hone down to just a few really beautiful or memorable pieces and sell or give away the rest it may mean you appreciate more what you do choose to keep. I may need to do this with my teddy bear collection!
3. Take a photograph and don’t keep the actual item. If it is just the memory that is significant, then in theory a picture should do just as well as the real thing! I am not convinced this will always work, but I think keeping a journal or brief note with the photo is helpful as a way of treasuring the memory associated with an item. Where this will work well however is all those children’s art pieces that are too big or awkwardly shaped to keep successfully.
4. Give the item to someone else who will love it. Perhaps another family member would appreciate the item more fully or someone you know would love it and find it useful. Knowing that your treasure is going to a good home may make it easier to part with it. I needed to do this with baby items I was hanging on to for sentimental reasons.
5. Limit yourself to a memory box. If you choose a limited space in which to keep sentimental items and then review your box regularly and update what you choose to keep, this may be an effective way to keep on top of nostalgia. One of my 2016 projects is to collect up all the paperwork that I am keeping for sentimental reasons (cards, photographs, children’s pictures, reports) and create a memory box with file folders for each year. That way I can keep everything in one place a limit the collection to a box.

It may be necessary to go through sentimental items more than once. You may possibly find that some items and photographs actually grow less significant with time. You may also need to think through your attachment to specific items and work through them when you feel less emotional about the memories associated with them.

What type of sentimental items do you find hard to let go of? How can you enjoy your sentimental items more often?

How to keep motivated while organizing?

This next post suggests a few tricks on how to keep going when you just don’t feel like organizing or you are feeling bogged down by the process.

Organizing is an ongoing challenge – as your needs and lifestyle change, so you may need to re-organize.  So don’t be discouraged at having to come back and tweak areas that you have already got organized! You may also find as you enter a new phase in your life, your needs change so much that you have to do a big re-organizing job. How to keep on being motivated with the organizing process seems like a mountain?

    (Photo by Buzac Marius on unsplash.com)

1.       Tackle One Small Area at a Time

If you are just not feeling up to a big organizing job it may help to focus on one small area at a time.  Start with a shelf or drawer or small area such as a counter top and when you have conquered that space don’t allow the clutter back there anymore. Try to keep doing one small bit a day (or even a week!). If you have read my earlier ideas about starting with your problem “hotspots” that might give you the encouragement to carry on when you feel the relief of a smoother running area.

2.       Set a Timer and Take a Break

On a practical note, it pays to set the timer for a limited time period, and then when your time is up, have a tea or snack break. Splitting the time up into manageable chunks with a reward at the end will help you see progress. You might also like to take “before” and “after” pics of the areas you have done with so you can actually see how much you have achieved!

3.       Get Help

It also might help to get an organizing partner to help make the whole process more fun! An extra pair of hands and an impartial eye might help to hone down the clutter faster too.

4.       Play Music

It can also help to line up some funky music to help maintain your energy levels while you get stuck in. Perhaps you could stack up a whole lot of CDs and then take a break after each CD is finished playing? Or if you use a playlist, then compose a selection of songs you love to listen to while you work.

5.      Look at Inspirational Pictures

Organizing doesn’t have to be dull – you can make it a fun and creative process where you challenge yourself to create a harmonious and beautiful space that functions well and saves you both time and energy.One of my favourite ways to stay inspired is to have a folder of magazine clippings and a Pinterest board devoted to inspirational photographs.When I need a bit of motivation I have a look at the lovely spaces that others have designed and it helps me to stay focused on creating a lovely space of my own.

What organizing challenge have you set for yourself lately? How have you kept yourself motivated?

Where to start organizing?

This first post is about thinking and planning before you get started with your organizing project and identifying those clutter “hot spots” that are really not working for you.

Whether you have a little or a lot to organize, think of the “hot spots” that are annoying to you. If you start on one of these spots then your battle with that spot is already on its way to being a thing of the past. You will feel a sense of achievement when you are done! Try to keep that area clear for a week or two and then move on to your next clutter hotspot while maintaining the first area as a clutter free zone.

It also helps to have a plan before you start! Before you roll up your sleeves and get stuck in, think about what is working as well as what is not working in order to tweak your existing systems. Obviously you don’t want to change what is working well for you – and this might give you insight into your organizing style.  Try and go with your existing habits – for example if you like to kick your shoes off on the bed, store your shoes under the bed in a neat row or shoe rack. If you like to read mags in bed, keep a magazine rack in the bedroom or dedicate a bedside drawer. If you like to dump everything as you walk in the door, then make a plan to store your essentials in the entryway if possible.

I think it will pay to spend a bit of time reflecting on your needs and habits before you start organizing so that you don’t end up re-doing anything unnecessarily and also so that you work with your strengths to streamline your living spaces.

One of the areas that I manage to keep clutter-free is the dining area. Every day I make sure the table stays free of papers and other miscellaneous items as we actually do eat at the table most days. Unfortunately my daughter’s school bag does usually live on a dining chair as it is easily accessible there for homework in the afternoon and grabbing each morning! This seems to work for us at the moment though.

Less successful though is our music/craft room. It regularly gets cluttered up with items that have nowhere else to go. Ditto the garage! So those areas need to be regularly “dealt with” and I need to think of a better way to organize those spaces. The garage is on our list for next week!

What are your clutter hot spots? Do you have a strategy to avoid clutter building up in those areas? Make a list of the most cluttered surfaces that you would like to streamline and then plan when you will tackle them.

Welcome to dandelyn

Welcome to dandelyn, a blog devoted to organizing solutions that are simple and practical. My aim is to share some tips, tricks and creative ways to keep clutter under control and to streamline life with better time management. I hope to provide some inspiration for others who need to get more organized and be more efficient and productive in their use of time and space in order to create a sanctuary at home. 

About Me 

As well as getting more organized, I like to do do paper crafts, read about decor and design and drink big mugs of tea.  I love organizing and feel that being organized is a helpful way to save time and effort and also a more peaceful way to live. I also love interior design ideas as I think it is inspiring to create a space that is not only functional but beautiful too. 

Contact me 

dandelyn22@yahoo.co.za