1. deciding what to do with the existing clutter; and
2. how to cope with more paperwork as it comes into the house.

As far as the old clutter is concerned, take the little by little approach.  As new paper comes into your house, you need to think carefully about how useful it really is going to be to you. 

Problem: Junk Mail and other Circulars 

Junk mail is irresistible to some people - you dare not leave it unopened for fear of missing a bargain!  Unless you know you need something the catalogue sells, for example, throw it straight in the bin. There will be plenty of time to catch the next round of junk mail when you have caught up with the existing paperwork already inside your house.  If you feel you can't cope with this approach straight away, try putting the magazines, etc. somewhere you will have a chance to read them, e.g. in the bathroom (if you like to have baths), in the 'smallest' room (we all have to go there!), or next to the sofa or bed if you like to read in the evenings.  Remember to throw it away as soon as you have read each magazine, though, or else you will further spread the problem!  If you like to keep some magazines for inspiration, to cut up for craftwork, etc., try to be strict with yourself by only keeping a certain number at any one time.  This may also encourage you to extract the useful bits sooner rather than later.

Choose a place in the house where you will sort through your mail each day, and hang a carrier bag nearby, into which you can put the junk mail as soon as it arrives.  This can be tipped into your recycling box as often as you wish, and if you find time to look through something before the 'refuse collection' deadline, you can always take a catalogue out of the bag.

Annie, an HE Clutter List subscriber, says: 

"I don't even open junk mail these days. Remember how much more ruthless you (probably) are when you get back from holiday, and a huge pile of post gets reduced to a few useful sheets of paper? Keep that spirit with you when you pick your post up from the doormat, and put it straight in the bin (er, unless it's a bill, I suppose!)."

"This junk coming through your door is wasting your life!!! Sure, if you sit down and look through the McCord catalogue you might see a bathmat you quite liked but really, you were probably quite happy with the bathmat you already have. Now you have the junk catalogue to dispose of, and the mind-junk to dispose of about whether your bathmat truly is this year's model!"

"Trust yourself that you will get yourself things you need when you need them, not when someone else says you need them. And chuck that junk mail in the bin. You were never going to win the Readers Digest prize draw anyway, let alone find something that was useful in the Innovations catalogue."

Problem: Notes and other Little Bits of Paper

Do you have lots of addresses, telephone numbers, ideas, etc. scribbled on all sorts of scraps of paper?  Have you tried using a noticeboard? Pin all the notes to the noticeboard and, if you like to collect receipts and the like, how about using one of those 'spikes' that you see on executive desks?  If you want to try this out, you can make one yourself: simply cut a length from a wire hanger, bend one end over slightly to make it safer, and stick the other end into something like a ball of modelling clay (you can even paint it all if you like!).

Other ideas to look after your papers are: a see-through purse or plastic folder, card index systems, pasting the papers into a scrap book, putting addresses and telephone numbers into proper address books, or using computer-based 'contact' software.

If you started out using a noticeboard with the best of intentions(!), but you can no longer see it for all the bits of paper you have pinned up there, there is a simple plan to help. First, remove the notices from around the edges of the boards, so that you can see the frames. This will make your brain feel like the clutter is being contained. Next, follow the little by little approach: every time you have a moment, take down one or two notices, review them and decide how best to store the information. Should the note be thrown away? Is it an address you could file in a paper-based or computer address book? If it isn't going to be needed for much longer, e.g. if it is a list of things to remember for an upcoming task, simply put it back on the noticeboard and take another notice down instead. Aim to create a little space where the noticeboard looks tidy, then spread that tidiness right across the board, a little at a time.

Problem: Filing Important Papers

Sue, an HE Clutter List subscriber, says: 

"We...have been careful about [filing] since being technically self-employed, and of course having to do self-assessment tax each year. I have project folders with clear plastic on the front, one for each sort of statement (e.g. one for bank statement, one for credit card, one for phone bills, etc.) and put new ones in the front, so they're in reverse order. I keep them all in a large size (empty!) washing powder box, covered Blue Peter style with wrapping paper and sticky-back plastic."