by Cary Farrell July 28, 2019 Most homes have a cluttered pile either on the kitchen counter, the coffee table, kitchen table, nightstand or some other flat surface in their home. And there might be clutter piles on all those surfaces! What are in those cluttered piles? I say they are delayed decisions. Many homeowners let clutter and disorganized piles build up in their home because they are unsure of what to do with each item or the pile feels overwhelming. Unfortunately, the cluttered paper pile will not disappear by keeping it where you can see it. The pile itself does not motivate you to deal with it unless you have company coming and you whisk it into a bag, drawer or closet at the last minute! It is really scary and frustrating to have to find something that was whisked away into a bag or closet later. Be kind to yourself by being mean to the piles. Take control of those pesky paper piles by following these steps. Make organizing and decluttering the piles on the kitchen counter or arounnd the house by following these five steps: Corral All Paper Piles: If there is more than one clutter pile (multiple categories), go ahead and bring them into one central location. Separate Into Subcategories: Do what I call a quick sort by combining like items into smaller piles: Bills Phone calls Magazines/Catalogue/Junk Mail/ Read Later To file Receipts Work/business Sort a Small Pile and Prioritize: Start with the presorted pile that feels the most important i.e. bills or phone calls and throw away any duplicates or unnecessary pieces then place each item in the order of importance. You might be tempted to put the easiest on top but it is more important to put the item on top that could be most detrimental if it doesn’t get done. Set a Schedule: Decide how much time the first couple of items will take you and when you have time in your schedule to complete the task and schedule it to happen just like you would an appointment with the Dr.. Example: The most important thing on your list is a phone call to the insurance company that will likely take 30 mins, but you can only call during business hours! You have a lunch hour on Tuesday free so schedule the phone call then. Respect your time and keep that appointment! Keep doing that for each item in the pile; the cluttered pile will quickly begin to shrink! If the piles in your home are costing you money in late fees, loss of time looking for important documents and causing you stress instead of rest, it is time to bring in a professional organizer to help. Contact Cary with Clutter Free today to set up a consultation.