Minimalism: Papers

“the life-changing magic of tidying up” Chapter 3 papers summary:

Papers does not include those with sentimental value like letters and diaries, which can be dealt with when you do items with sentimental value.

Get rid of everything because they will not inspire joy.  Dispose of anything that does not fall into one of these categories:
– Currently in use
– Needed for a limited time
– Must be kept indefinitely

Categorize remaining papers into those that need to be saved and those that need to be actioned.  Make sure to keep papers in one spot only, not several places of the house. It is recommended to use a vertical organizer for papers that require action, which you should aspire to always keep empty.

Papers that must be saved should be sorted per their frequency of use.  Infrequent use include insurance, leases, contractual documents and should be stored in a single folder without further categorization.  Frequently used items should be stored in a clear plastic folder.

Part with seminar/conference materials because the point of attending those is to put into practice what you learned.  If you haven’t already, consider taking the seminar again instead of keeping handouts that you haven’t re-read as you initially planned when you kept them.

Get rid of credit card statements after you reconcile them, there is no use keeping them as you can get details from the company if needed.

Manuals should be discarded since you can likely find what you need online.

Warranties should be kept into a single file, not separated and discarded when the warranty period is over.

Greeting cards should be discarded after they are read as they have served their purpose.  If you save cards to confirm addresses to send the following year, only save one year’s worth.  You may keep cards that spark joy in your heart.

Get rid of used checkbooks and paystubs. Once used/viewed they no longer serve a purpose.