As a kid did you love to play a game where you would all pile on top of each other and the bottom person would be yelling, “Get off, I can’t breathe”? Do you ever feel like the paper in your home is making it so you can’t breathe? Paper piles in homes and offices can become a heavy weight if not contained. Rules to breathe by:

- Do not let junk mail live in your home. Open mail over a trash (recycle) can. Do not entertain it.

- Set up a filing system with tabs on the hanging files for every kind of paper you have to keep. IE: To Read, Bills To Pay, Coupons, Receipts, Auto information, Household tips. I could go on and on but you get the idea, have a place for every piece of paper. You don’t have to file every time you touch a piece of paper. Place it in a basket and once a week file. Yes, it does take some self control but the benefits are marvelous on you and your home.

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- Do you like to say, “I am a piler,”? As long as that works for you it is okay. 1) Try a vertical file rather than laying the paper down. You can label the side of the file and it is easier to see and you can organize and separate by topics or need. 2) If you want to have horizontal files place a manila folder on top of a pile (you could cut it and have two from one). Write on the top of the folder saying what the pile is. Or you can buy folders that have tabs so you can slip several piles into one folder. This keeps your desk neat and tidy and you can find what is in your pile when you need it.

- One filing system that saves tons of time and is easier than pie is Freedomfilers. It is a system that uses color and is broken down into subjects. There is no need to file and re-file and purge papers using this system.

We all have bills to pay but that doesn’t mean we have to keep the paper around cluttering up our space. I recommend paying as many bills on line as possible. Banks and Credit Unions can electronically pay most bills, you just have to set up the information for them to be able to do the transfer. I had a client tell me her accountant said not to set them up automatically because if you ever close out an account it is hard to get it removed from the list. I have not had any personal experience with this. Notify the companies you get bills from that you want electronic bills, to discontinue sending paper bills.

Let’s say you still pay bills with a check; then as far as keeping the paper work for that bill that has been paid, like credit cards, utilities, mortgage and so forth I recommend after paying the bill only keep one month in your file after it has been paid. The following month toss that one you paid last month and file the current one. It is only filed until the next month. I think the best place to keep bills to be paid is in a hanging file in the filing cabinet labeled ‘Bills To Pay’. Decide on one or two days a month to pay the bills and pull out the file then and pay them, tossing the previous month’s bill.

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I recommend this as a way to keep a home office organized as it does away with tons of paper. If you can verify two different ways that you paid the bill there is no reason for you to keep the paper.

- One way to verify is with the new monthly bill; it will show you have paid it.

- You will have record of how you paid itcredit card, debit card, check, or electronically.

- Your financial institution sends verification that they transferred the money.

By getting rid of piles of junk mail and unnecessary paper in our homes it creates space and harmony within us and within our homes.

Marilyn’s bio

Marilyn is a creative organizer who helps women, seniors and their families create space and end clutter in their homes and offices by setting up custom made systems. Marilyn invites you to visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find solutions to your organizing needs. She offers free tips in her blogs, articles and videos for your home and office organizing solutions.

Organization is a powerful weapon against stress on the job, and it begins with your desk. A survey of managers by the office label-making company, DYMO, found that more than half of employers equate an employee’s organizational skills with job performance. A messy desk is a bottom-line factor for employers. According to the same study, it is estimated that every misplaced piece of paperwork costs a company $120, as reported by USA Today.

Applying smart organizational skills to de-cluttering your office can take only a few minutes a day, and reap long-term rewards. Here are ten ways to get rid of office clutter.

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1. Assess your space. Do you have a closet or bookcase that can be used to store non-priority files, extra office supplies and background reports? Do you have space outside your office to store materials you do not need today or this week?

2. Take immediate action. Each day, resolve to remove one unnecessary item.

3. End your week with a ten-minute purge. For ten minutes before the end of your workweek, spend five minutes purging excess paperwork or old files. This will prevent clutter clusters impossible to clear out on a daily basis without high stress or too much time.

4. Organize and systemize. Organize paperwork, reports and other documents into files that are filed by a system of priorities. Place your top priority files at the front, and move them to the back when they are completed. Immediately file incoming materials into your organized files, or place at the center of your desk if they are identified as immediate priorities.

5. Remove personal clutter. Minimize or entirely remove your stock of personal photos and mementos.

6. De-clutter your computer. Organize our desktop files into computer file folders easily marked to help you move desktop files into those folders at the end of each workday.

7. Clear floor space. This will create a perception of more space, while also removing obstacles you, your employers or staff, or important guests from tripping over.

8. Don’t become a dumping ground. If you are participating in a joint project, appoint a team member to become the central filing and paperwork resource. If a co-worker wants to leave a stack of papers for you to review, offer instead to visit your co-worker’s office to review them there. This also presents an opportunity to take a break away from your office.

9. Learn from others. Visit other de-cluttered offices to pick up tips on how to best de-clutter your workspace. Notice how they use desk and floor space efficiently.

10. Keep it clean! Wipe down or dust shelves and desktops. Keep your computer clean using cleaning products especially designed for computer stations, keyboards and other technology products. Empty trash bins daily. Do not keep food items in your office that will create unpleasant smells.

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By using these organizational tips, you will see a boost in your job productivity.