(Prefer to listen to all the steps in one place? Check out the second episode of the Organizing Confidence Unlimited podcast.)

For our month of organizing paperwork, we hit a lot of stuff! Let’s review the four steps:

1. Find: Put all the papers in one place
2. Initial go-thru: Organize into keep, recycle, shred
3. Sort: Sort keep pile into active, current, long term storage, sentimental, receipts
4. Home: Find a permanent home for each pile

Organizing all of these piles and finding a home for them is the crucial last step. Without a home, you won’t be able to keep up the routine of putting papers in their home spot. You need to figure out a system that works for you and your life. It will likely change over time.

Some people may want to do a shred box that you shred when it gets full, while others can shred as they go. Each kid may have their own bin with one hanging file folder for each school year to save the best of the best while other parents would prefer to keep everything saved electronically.

Using a simple organizing system for papers and tailoring it to your life ensures it works long-term.

I know these 4 simple steps make it look like it should be easy, but I know that it is a daunting job to go through all of those papers! I know that you may get stuck at some point.

But keep moving forward, even as few as 5 papers a day will eventually make progress and you may even get some momentum! Even small organizing habits for busy moms make a huge difference in managing paperwork.

Start today by tackling just one pile or one type of paper — small wins add up quickly and create a calmer, more organized home.

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