Paper, Paper Everywhere!
Now that school has started, I’m sure you are busy packing lunches, running the taxi service, and helping with homework. It’s a busy time! It’s also a time when the paper through your home increases significantly. Report cards, art work, homework, school applications, class rosters, and the list goes on. How do you manage the paperwork, save the important items, and let go of the rest? Moreover where and how should you store the papers?
The most important thing to remember about controlling paper clutter is to designate a “home” for everything and then ensure that everything is put away in its home. Discard paper that you don’t need and enlist your children’s help in putting everything else where it belongs. Indecision is the biggest cause of clutter, so having a stack of “I don’t know what to do with it” papers is totally unacceptable. Just make a “keep/toss/decide on a home” decision and don’t let those piles get started.
The first step in managing the clutter is to define the categories of papers you have (or will have). Note that some items you may want to keep for the school year while other items you will want to keep permanently. If you have more than one school-aged child, define a set of categories for each child. Next select a place to store the information. A file cabinet with folders for each child and each category is the obvious choice, but you could also go electronic and scan everything into digital format. In this case, arrange folders in your computer the same way you would arrange the folders in your file cabinet. Below are some categories of school-time paper and some ideas on creating and maintaining the files.
- Papers requiring parents’ signatures - Designate a tray in the office or other convenient location where children deposit papers for parent’s signatures.
- Signed papers to go back to school – Designate a tray in the office, in each child’s room or other convenient location where the parent deposits the signed paperwork to be returned to school
- Artwork – Designate a space on a bulletin board, refrigerator, or other public space where the child can display artwork or awards for a week. Let the child decide what to display. After the week, decide whether to keep or discard the artwork. 8.5” x 11” artwork can be stored in a file and larger artwork can be stored in a large art portfolio (available an art supply stores).
- Report cards, progress reports, awards – store in a folder for each child
- Private school registration, tuition, etc. – store in a folder; may be in same folder for multiple children if all children go to same school
- Class rosters, teacher’s name, school pictures – store in a folder for each child
- Shot records – store in a folder for each child
- Extracurricular activities, fundraisers – store in a folder for each child
You will be able to decide the categories based on the types of papers you have. If a new type of paper shows up, just create a new category. Consider the categories fluid and add or delete them based on your needs. At the end of the school year, toss items that are no longer applicable and adjust the folders based on needs for the new school year.
You may also want to consider asking the school to select one day per week to send all fundraising requests, newsletters, teacher communication, lunch order forms, library fines, etc. home in a manila envelope. That way you can deal with them all at once and the school can be more confident that the information made it home.
School-related paper IS manageable! Just take little time to set up your system and teach your children how to follow the plan. Have a clutter-free school year!
