✓ Another academic year underway
✓ Endless streams of paper
✓ Mounting frustration trying to keep up
Sound about right? Even for those without young kids or kids at all, uncontrolled paper is a nemesis.
Some Things Never Change
My kids have been out of school for many years now. Yet the memories linger of those initial weeks when permission slips, emergency document updates, teacher expectation lists, course curricula, volunteer requests were unrelenting. The scores of paper were plentiful for child #1. When #2 entered kindergarten, the piles didn’t simply double, they sprouted exponentially. On top of school docs, there were forms for extracurriculars, athletic participation liability releases, and other weekly activities which required reading, signing, and retaining. Even without kids in school, during the late summer weeks, the amount of mailbox “back to school” flyers and adjunct educational services have mushroomed.
And it Keeps Coming
Don’t think that once we adjust to the new autumn rhythm that the paper influx will calm down. Oh no, holiday adverts and greeting cards will be followed by tax documents before we know it. Despite cutting down on subscriptions, junk mail proliferation, and using electronic bill-pay, paper still has a way of taking over counter space, desk surfaces, and cabinet drawers. Not to mention chewing up space on our daily calendars and in our cerebral reserves. What do we toss away? What do we keep? And where? ARRGGH!
Paper Sucks...Time, Energy, Brain Power
This time of year I feel the pull to offer you another Paper Purge Event. Now celebrating its 3rd year, I have to acknowledge the many clients and readers whose on-going struggles with all things paper originally inspired me to develop this hands-on course. The saga is familiar. Paper comes into the house, it languishes and procreates wherever it lands. Intentions, good intentions, to address the ever-growing piles dwindle amid lack of motivation, and uncertainty about how to begin. Any shiny thing, no matter the degree of sheen, will be more enticing than dealing with paper. Paper sucks. I completely agree. Each piece sucks away time as we scan for relevance, personal identifiers, and logical next steps. What happens next? Putting it off for another time, another day, another year. Feelings of despair, guilt, ineptitude, even anger detonates when other tasks are impeded by the mess. Not enough time to devote to making headway may or may not be real, but it’s a useful excuse. Desire or lack thereof to conquer the piles is definitely real, and not so easy to overcome.
What To Do About All This Paper?
So what are your options? Let me help. Paper comes into the house, it languishes wherever it lands. Intentions, good intentions, to address the ever-growing piles dwindle amid lack of motivation, and uncertainty about how to begin. Any shiny thing, no matter the degree of sheen, will be more enticing than dealing with paper. Paper sucks. I completely agree. Each piece sucks away time as we scan for relevance, personal identifiers, and logical next steps. What happens next? Putting it off for another time, another day, another year. Feelings of despair, guilt, ineptitude, even anger detonates when other tasks are impeded by the mess. Not enough time to devote to making headway may or may not be real, but it’s a useful excuse. Desire or lack thereof to conquer the piles is definitely real, and not so easy to overcome. So what are your options? Let me help.
The semi-annual Paper Purge is an excellent opportunity to resolve many of these challenges. By enrolling, you’ll…
Why the Fee?
I often host free classes. I go back and forth about charging event fees. So why do I charge for some workshops? Your paid registration and attendance carries more weight than a nod to “I’ll get to it tomorrow.” I apologize if fees are prohibitive. However, scanning data from past events, it’s clear that commitment is much stronger with a stake in the game. I know from my own experience that I’m likely to cave to any excuse if something is free. I’d say that’s human nature. If you finally want to show paper who’s boss, mark your calendar. Register now.
A Little Info about the Purge
Get ready for a full 90-minute mix of learning and hands-on paper tackling.
Get Unstuck
What happens if you get stuck?No problem! I’ll be there to guide you when the going gets confusing.
Grab a Buddy
Organizing is always more fun with a buddy. If you have a friend or family member bogged down by paper clutter, pass along this info. to get them a helping hand. Ask them to join you too. Let them know it’ll be more fun together.
Get Ready
Start warming up those shredders and gathering empty boxes because the Paper Purge is back! Class size is limited. Grab your spot now.
Fall 2023 Paper Purge
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
10-11:30 am (Pacific Time)
$39.00
Learn more at ThePracticalSort.com
Previous Attendee Reflections
See what past attendees said about the Paper Purge Workshop…
“The workshop was a blast! And I got things done! You’re right – I like going through papers more with other people. But also being guided by you. Your exercises were fun, the music a nice addition and all the info helpful. Having someone else monitor the time worked well for me. As I mentioned I worked faster. Didn’t feel pressure… Felt motivated! Thanks for letting me join you!” -LM
“Group kept me on track, I like the social atmosphere. I did more, faster with the energy of other people.” -LC
“It was so beneficial. I got started breaking the piles up. I like that I only had to deal with the paper for short periods of time like 21 minutes or 7 minutes.” -BP
“Just getting the paper out of here was a huge step!” -AH
“This was great. I made so much progress. I’m ready to dive in again.” You have no idea how much paper I generate each day. I write all day long. I realized that I can have categories for each paper to stop the flood of paper which is helpful. No one else is going to do this for me.” -LL
“This was great. I made so much progress. I’m ready to d“Very validating to hear another person’s process, to get all the tips, to be reminded that we’re creative individuals, being creative can be messy. We can own being organized because it can help us be more creative. I loved it. It was very fun.”-JH
Keep reading for more events to declutter if your challenge is beyond just paper…Get it Done Parties!
Get it Done (With or Without Paper)
If you’re dealing with unaccomplished tasks beyond paper don’t miss the party…The ‘Get it Done’ Party. It’s the hands-on accountability you’ve been looking for.
Check out one party to see what this event is like. Or get more done with more accountability. Register for the Party series. 3 parties rolled into one registration for a slightly reduced fee. Learn more here. The party starts Wednesday, October 25 at 10 am (Pacific Time). Party #2 is Wednesday, December 6 at 10 am (Pacific Time)—pre-holiday task preparation. Party #3 is Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 10 am (Pacific Time). Please note: these parties are 90 minutes of committed, total action. I’ll be there to answer questions and provide guidance when needed including timed breaks. The rest is up to you.
Ditch the Envelope
One of the simplest things you can do to manage paper flow in your home may not be something you’ve considered or thought would be so powerful. Here’s what this technique will do, and remember it’s really easy. Using this week’s suggested tip (wait for it) will:
1. Psychologically set you up to take action
2. Cut down on paper clutter
3. Enable rapid categorization sorting of the contents
Immediately remove postal mail from the envelope to prevent paper accumulation and other organizational hazards. Looks like I have another vendor to call to unsubscribe.
Yep, that’s the gist. Are you thinking then it can’t be that easy? There must be a catch? Nope. Are you ready? Here it goes…take postal mail out of the envelope as soon as it arrives. I told you, super simple. And it works. Maybe you already do that, so this is old news. But if you don’t, give it a try if you still get postal mail.
Mail that stays in the envelope is more likely to languish unaddressed (pun?). Believe me, over the years I’ve probably witnessed hundreds of unopened envelopes buried amidst piles or tucked away in drawers. Bills, checks, birthday cards (with checks), birth announcements, invitations, legal documents, tax information, remained untouched, many for 10+ years. Late fees were incurred. Checks left uncashed, no longer valid, were missed savings opportunities. Announcements and invitations unacknowledged were precipitators for relationship discord.
I have to say, despite getting myself unsubscribed from as many vendors as I can, junk mail still proliferates. There is a silver lining. The non-glossy newspaper-like inserts are useful for lining my countertop compost bin. A milk crate under the kitchen sink neatly houses that stack within easy reach for near-daily relining the bin.
The remainder of incoming mail tends to go straight into the recycling bin. An advisable practice is to open all envelopes to determine relevancy. Yesterday, a brown-recycled content envelope arrived. At a glance, I was certain it was junk mail. Fortunately, I didn’t reflexively toss it into recycling. It contained a medical explanation of benefits from one of my practitioners. I’m thrilled they’re opting for non-bleached, recycled material. I’m wondering how many receivers dismiss and ditch these EOBs without opening to investigate first???
I’ve said it many times before, here it goes again for newcomers and as a reminder. Keep a recycling bin close to where you open your postal mail. Choose a receptacle that accentuates your décor if located in a “public” area within your home. You might need to empty it frequently if it’s small, but that just means more footsteps and calories burned. Always a bright side. See what you think? Feel free to let me know what you like about this tip or reasons it didn’t work. Modifying is always an option.
Lists. I couldn’t function without my lists. I have lists for just about everything in my life.
Store Lists
I have lists, or actually a template for the grocery store. I’ve written tips about that before. It saves me time because I don’t have to write out the items unless it is something unusual that’s needed such as an exotic ingredient for a new recipe. Because I use the template so frequently, my eyes typically zoom directly to the item. I place an ‘x’ in the box next to the item, or a number if multiples are required.
In my phone notes, I have a list of “if I get to” stores such as Home Depot, the pharmacy, and Office Depot. These contain items that frequently need replenishing such as computer paper or printer ink as well as more immediate needs as items have run out such as vitamins. When I arrive at the store, I can quickly scroll through the corresponding store list, check the dot next to the needed items, and head to the check out.
To-Do Lists
Then there’s my to-do lists. I keep a running brain dump of everything that needs to be done that isn’t routine. Most routine activities are just ingrained such as Fridays are linen laundry days. I don’t make note of routines unless something out of the ordinary has occurred. Friday morning, get out of bed, strip the sheets and pillow cases. Grab towels from the bathrooms and kitchen, cloth napkins, and rags and toss them in. Often, Thursday night I will grab the powder room hand towels, the dish rag, dish towel, and dinner napkins once dinner is finished then place them in the washer. Night before gathering saves me time in the morning. Not something that requires a list. Although after forgetting the powder room towels 2 weeks ago, maybe I should have a checklist for linens!
Recently I tucked a notepad and pencil into my bathroom vanity. When I’m in one of my “halls of inspiration”, the shower, where my ideas flow as freely as the cascading shower water, I can quickly jot down my thoughts as I towel dry before the ideas dissipate or rather than run dripping thru the house to find something to record the thoughts on.
Mustn't Forget Lists
For “can’t forget” items, I have reminders programmed into my phone with alerts set to days and times.
I also write myself post-it notes then adhere them to my computer monitor for things I’m supposed to remember during Zoom calls or online client appointments such as ‘press the record button’. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. Typically I add those reminders to my alerts as a failsafe that occasionally fail anyway if I get too engrossed, or if the note becomes part of the background for too long. Then I no longer notice it.
List Construction
A list doesn’t have to be linear. If drawing pictures, graphs, or some such works better for you, then use whatever works. It doesn’t have to be prioritized if that bogs you down. Sometimes brain dumps are best. Get the download downloaded without agonizing about the technical stuff. The tech could stifle the brain decluttering. Once you’ve got it down on paper or electronically, you can sort it by date, priority or urgency, alphabetically, numerically, or however your brain prefers to process the information. The key is to be able to remember what needs to be done, how to access the listing, and to track what’s been completed or still needs attention.
Any action that you need to take in the future, jot it down. Not sure what action you need to take? Sometimes the picture feels or looks so big that it’s hard to scale down specific steps to make inroads. If you’re a creative or artistic type, imagine peeling that picture apart like you would a painting. Each color and shade of color had to be applied step by step, thoughtfully and deliberately to make the image come to life. What was the first step you took? Perhaps it’s grabbing the easel, putting down a drop cloth, finding a canvas that fits the size. Did you notice I just crafted a list?
If you’re feeling scattered, lacking focus and clear direction about what needs to be accomplished or how, grab a piece of paper, something to write with, or open a blank document on your electronic device and begin dumping your thoughts into page. When you’re done, add bullets, numbers, emojis whatever it takes to create a useful resource.
Locate Your List
What do I mean by how to access the listing? If you have multiple lists in your house, your car, your office, but have no idea where they are when you need them, that’s not helpful. If you’re phone is always on you, then you can grab a photo of your list and add that to your phone notes or alerts so the info will always be handy. If you keep your lists in designated spots such as on the refrigerator, nightstand, bathroom vanity, office desktop, and car glove compartment, then you can at least narrow down your searches when you need to retrieve the notes particularly if you have no idea which note you recorded the message on.
List Completion
It feels so good to cross of to-do list items as they’re completed. That’s satisfying to my strong kinesthetic side and that sense of completion activates the dopamine that my brain craves. Are you a list user? Do get jazzed crossing or checking off completed items? Make the most of your lists by creating them, keeping them handy, and ditching them when they’re done. Celebrate your achievements.
Basements and attics are where objects go to languish. Hence basement-attic lists are those with languishing tasks.
Last week I wrote about creating lists and varying types of lists. This week, focuses on basement-attic lists. What are those? No, they’re not lists that live in those locations or have projects about those areas, although they might. Think about your basement or attic or any long-term storage space. That’s where objects languish. We put them there:
But in most cases, that’s their final resting place until something extraordinary occurs such as a move, divorce, or eventually an estate clear-out.
Are you seeing where I’m going with basement-attic lists? Yep, these are the lists housing items you will get to someday. And someday, gets pushed further and further into the future until either that task gets lost or tossed among paper debris or crossed off because you’re so tired of seeing it. You’re mentally done.
Chances are there is a reason you included that task on your list in the first place. It may be a long-term home project or a professional assignment that you really don’t have the time or desire to tackle. But long-term and complex projects carry weight. Whether it’s:
For example, let’s say you notice mold on the ceiling. Your first reaction might be a bit of panic. What do you do? Who do you call? How much will this cost? When will I have time to deal with it? What will the disruption be like? Oh, I can’t deal with that now, I’ll take care of that next week. Add it to the list so that it’s not forgotten except when you happen to look up and notice the problem hasn’t yet been addressed. Sound familiar? I’ve had many tasks like this over the years. Here are some ways to break down a long-term or complex project to avoid an emotional breakdown.
- Call your insurance company to explain the situation and ask if they have a referral directory for mold inspection and remediation companies in your area.
- Research reviews and ratings of mold inspection/remediation companies online
- Schedule appointments with 1-2 companies for estimates
Notice mold on the ceiling. That needs to be taken care of.
Break complex or long-term projects into manageable pieces. Then chip away as time, focus, energy allow.
All told, that may take 45 minutes to 1 hour of your time as long as you don’t get off-track with extraneous web surfing. Then slowly chip away as time, focus, energy allow.
Try adding a doable basement-attic project activity each day to your daily to-do list, or a few times a week, or just once a week to keep your day manageable. Do what feels right to you. Start slow and build up as your confidence increases. There will be times when long-term and even short-term items will have to be placed on hold. My last 2 weeks came to a grinding halt. Life occasionally gets in the way. When that happens, allow yourself the grace to take a breather knowing that you will get back on track when the time is right. Knowing what to do and how to do it will allow you to ease back into the process with less brain spinning and dread.
Sticky notes become background noise eventually
Please excuse this reprint. As a matter of expediency and practicing examples of the time management I preach, I’m reoffering these paper management tips from 2020. Untamed paper is a popular topic because for many it’s a source of continuous irritation. I hope you find some useful tips. Take what you need. Leave the rest.
If you’re a visual type, seeing reminders is critically important. If you don’t see them you forget right? For some, that may look like sticky note hell with multi-colored squares just about everywhere. On the refrigerator, medicine chest, laptop screen, and even your pillow case. Eventually the stickies form a wall of abstract art screaming a chorus of background noise. Your way of coping is to tune them out. Notes are no longer seen. Reminders are forgotten.
Papers begin to eat up surfaces
Scratched paper quotes, tv show suggestions, books to read, recipes to try, future vacation spots are deposited and lost among ever-growing stacks of bills, explanation of medical benefits, auto registration forms, more recipes, photos, old holiday cards. The piles greedily eat up your kitchen table, countertops, desk, bookshelves, bathroom vanity, and floor. How useful are they? Be honest without recriminations.
Have you tried electronic reminders, but buzzers and bells end up grating on your last nerve? Dings going off incessantly cause a blood pressure spike as you stab at the button to ignore, ignore, ignore. Nevertheless, without a reminder what are the chances you remember the task or appointment when it’s time? If you get totally engrossed hours pass by without notice. The saga of missed deadlines, late bills, and forgotten appointments continue. Please know that you’re not the only one.
It’s is a conundrum for so many people. I know how frustrating it can be. I’ve worked with numerous clients on ways to create non-overwhelming visual reminders. One client showed me a reminder note to remind her at a future time to hack away at her paper skyscrapers. More paper might not be the answer or is it? Maybe it’s not the use of paper that is troubling. Maybe it’s the way the notes are used. And there are other options aside from paper to explore or revisit with or without slight modifications. So let’s take a look at some possible solutions.
Keep a small pad in your pocket to quickly jot notes
- If paper is your default vs electronics, carry a small paper pad in your pocket. Jot thoughts and reminders throughout your day. Before bed, put it where you get ready in the morning so you don't forget to grab it for review and new additions.
- If your preference is to reuse scrap paper, create a pocket-sized pad from bits of scrap. Cut them to uniform size if that helps. Staple or clip it together.
- Keep a pad in 3 rooms, bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. Ideas are frequently generated in the shower or as we’re slipping into or out of sleep. Catch the thoughts before they evaporate. You won’t have to leave your bed or fly dripping wet, naked throughout the house to find paper and pen. As you cook, ingredients, recipes, work notes can be quickly captured with a pad or white board nearby. By limiting the list locations to 3 rooms, you'll have a better chance of rapidly finding the pad unless you left it along the to-do route.
- There are two additional list pad locations I’d recommend if you’re mobile. The car. Capture ideas during red lights or the safer option, pull into a parking lot. The second place is your jacket pocket. Walkers and runners often experience creativity or remember to-dos while moving. Don't wish to carry paper and pen? Add items into your phone Reminder App. Or use the phone's voice-to-text option. You'll see the text alert when you get to your destination.
- Cross items off as you finish them or transfer to a master list.
- What are the chances you’ll need conference or event notes or review them someday? I’ve attended more conferences and meetings than I can count. I have taken copious notes at many of them. Have I ever gone back to review the content? Maybe once. Most of what we need can be found with a quick internet search.
- For critical information, say if you’re meeting with an attorney, a medical professional, business colleague, tote along your laptop and type away. If creating electronic documents, be sure to use key words for easy searching in the future.
- Type directly into a Word document. Save it with a name that makes sense to you.
- Add text to an already printed pdf instead of starting a new doc.
- Use the Notes or Reminder Apps on your phone.
- Make folders on your harddrive such as Estate Documents, Quotes I Love, or Vacation Destinations. Dump your notes and documents from your phone or laptop into those folders. This will make filing and finding super simple.
- Audio record a meeting with mom’s doctor onto your phone then transfer the audio to your harddrive, backup external drive, or the cloud. Name the audio file something like Mom’s November 23, 2020 Osteo Appointment. Store it in a Mom folder or Mom’s Medical subfolder.
- If it’s a list of tasks that need completion prior to mom’s medical appointment, break the tasks down into clearly defined, manageable steps onto the list such as:
- Call the insurance company to verify appt. will be covered.
- Transfer money to her checking account for the co-pay.
- Arrange for the senior transit bus to pick her up and drop her off after the appointment.
- Place the list somewhere you will definitely see it. If you're always on your laptop, insert it into your laptop so the next time you logon, you have the “must do” reminder front and center.
- Specificity allows you to easily zero in on next steps. Vague descriptions, such as prep for Mom’s appt., can cause uncertainty and overwhelm.
- If tech hasn't been your thing, experiment with the Notes App if you have an iphone. Listing the steps for mom's appointment with the checklist is handy for keeping track of next steps and completed actions. Checklist is the icon next to the trash can in the Notes App.
- Not into adding more Apps to your phone? Send yourself a text as a reminder to review mom's appt. paper checklist.
Use the check option on the Notes App to create fast checklists then share the list or send to yourself as a reminder
Work in very small chunks of time to accumulate big wins
- Sticky note fan? Write cues on the sticky. Place it on your paper calendar.
- If electronic alerts drive you batty, save them for priority appointments only. Those include appointments with yourself to tackle asap tasks.
- White boards, bulletin boards, magnetic surfaces such as the refrigerator or laundry appliances are useful reuse options.
- Be sure to cross off, erase, or recycle completed or out-dated items to avoid visual overload and confusion.
- Multi-tasking, although usually frowned upon, might help you to blow through a list faster or a paper pile. For instance, if you’re on hold with the insurance company for 40 minutes (which unfortunately isn’t far-fetched), place the phone on speaker mode. As you wait, you could type an email to mom’s physician to inquire about a billing error, or schedule her next appointment on an online portal, or download her last dermatology bill for you to pay. During that 40 minutes, you just checked several items off that refrigerator to-do list with no extra time eaten away at your calendar.
- No need to look for giant holes in your calendar to find time to make headway. Work in small chunks of time to avoid overwhelm and boredom. Baby steps will help you move forward while keeping you sane.
As we all know, when we put off a “to-do” for later when I have more time, that schedule opening almost never materializes. Now, reality is that we can’t always drop what we’re doing to take care of something we remembered that needs to be done. But, we can find ways to creatively document them so that they don’t end up in the dead letter pile.
For lots more paper management tips, keep scrolling down. Reading for tips is useful otherwise, I wouldn’t share them. BUT taking action is even better. Try your hand at sifting through 10-15 sheets of paper or grabbing a sticky or 2 and knock those tasks out. If you get stuck and need more tips, then come back to this page and see if you can find a solution that fits. My timer just sounded, so I’m off to another task. Gotta go.
Paper Organizing: YUCK!
You say you don’t like paper organizing. You are not alone. I’ve been organizing professionally for a number of years now, and I can reveal in all honesty that paper organizing is the bane for us pros too. It’s taxing on the brain, eyes, neck, and shoulders. It is time consuming and boring. Have I said enough nasty things about paper yet? We all talk about the good old days with promises of future paper reduction via electronics. Well, that didn’t happen. Instead we now have electronic files to sort through too. Like that’s going to happen. Now you’re either thinking she depressed the crap out of me or yep, she nailed it.
Here’s the scoop on paper.
Let’s first address the new papers coming in.
Immediately recycle or trash non-recyclable content as it comes in. Open your mail near disposal bins. Don’t leave any mail to fester because at some point it will need to be dealt with.
Take ALL bills out of their envelopes. You are more likely to tackle them if they are out of their secure wrap.
Place all bills in an ACTION bin or file or lay them upon your computer so the next time you log on, pay it and be done with it.
File paid bills away or shred if you feel comfortable parting with them immediately. If you need to save for reference or taxes, create a file or designate a bin for tax-related receipts.
Getting too much junk mail? Check out some of the listed websites to remove your name from mailing lists. Some services charge a fee. The most effective way to reduce unwanted solicitations is to contact the company directly to request removal from their database. Unfortunately, this requires time on your part and it may take weeks with intermittent mailings before implementation.
Filing
As you might imagine, as an organizer I have a fairly structured and detailed filing system. My brain needs this level of detail for more effective and efficient personal and professional file management. But not everyone functions like I do. Your brain wiring might go haywire with that level of precision. So here are two sets of suggestions:
Motivation
Here’s the hardest part of the equation, finding the motivation to tackle paper piles. It all seemed so relatively logical until we got to the hands-on portion right?
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Make an appointment with yourself and schedule an electronic reminder to sound.
Grab your shredder, recycling bin, or empty boxes. Bankers boxes with handles are ideal.
Locate a pile that you think will be fairly simple to zip through. This will help you gain some confidence and give you relatively quick satisfaction.
Find a comfy location with decent back support. If you wear glasses, go fetch them. Ensure your climate control is pleasing.
Select fun or contemplative music, a podcast or a mindless tv show for background noise.
Set a timer for 10-15 minutes. Play beat the clock. See how much you can accomplish before the timer sounds.
Take a 5 minute break. Refresh with water and nutritious snack if needed. Stretch your neck, back, arms and legs. Inhale deeply as you do.
Dive in again for another 10-15 minutes. My advice is stick with 30 minutes or less at a time for paper organizing to preserve your sanity. After each break you can choose to work on another quick project then return to the paper or return back to the piles. No need to do it all in one long stretch. You will lose your oomph.
Select another appointment date for the next stash to annihilate.
If you keep this up, you will be amazed at how much you will accomplish. In fact, ask a friend to give a hand, it will go twice as fast. One can shred and run boxes to the recycling receptacle, as the other scours documents. Catch up on the latest as you work side by side. Laugh, bitch, do whatever you have to in order to make progress.
Shred That Sh*t: Keep Your Personal Information Personal
Pardon the expression. If you are an ardent shredder at the beginning of the new year like I am, then you know what I mean. There are reams of paper that contain information that I choose not to throw into my recycling bin without nearly annihilating them first. We accumulate so many documents despite enrollment in electronic bill and brokerage statement delivery. I choose a day in January where I go through the previous year's folders and ditch any documents I no longer need.
Looking for suggestions for what to keep and release? Check out my May 25, 2017 blog Practical Tips for What to Keep and How Long by clicking here. Shred any documents that have your personal information that you do not wish compromised. This includes account numbers, social security numbers, tax documents, and account balances.
My advice for what it is worth is to research heavy duty, cross-cut shredders. This literally was a game changer from my ancient long strip shredder. I used to re-feed the paper or hand cut the strips for extra security. My new machine eviscerates the documents into 0.17" x 1.77" pieces up to 10 sheets at a time. At that rate, the process goes surprisingly fast. If you do not have one, check with friends or sites like NextDoor.com to see if you can borrow a shredder for a few hours. You can also take advantage of neighborhood shredding events. Keep your personal information secure.
Credit cards, staples, and paper clips are no match for my Ativa.
If you plan to invest in a shredder, be sure that it does the job thoroughly and quickly. This will save you time while giving you peace of mind.
