How {And Why} To Declutter Files From File Cabinet Annually
Today's mission, as part of the Declutter 365 missions, is to declutter files from your file cabinet, and make it an annual occurrence.
This mission is designed to be done while working on the Organize Home Filing System Challenge here on the site, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenges.
I've placed this mission within the Declutter Calendar to fall as the second day of decluttering your file cabinet, file box, or binders used for filing in your house for the reason that no matter how much you clear out of your home filing system now, later on you'll need to clear out more.
That's just the nature of paper clutter. Some papers you keep in your filing cabinet that are important now become unimportant with time, such as copies of old bills or bank statements, or information about events that have now passed, or papers about property you no longer own.
In addition, with time you also receive new papers that are important to keep, such as your most recent bank statements, or the title to the new car you purchased. If you keep everything that has become obsolete in your filing cabinet, instead of clearing it out, you'll eventually run out of room for the new stuff.
Today I want you to realize that clearing out your file cabinets the first time, thoroughly, may take you a while, but from now on you'll regularly clear out these files, on an annual basis, so you've always got room for the currently important stuff.
When Should You Do This Decluttering Task, Annually?
If you follow along with the Declutter 365 missions each year, as many people do, so that they can maintain the clutter free environment of their home once they've got it that way, this mission reoccurs annually, and therefore you can use the Declutter 365 calendar and my reminders to help you remember to do this task.
However, since many of the files I suggest clearing out, annually, are those labeled from older years, another good time to do this task is around the beginning of the calendar year.
Others like to do it right after finishing their taxes for the year, as a way of clearing out old material after that big task is completed.
You choose which time seems best to you, just start doing it sometime, annually, from now on.
What Types Of Files Should You Declutter Annually?
Generally, when doing this mission, you'll be looking for older files, such as ones with dates on them, like your paid bill stubs file or old tax return files, that have passed the date you need to keep them, so you can grab the entire file and get rid of all its contents.
(Remember, the documents within these types of files are typically things you want to shred instead of just throwing them into the recycling bin.)
To help you with this task, refresh your knowledge of how long to keep various types of papers with this article, so you can feel confident that you're getting rid of the right old papers.
In addition, check out the general mission on getting rid of file clutter here for general details of decluttering the paper in your home files.
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Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!
Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.
The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!
Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.
Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.
In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.
If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!
Get This Paper & Filing Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home
Right now you're decluttering your papers and files, and there's a lot of types and varieties of these around your home.
I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.
In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!
Photo courtesy of LizMarie_AK, from Flickr Creative Commons
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