Clutter Busting: Attack the School Paper Clutter Monster

We are now nearing the end of the first month of school and if I would have kept every paper that was sent home with both of my kids I would be all set for a big bonfire! Theire book bags are brimming with it every day! Not only is paper clutter an eyesore, but the more crucial issue is that important papers get eaten up and consumed in that paper clutter!

I tackle school paper clutter much the same way as I deal with the mail. I open the backpacks and sort right away. If there are drawings or artwork that you want to keep, place in a designated memory box or hang. Another nice idea is to stick it in an envelope and send to an older relative or family member that does not live near you. So your fridge does not end up looking like a huge wrapped present, allow only a set amount of papers to be hung at a time. Once a new paper is hung, the old one finds a new home.

What to keep and what to toss:

Toss: Let me tackle the easiest, what to toss, first. What is trash? Trash is something that holds no emotional or functional value. An example of this would be a worksheet that your child did last week during school.

Treasure: These are the items that end up in a memory box or scrapbook. They are the items that hold little to no function, but are high on the emotional meter. These could be the pictures that your son draws of his family. Or the story she wrote about her summer vacation. You may have to become selective about how many treasures you keep. Remember, you don’t want your good intentions to become future clutter for your child. Make sure to make a notation on the back of these items the name and age of the child.

Important paper: These are the items that hold little emotional value but are functional. These are the school menu pages and upcoming calendar. These may be papers that you either need to act on (permission slip) or reminder information. These must be kept separate and in a prominent place. I keep mine in my Household Manual. Make sure you take care of any action items (ie. Entering important dates on the calendar).

And then there are the other papers, the papers that are not necessarily trash…and not really memorabilia. These are the papers that get sent to Grandma or to your cousin in college. Let your child help designate places for these items to go.

Most importantly don’t let this clutter take over your home. You don’t want to have to go digging through a pile of papers the morning a certain permission slip is due at school. Take care of the paper right away before it has time to become clutter. Don’t forget that our definition of clutter is simply put off decisions.

Betsy