Category Archives: Paperwork organization

Reduce the Mess, Arrange the Rest, Maintain the Calm – Your Guide to Decluttering and Organizing

I know how your morning started…

Kids running late, coffee spilling, and clutter everywhere you looked. Something had to change—not just in the home, but in how you approached organization altogether.

As a busy mom, I discovered a simple three-step philosophy that helped me cut through the chaos without spending all day tidying up.

In this post, I’m sharing how reducing the mess, arranging what matters, and maintaining the calm transformed my home—and my sanity. Ready to make your space work for you? Let’s dive in.

I know how easy it is for clutter to take over and stress to build up. That’s why I’ve found a simple way to cut through the chaos and create a home that feels calm and manageable—without spending hours organizing every day. Let me show you how reducing the mess, arranging what’s left, and keeping the calm can totally change your family’s space and your sanity.

Reduce the Mess: My Decluttering Tips to Simplify Your Space

The first step in my philosophy is Reduce the Mess, which is all about decluttering—the foundation of any effective organizing system. I believe that reducing clutter means making intentional decisions about what to keep and what to let go of, focusing only on what truly adds value to your life.

For example, in my post How a Work Bag Can De-Stress Your Busy Mornings, I share how streamlining daily essentials into one organized bag helped me eliminate morning chaos and start my day feeling calm. I also recommend tackling those “hot spots” in your home—like kitchen counters or entryways—by clearing out items that aren’t regularly used.

These decluttering tips can create physical and mental space, making your home feel lighter and more manageable.

Arrange the Rest: Practical Organizing Hacks That Work for Me

Once I’ve reduced the clutter, the next step is to Arrange the Rest in a way that fits my daily routines and space. I focus on creating practical systems—like grouping similar items together or using labeled bins—that make sense for how I live.

For instance, in my post Streamline Your To-Do Lists, I talk about how consolidating scattered notes into one organized list helped reduce my mental clutter and gave me more headspace. I often use simple organizing hacks like color-coding paperwork or setting up a family “command center” to keep schedules and important papers in order.

By thoughtfully arranging what I keep, I save time looking for things and reduce frustration, which helps create a more peaceful home environment.

Maintain the Calm: Habits That Help Me Keep Organized Long-Term

The last step is Maintain the Calm, which means building habits that keep clutter from piling up again. I find that consistent upkeep through small daily or weekly routines makes a big difference.

For example, I do a quick ten-minute tidy-up every night to keep surfaces clear and systems working smoothly. I also focus on mental organization, managing my to-do list and prioritizing tasks to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

These habits help me maintain a stress-free home environment over the long haul, so organizing doesn’t feel like a constant battle.

How I Apply This Philosophy in Real Life

What I love about this three-step process is how flexible it is—I use it for everything from my kids’ playroom to the kitchen to my paperwork. I’ve learned that small changes, done consistently, lead to big results.

Because I’m a busy working mom, I design my organizing approach to fit into even the craziest schedules. And I focus just as much on the mental calm that comes with an organized space as on the physical tidiness.

Why This Philosophy Works for Me—and Can Work for You Too

Following these steps has not only transformed my home but also helped me reduce daily stress and save time. As someone who juggles work, family, and self-care, I understand how important it is to have realistic, manageable organizing strategies.

When I share my tips on decluttering, organizing hacks, and stress-free home organization, I’m speaking to others who want practical, achievable solutions. For me, organizing is not a chore—it’s a form of self-care that promotes balance and peace in everyday life.

Organizing doesn’t have to be overwhelming or perfect—it’s about making small, meaningful changes that fit your busy life. When you focus on reducing the mess, arranging what matters, and maintaining the calm, you create a home that supports your family and gives you peace of mind.

Ready to take the first step? Let’s make your space work for you, one simple habit at a time.

Want to hear more about my philosophy? Listen to episode 1 of the Organizing Confidence Unlimited podcast!

I’m Maggie, owner of Organizing CU and a busy mom who gets the chaos. With my motto—Reduce the mess, Arrange the rest, Maintain the calm—I’ll show you that getting organized isn’t a dream; it’s something anyone can do. Let me help you take control of your space and keep your peace!

Streamline Your To-Do Lists

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Anyone else ever feel like they’re running around in circles, trying to get everything done? Finding sticky notes of things to do in your purse, your work bag, your kitchen counter, your car…

The very first tip I give for home and life organization is to eliminate all those floating papers.

Gather them all up and put them in a single place. When they’re scattered all over the house, they have a tendency to become permanent clutter, where you learn to ignore them.

Make a master to-do list, either in a small notebook (hello dollar store), your calendar, or into a shared family app that you can sync. Write down every single thing that you need to do.

Then you need to prioritize the list. You will know which are the urgent ones. Keep those at the top, obviously. Then decide which ones are important soon (calling the electrician to fix the front porch light that has been out for a couple of days) and which ones are dreams (washing your baseboards).

Every couple of days or week, depending on how long your list is, go through and update it, adding and removing where necessary. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish when you have everything in one single place.

With a simple master list system, you can organize your life efficiently, focus on what truly matters, and feel more in control of your day-to-day routine.

I’m Maggie, owner of Organizing CU and a busy working mom who understands the struggle of trying to juggle all of it. Using my Reduce, Arrange, Maintain philosophy, I can help you get and stay organized!

Label All the Things

When everything has a place to go, your family will know where to put things and where to find things without having to ask you, saving you time.

When your family has all these good habits in place, you will find it’s easier to keep up than to catch up with your home organization.

When you don’t have to think about where you should put the bills that need to be paid (small basket labeled “To Be Paid”) or the receipt for the dress you might return (envelope labeled “Just In Case”), it takes away a bit of that mental load that people tend to carry around.

It becomes second nature to just put it where it belongs right away.

My closet has three hampers in it: darks, whites, and towels. When I first implemented the system, I put labels above each one so everyone in the house knew exactly what went where. (The cat eventually clawed them to pieces after about two months, but the habits were well established by that point). The labels prevented things from ending up in the wrong bin. And saved me a lot of aggravation.

The same applies to your kids and their toys: it makes it easier for them to pick up after themselves when they know exactly what goes where. You can use labels with pictures or words.

Labels are a simple, effective tool to help you organize your home efficiently. With a few thoughtful systems, tidying up becomes second nature, and your household can run more smoothly.

Everything You Need for Your Command Center

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Creating a command center can seem particularly daunting if you’re on Pinterest. There are literally thousands of ideas and each one more magically perfect than the one before it. If you have seen any of my Instagram stories, you know that my house is not a Pinterest perfect home.

So obviously, our command center is also anything but.

Our ‘command center’ in our house is basically the little counter space next to the stove when we can toss bags that need to be emptied after work and school before being repacked for tomorrow. I keep a little stacked letter holder for some of those little items that are strictly for short term use. In our junk drawer, we keep phone chargers, along with pen and paper.

(Update: we’ve now added a large 3×4 foot bulletin board to keep some fun and useful things close at hand!)

It can feel overwhelming if you’re trying to figure out what would work best for your family.

Here is my master list of items that you could include in your family command center to keep your home organized. Think about whether you already have a space for some of these things and if you would like to move them to one central location for everyone:

On desk:

Charging station
Small tray for jewelry and/or keys
Notepad and pens

On wall (can be clipboards, cork boards, photo frames, dry erase boards):

Clock
Calendar (week or month)
Key hooks
Menu
Grocery list
Cleaning checklist
Artwork/greeting card holder
To do list

Filing system:

Per person
To file
Bills to pay
School stuff
Invitations
Pending file
Coupons
To read
Shred
Mail
Magazines
Receipts

Personally, I don’t have a full-on command center in our house. Keys have their own hooks near the door, jewelry is in our bedroom, calendar and to-do list is electronic, menu is in our pantry, grocery list is near our table, paperwork is typically addressed immediately.

But that’s me and my house.

What is overwhelming about command centers is also what makes them so fantastic: they are 100% customizable for you and your home.

A customized home command center can save time, reduce stress, and help your family stay on top of daily tasks.

If you find yourself constantly looking for some of the items on this list, it might be time to set up a command center and give these items a home!

Start with a simple setup and add items gradually. Because small, consistent organizational habits will transform your busy household into a calm, orderly home.

Looking for some more guidance? Check out episode 26 of the Organizing Confidence Unlimited podcast!

Final Thoughts on Organizing Paperwork

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The four step system to organize your paperwork.

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!

Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

(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:

Find: Put all the papers in one place
Initial go-thru: Organize into keep, recycle, shred
Sort: Sort keep pile into active, current, long term storage, sentimental, receipts
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.

Step 4 of organizing all that paperwork!

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The four step system to organize your paperwork.

The acronym I use to organize paperwork is FISH: find, initial go-thru, sort, home.

The final step is to go through each of those piles and find a permanent home for them.

Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

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

Now that we’ve done step 1 (Find), step 2 (Initial go-thru), and step 3 (Sort), you have five piles of keep, the next step is to go through each of those piles and find a permanent home for them. If you can do several of them in a night, great. Just make sure you take a break after each one.

If you’re short on time and can do just one a night, no big deal. This should work within your time constraints. Again, you may run into more shredding and recycling, which is great! Remember our key question throughout this paper organizing process: “What do I need to keep?” (one of my core principles of creating a simple organizing system for papers).

Your active pile will be the most fluid with stuff going in and out frequently. Try to keep a small basket in a set location, such as on your desk or in the corner of your kitchen.

Pro tip: Schedule a time each day/week/every other week to go through the papers and toss/shred/ file anything that you need to keep. Personally, I keep a small paper holder in my kitchen and go through it every couple of days. That may be too often for you.

You can use an expanding file for the current folder. I’ve also used these in a filing cabinet with a “Current” label. Again, this one will have some in and out documents. Take a look at the documents you have in there and that may lead you to the right place to store them.

Long term storage can be kept in a filing cabinet with labeled hanging file folders so you can easily file anything away. You may prefer to scan these items and keep them saved electronically. If that works for you, awesome! As I’ve said before, I’m a paper girl so I don’t keep too much saved electronically, but that’s just personal preference.

For the sentimental stuff, we like to keep bins in our storage area (basement for us, but it could be your attic, garage, under bed). If you are short on space, you may want to go through them yearly and clean out anything that is outdated or that you no longer think you’ll need.

Each person gets a set amount of space: one bin for each person (space limits found here and also in episode 6 of the Organizing Confidence Unlimited podcast). Again, electronic storage is a great option for this. I keep all of my kid’s art stuff saved in a folder on Google Drive, then I don’t feel bad when it doesn’t make it into her scrapbook or to a grandparent.

With receipts, I keep all of the current month’s receipts in envelopes (one for each account) and then reconcile them with my bank statements once a month. Anything that may have a return at some point, such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, etc, I move to a new envelope that is “Saved for returns.” Every couple of months, I clean that out.

Since most of our stuff is groceries and food, it’s a very small folder. You may want to just keep a folder for the possible returns and not worry about the rest. Again, that’s totally up to you!

The best part of this step is that you can totally customize it to fit your life! If your family doesn’t keep receipts, then don’t keep them! If you already have bins in the basement for some of your sentimental stuff, then go through them and purge/add as necessary. If you have a place that paper tends to pile up at, then add an inbox right there.

This is the part that you can customize to your life, which is a great way to make it a habit, the key to building lasting organizing habits for busy moms.

Start today by picking just one pile to put in a permanent home — these small organizing wins add up quickly and create a calmer, more manageable home.

Let’s take a moment to tie it all together with my final thoughts on paperwork.

Step 3 of organizing all that paperwork!

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The four step system to organizing your paperwork.

The acronym I use to organize paperwork is FISH: Find, Initial go-thru, Sort, Home.

The third step is to go through them and sort everything into piles.

Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

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

Now that you’ve done step 1 (Find) and step 2 (Initial go-thru), and you’ve gotten rid of the shred and recycling piles, you are left with only the keep.

This will likely be the hardest step for most people.

Go through them and Sort everything into one of five piles:

Active (‘to do’ items like bills to pay, RSVPs, rebates, forms to fill out and mail back)
Current (‘use for the near future’ like tax docs, sports calendars, paid bills from last 3 months)
Long term storage (previous tax returns, medical records, warranties)
Sentimental (old papers you wrote in college, kids artwork)
Receipts

Keep in mind, you may now be in the mindset of tossing stuff and you need to create more shred/recycle piles. If so, that is awesome! Remember our mindset shift: “What do I need to keep?” instead of “What can we get rid of?”

Like I said, this one will be the most daunting one. For every 30 minutes you work, take a 5 minute break! Sorting everything in one night may not be possible and that’s fine! There is no need to rush through all of this! As long as you continue to make progress, you’re moving in the right direction!

Using a simple organizing system for papers and pacing yourself makes this big task manageable. Start today by tackling just one category or one pile as each small win brings you closer to a clutter-free, organized home.

Step 4 is up next!

Step 2 of organizing all that paperwork!

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The four step system to organize your paperwork.

The acronym I use to organize paperwork is FISH: Find, Initial go-thru, Sort, Home.

The second step is doing an initial go-thru putting everything into three bins: keep, recycle, and shred.

Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

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

In step 1, we put everything in a huge bin (Find). This next step is doing an Initial go-thru putting everything into three bins: keep, recycle, and shred.

Decide for yourself on the best time and place to work on sorting. Typically, I like to do all of the organizing in the house by myself, but you may want or need some family member’s input on this step. I prefer to do this when my husband is watching TV that I have zero interest in, such as basketball games. He’s nearby in case I need his input on a certain document, but he is not getting in my way!

For this step, it is absolutely key that you DO NOT SORT THE KEEP PILE NOW! I repeat, DO NOT SORT THE KEEP PILE NOW!

As a client recently told me, this is where she was getting hung up before we worked together. She was trying to sort as she went through everything.

Types of items in the recycle pile: junk mail, old lists, old catalogs, expired coupons, old magazines

Types of items in the shred pile: outdated bills, old receipts, bank statements, investment/retirement statements over a year old

Remember our key question from step 1: “What do I need to keep?” instead of “What can we get rid of?” If you’re unsure, put it in keep since the next step is sorting that pile.

As soon as you have these three piles, stop. DO NOT SORT THE KEEP PILE NOW. Take a break and move the recycle pile to the recycling bin and shred all the stuff you can.

Now go take a break before you tackle the next step – you deserve it!

Using a simple organizing system for papers and following these steps in manageable chunks can make a huge difference. Every small organizing task for busy moms can help turn paperwork chaos into a calmer, more controlled home.

Start today by sorting just one section of your paperwork. Tiny wins like this lead to big results and less stress in your home!

The 4 Step System to Organize Your Paperwork…For Good!

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The four step system to organize your paperwork.

The acronym I use to organize paperwork is FISH: Find, Initial go-thru, Sort, Home.

The first step is to walk around your house and find every sheet of paper.

Organizing CU. Helping busy moms get organized.

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

I want to share the system that I find works the absolute best when you feel overwhelmed by all the papers in your house. There is a fair amount of stop and go with this technique, which makes it a more-than-one day-project, but it will stop you from feeling overwhelmed and let’s be real – your papers didn’t get like this in just one day!

As you’re going through this process, walking away and coming back fresh is a HUGE help when going through piles of paperwork. It may make one part of your house a mess for a few days or weeks, but it’s a fair price to pay to get it all under control and to get your new system in place to avoid this in the future! Using a simple organizing system for papers can save time and reduce stress long-term.

The question I want you to remember throughout is “What do I need to keep?” instead of “What can we get rid of?”

It’s a small shift that will pay dividends for your mindset when tackling a huge project like this! You’re then thinking of getting rid of everything, unless you need it for a certain reason. You are setting yourself up for success.

Let me reassure some doubters by saying that I’m not a paperless person. I still get my bills sent to my house (though I pay them online). My mind and system work better with physical reminders of my tasks, not electronic ones. However, this technique could also be used if you want to go paperless. Once you get to the end, you can scan all the documents and save them electronically and then create an upkeep system.

The acronym I use is FISH. Find, Initial go-thru, Sort, Home.

The first step is to walk around your house and find every sheet of paper and put it in one bin such as a laundry basket. Find every single one and toss it in. Go through every filing cabinet, every drawer, and every shelf. And then stop. Don’t do anything else. Give yourself some time to be in the right mind space for the next step! As more mail and papers come in this week, go through it as best as you can and toss them into the basket as well.

Paperwork is one of the toughest areas of the home to get under control. Every small organizing task for busy moms can make a huge difference when tackling papers.

Start today by picking one pile or one area of paperwork to tackle — small wins like this add up and create a calmer, more organized home.