Coping with Transient Clutter

We all have it…transient clutter. It’s that insidious pile of papers that comes into your home via backpacks, briefcases or the mailbox. It might be on your kitchen table, or maybe it gets shuffled from counter to counter. The secret is to develop a system. I have a few.

Put together a Command Center that will accommodate all of your family information I use a three-ring binder to hold all of the phone lists, newsletters and paperwork for school, church, sports and extracurricular activities. If you don’t like binders, use a desktop file, wall pockets or a tote basket. The important step is to have one place to keep all of the information for each activity. Claire and I created some forms to help you organize your papers. Download them here.

Create an “action” tray that sits on the table or counter. Put items that need attention (like a form that needs a signature or payment, lunch forms or permission slips) into that tray. That way the truly important stuff isn’t lost in a backpack, under the newspaper or off in another room. It keeps papers safe until you’re ready to deal with them.

Use the OHIO rule for mail: Only Handle It Once. Process the mail and deliver the bills to their slot, recycle or shred the junk. If an invitation comes, RSVP and mark it on the calendar. Then toss it or file it. File any reference papers in the appropriate file.

Be consistent about the way you process mail. Do it the same way, every day. I’ve had clients who opened the mail in the kitchen one night, by the coffee table the next and then stuck it in their purse the next. When they couldn’t find something they had a lot of ground to cover. Process things in the same place and you won’t have to run from room to room in search of the lost.

Find a basket or tray that you could use for a To-Read bin.

Stop the flow of junk mail. I use Green Dimes. You can also contact the companies yourself. Find out more in the article, Avoid the Avalanche of Unwanted Mail.