Hi Friend,
If you have kids in school, you know exactly what I mean.
The school year has barely gotten started and somehow your house is already holding approximately a ream of paper. 😂
Permission slips. Flyers. Classroom information. Lunch menus. Fundraiser forms. Calendars. Directories. Notes from the teacher. Artwork. Papers you’re supposed to sign. Papers you’re supposed to read. Papers you’re pretty sure you might need later.
And then there’s the mail.
Before you know it, there’s a pile on the kitchen counter, another pile on the desk, and a few random papers floating around the house that you keep moving from one place to another because you’re not quite sure what you’re supposed to do with them.
And if you don’t have kids? Don’t skip this one!
The same system works for just about any paper that comes into your home — bills, mail, receipts, paperwork, magazines, important documents, invitations, information you might need later, and all those random pieces of paper you aren’t quite sure what to do with.
The school papers just happen to be a particularly good example because they seem to multiply overnight. 😂
The problem usually isn’t that you don’t have enough filing space.
The problem is that every piece of paper requires a decision.
And when you’re already juggling approximately 47 other things, making all of those little decisions can feel like one more thing you don’t have time for.
This is where I like to keep things simple.
Every piece of paper needs a destination
When I’m helping clients sort through paperwork, I use five basic categories. I call them
The 5 R’s:
RESOLVE • READ • REFERENCE • REMEMBER • RELEASE
Once you know which R a piece of paper belongs to, you know what to do with it.
1. RESOLVE
“I need to do something with this.” This is anything that requires action.
Maybe you need to:
- Sign it
- Return it
- Pay something
- Fill something out
- Respond to someone
- Add a date to the calendar
- Make a phone call
- Follow up
These papers shouldn’t disappear into a filing cabinet because they aren’t finished yet.
They need a place where you will actually see them and take care of them.
If it requires action, it needs to stay connected to the action.
2. READ
“I want or need to read this, but I don’t have to do anything with it.”
This might be a school newsletter, an informational handout, a magazine, or something you want to look through when you have a minute.
The important distinction is that reading isn’t the same thing as action.
If you need to read it, give it a temporary home.
And if you never get around to reading it?
That’s information, too.
You may decide it wasn’t actually important enough to keep.
3. REFERENCE
“I might need this information again.”
This is where a lot of paper tends to accumulate.
School directories. Contact information. Policies. Schedules. Class lists. Instructions. Information about activities.
Or maybe it’s a warranty, a service provider’s information, a receipt you may need later, or instructions for something you own.
You may need the information, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to keep the piece of paper forever.
Ask yourself:
“Do I need this document, or do I just need the information that’s on it?”
Maybe you can save the information digitally. Take a photo. Add something to your calendar. Save a contact. Bookmark a website.
The goal isn’t to keep every piece of paper just because it contains useful information.
The goal is to make sure you can find the information when you need it.
4. REMEMBER
“I’m keeping this because it means something to me.”
This is your sentimental stuff.
Your child’s first drawing from kindergarten.
A handwritten note.
A special award.
That paper where they wrote their name for the first time and somehow you can’t possibly throw it away.
Or maybe it’s an old letter, a card, a meaningful photograph, or something that reminds you of an important moment.
These papers aren’t being kept because they’re useful.
They’re being kept because they’re meaningful.
And that’s okay.
You don’t have to turn every sentimental paper into a productivity decision.
Just give those memories a home, too, so they aren’t mixed in with permission slips and school lunch information.
5. RELEASE
“I don’t need this anymore.”
This is where you get to let it go.
Junk mail.
Duplicates.
Outdated information.
Envelopes you don’t need.
School announcements for an event that happened three weeks ago.
The form you already submitted.
The information you already saved somewhere else.
The paper that has been sitting on your counter for six months because you keep thinking, “I might need that.”
If you don’t need it, release it.
Not every piece of paper that enters your house deserves a permanent home.
And here’s the part I really want you to remember…
You are not behind because you have a pile of paperwork.
You’re not bad at organizing.
And you definitely don’t need to spend your entire Saturday creating a Pinterest-worthy filing system.
Life keeps lifing.
Kids bring home paper. Schools send information. Mail comes every day. Things change.
The goal isn’t to make paper disappear forever.
The goal is to have a simple way to decide what deserves your attention, what needs a home, and what can go.
So the next time you’re standing in the kitchen staring at a pile of school papers wondering how there could possibly be THIS MUCH PAPER already…
Take a breath.
Pick up one piece.
And ask:
Do I need to RESOLVE it, READ it, REFERENCE it, REMEMBER it, or RELEASE it?
One decision at a time.
That’s organizing that works in real life.
Need a Little Help With the Paper Pile?
If the paperwork in your house has gotten a little out of control, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
Whether you need help getting through a backlog of school papers and mail, creating a system that works for your family, or figuring out what to keep and what to let go, I’d love to help.
Together, we can sort through the piles, make decisions, and create a simple system that makes it easier to stay on top of the paper as it comes in.
Ready to get your paper under control? Let’s work together.
