The Best Way to Declutter and Organize Paper Clutter All Over Your Home

Decluttering paper clutter is a complex task requiring you to dig in a little more to get through it. That’s because not only is paper clutter a blend of practical items you hold onto “just in case” (like receipts, bills, and bank statements) and sentimental things that you feel slightly guilty about getting rid of (such as birthday cards, photos, and ticket stubs), but it can also be found everywhere. 

You can have paper piles in every room of your home — from the junk drawer in your living room to the console table in your entryway to the desk in your office — which is why regular decluttering and organizing is so important to keep it under control.

Today, we’ll be decluttering and organizing paper clutter at home.

Start by identifying where all the paper piles are around your home. Then, decide if you’d like to tackle it one area at a time (which we recommend!) or bring it all together in one massive pile. As we go through this process, make sure to take breaks when you need them. To declutter and organize it, we’ll be sorting into six main categories.

• Trash and recycling: This includes used envelopes, inserts, ads, coupons, and junk mail — all of which can be easily recycled or thrown out. For any items with sensitive information, use a shredder, scissors, or your hands to tear them up. Recycle items where possible. 
• Action items: These require you to “take action,” like a bill that needs to be paid. These should be accessible — such as in a bin near your workspace or at the entryway — so you know you’ll need to address them soon.
• Short-term: These are items you need to reference soon but don’t require you to take action like a bill would. This includes coupons you want to use but expire in the next few months, flyers of sales that end at a certain time, and reminders/notices, like letters notifying you of upcoming road work on your street or a parent-teacher conference for your child. Just like the action items, you’ll want to be able to access these items with ease. Consider stashing them in a tray, bin, or paper sorter away from the rest of your paper. 
• Long-term: Items that you need for your records that can be filed away. For instance, your tax return! These should be stored in a safe place, like a filing cabinet.
• Leisure reading: Catalogs, magazines, and newsletters should be sorted and placed in an area you like to read in, such as in a magazine holder by the sofa or in the guest bathroom, or have it placed on the coffee table.
• Sentimental: For any sentimental items, please place them aside and don’t deal with them right now, as it can shift your focus. We’ll be going over sentimental clutter tomorrow!

PRO TIP: Organizing paperwork at home requires more than decluttering and adding organizational tools. Take further action by identifying what can be digitized to minimize clutter. Go ahead and cancel those unwanted magazine subscriptions and sign up for e-bills, too.

What paper pile did you tackle today? What did you notice about it? Let us know in our community forum!

• Sign up for email updates.
• Visit the 2024 Decluttering Cure page and catch up on assignments.
• Download the Decluttering Cure calendar.
• Join the conversation by checking out the Decluttering Cure board in our community forum.
• Check off that you’ve completed this task and track your overall Decluttering Cure progress here!
• See all the winners from our 2024 Organization Awards to get your home organized. 

The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.