312-How To Declare Paper Bankruptcy Margins

Declaring paper clutter bankruptcy and starting fresh was a game changer for me, and today, I’m going to share with you how I did it.

 

Transcript:

 

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and I felt like I just had to tell you more about paper clutter, because I’ve fallen victim to the trap of paper everywhere and feeling so overwhelmed.  I heard about declaring email bankruptcy years ago and I’ve adapted it to paper.  I’ll share about how to clear your inbox tomorrow.   

 

So when it comes to paper.  I want to focus on the paper that happen to be printouts of a freebie, a handout, drafts of work you are doing.  It’s the paper around your office that are notes, Post-its, all of those pieces of paper.  

 

I am a paper lover.  I write notes on paper, not on a computer.  I look at drafts on paper.  I print too much.  And what happens over time is that those notes accumulate.   And the piles get bigger and bigger.  What I have found is that I can get a box - I like to use what is called a “bankers box” . It is a sturdy box that has a cover that is meant for paper.  

 

You can take this empty box and literally put all of the paper that is cluttering your space inside the box.  Immediately you declare bankruptcy on this paper.  

 

Your desk and work space feels lighter and you can think clearly.  It’s a great feeling.  It’s also a great feeling because you haven’t thrown anything away.  You don’t have that stress of wondering if you will need to reference something later. 

 

Then, if you are like me, you can take that box into your living room, put on a fun TV show and slowly go through the paper and categorize it as necessary and also, discard what is no longer necessary or useful to you. 

 

I also use this method to grab my laptop and make a list of notes or to-dos so that I can throw away the little post-it note and have only one piece of paper moving forward. And let’s be real, I’ll probably print that piece of paper and tuck it into my paper planner, but at least it’s just one piece of paper.     

 

I needed to declare paper bankruptcy for my mental health and if you walk into your work space and see piles of paper, I invite you to also declare paper bankruptcy and see how it feels.

 

If you are interested in a proven path to diminish paper clutter, check out the Everyday Happiness link in the show notes to the Paper Cleanse.  Until next time, remember, kindness is contagious. 

 

The Paper Cleanse:  https://www.cleecawley.com/a/2147507425/jSi8hVBL

In the spirit of full disclosure, if you enroll in the Paper Cleanse via my link, I'll receive a small commission.  Because your success is important to me, I only recommend systems that I've personally used to create real results in my own life. The KARMA system works and C Lee is a great teacher.  

 

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Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/