Bills, receipts, insurance information, birthday cards, kids’ artwork, magazines, credit card statements, newspaper clippings…the list goes on. Everyone has some degree of paper clutter sitting around their home. You know you shouldn’t throw it out, or can’t bring yourself to, but you don’t know what to do with it. So it accumulates, overflowing from the kitchen counter to the dining room table to your desk and stressing you out every time you see it.

Let’s simplify paper clutter once and for all. Here’s how:

Stop: If You Have Ten Minutes

Now that your existing clutter is under control, stop it from coming into your house. Automate your bills. Sign up for email alerts about statement balances. Unsubscribe from any publications you don’t read regularly. Open your mail over the recycling bin so you’re more likely to dispose of it right away. And use these sites to stop junk mail from coming into your house.

• CatalogChoice.org: Sign up at Catalog Choice and select the catalogs, credit card offers, phone directories, etc. you want to opt-out of. The initial service is free and there are optional add-ons you can pay for to stop even more junk.

• DMAChoice.org: The Direct Marketing Association site allows you to unsubscribe from promotional mail for a 5-year period. You can opt-out of categories such as credit offers, catalogs, magazine offers and other mail offers (like charities, retail promotions and bank offers). The DMA also lets you register any loved ones who have passed away so they stop receiving junk mail. Free, free free!

• Outbox: Outbox is a service that picks up your mail, scans it for you, and delivers only the mail you want to your front door 3 times a week. Through their website, you can see all the mail you’ve received and unsubscribe from any junk mail. All for $4.99 a month (Sadly, it’s only currently available in the San Francisco and Austin areas). Why has no one thought of this before?

Save: If You Have An Hour

For cards, love letters, children’s artwork and other sentiments, create a memory box for each person in the family. You can use a plastic box or cardboard storage box. We like the idea of using a shoebox and decorating it with favorite pictures and quotes. Save anything you can’t bare to get rid of. When it’s full, reevaluate and recycle as necessary. With time, it’s easier to let go.

Sort: If You Have An Afternoon

To become clutter-free, first you have to sort through the mess you’ve already accumulated. This is undoubtedly the hardest step in the process, and might take an hour or so. Schedule some time to round up the paper clutter you already have lying around your home and sort through it.

Invest in a file box, accordion folder, or set of magazine holders; what you buy will depend on your budget, amount of paper clutter, and space constraints. Create tabs for common categories like receipts, paid bills, tax information, insurance information, passports, coupons etc. See how much of your paper clutter can be stored away into your filing system. Once a year (maybe right after taxes), go through and recycle unnecessary paper.

Recycle old magazines (or better yet, donate to a senior center). If you’re hanging onto it because you liked a specific article or tip, cut out the piece and file it away. You can also snap a photo of anything you’re hesitant to toss and drop it in a special folder on your computer or phone.

Establish one specific spot for mail and other action items. Sort through this every day. Once the bill is paid, party is RSVPed to, or information is copied down in the calendar, get rid of it!

Share the Love! Tweet @dotcomplicated and tell us how you’re doing. Any unexpected snafus?

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