Don't Let Yourself Get Inundated With Paper.
A few handy organizational tips to control the paper pile up.
STOP COPYING.
This is especially hard to do it you have a copier in your home as well as an office away from home. Resist the urge to copy everything that comes across your path. Each piece is just one more they'll find us buried under when they dig up our ruins!
STOP DUMPING.
This can mean dumping papers into the garbage can vs. the recycling bin and it can also mean using your files as a dumping ground. Every time you're about to file something remember that 80% of neatly filed paper will never be looked at again. When setting up a filing system don't allow your perfectionist tendencies run away with your common sense.
LEARN TO LET GO!
Be super selective about papers you keep. This is especially important when dealing with mementos. Keep only a special sampling of paper memories and dump the rest in the recycle bin.
PLAN TO PURGE!
Yearly regularity here is the key! Even weekly with incoming mail, maybe monthly. Make a note on each new calendar year to have a "paper purge" session, and more often than that if possible. A good rule of thumb might be to weed a file each time you enter a new paper to it or weed another file if adding a new one to the file drawer.
DAILY DUTIES…
Make it a habit to spend 5 to 10 minutes each day tidying up your work area and prioritizing your paperwork for the next day. You'll find the day gets off to a much better start if your desk is in order and you're not faced with the paper monster! I do this every morning!!!