Sunshine Valley The Power of A "Not Right Now" Basket to Banish Paper Clutter

Drowning in paper clutter? Today I’m sharing the system I use that has helped totally banish paper clutter in our home…the “not right now” basket!

Paper clutter is my arch nemesis. It used to be everywhere. I tried so many different systems to manage it, but they all fell short. This “not right now basket” has been a total game changer.

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What is a “not right now basket”, and how does it banish paper clutter?

Being totally transparent, the basket does nothing but contain the paper you’re not ready to part with. YOU banish the paper clutter. 😉 BUT having this system in place has been exactly what I needed to stick with sorting the mail immediately as it comes in. The idea is simple…

Separate the mail into 3 categories, Important (think bills, RSVPs, appointment reminders, etc.) Trash or Recycling, and “not right now”. Not right now mail is can be anything from sales flyers, magazines, newsletters, etc. I also throw in any paint samples, or kids projects that I want to put in their sentimental boxes.
Place the important mail in a basket or your planner, where ever you’ll see it and address it as soon as it’s needed.
IMMEDIATELY throw away or recycle anything you know you don’t want or need.
Everything else goes in the “not right now” basket.

I like to go through my not right now basket at least once a week. I totally empty it, and purge whatever I haven’t gone through. For example, sales flyers that have expired, coupons that aren’t good anymore, and magazines I’m no longer interested in.

…but what about the paper all over my house?

You may be thinking, “great…but what about the mail that’s already everywhere all over my whole house?!” I applied the same rules to the paper clutter that was already all over our home. I separated it into three piles, important, recycle, and not right now. Either file or address the important things immediately, trash the items you know you don’t need or want, and save VERY LITTLE for your not right now basket. (If it’s been sitting around your house for a while and you haven’t gone through it, there’s a good chance you won’t just because it’s in a basket. 😉 )

By implementing this very simple idea we have seriously banished the paper clutter that once plagued our home. We all know where the mail goes, and exactly where the magazine is we desperately wanted to look through. It has really been such a huge sanity saver.