Apply 4 Secret Techniques to Help Determine Expiration Date of Papers (& then delete them)

Do you struggle under the weight of your paper clutter? It can be in the home or office, and even in the car.  I include magazines and books as part of the paper chaos.

While many people want to reduce these paper mountains, they get stuck in one of several beliefs:

• “I could need it someday.”
• “I know I can find it on the internet, but I might not remember where it is.”
• “I may want to read it again.”
• “Someone may ask to see it.”

The biggest issue is that there is often more information coming in than going out. While there are many ways to reduce the incoming information, I’m going to address how to tackle what’s currently in your space.

Here are the two concepts to keep in mind: expiration dates and macro-decisions.

By macro-decisions, I mean establishing general guidelines for the items you’ll keep within a category. For example: you need to sort through a large pile of clothes of varying sizes. You are currently a size 10. You might delete all clothes in sizes 2-4 OR sizes 18-20 depending on whether your current size 10 is the result of weight loss or gain:-) A macro-decision is a way to immediately edit a large quantity without having to make a decision on each individual item.

Here are four ways to apply macro-decisions to papers (and magazines or books):

LEGAL EXPIRATION DATES

These dates are decided by a governing body. Bank statements, stock certificates, credit reports, wills, and insurance policies have different retention periods.

It’s always advisable to double-check with your financial planner and/or attorney when it comes to the macro-decisions associated with legal or financial documents. Please take the professional at their word when they advise you what to keep and what to delete. These professionals can also instruct you about which documents can be kept in electronic versus paper format.

INFORMATION OBSOLESCENCE

The constant advances in society means that facts quickly become outdated. Whether it is medical developments, technology innovations, or scientific progress, at a certain point, much of your knowledge has been superseded by something new. If you want to keep a minimal amount of the old information for posterity, that’s fine. However, I’m pretty sure that a shelf full of books about a computer language that can no longer be used on any existing electronic device is not the best use of valuable shelf space!

This is where a macro-decision is helpful. Maybe you decide to keep one book and three articles on each obsolete topic. Or you might decide to keep five articles, each representing a specific issue within the overall subject.

CHRONOLOGICAL INTERVALS

In a perfect world, you would recycle one catalog when the next one arrives. However, this is a rare occurrence. When a client has stacks of catalogs, I suggest making the macro-decision to recycle any that are more than one-year-old. Unless you also request to be removed from the mailing list, more recent ones will most likely come in the mail this week or month. In addition, old catalogs often have inaccurate information regarding what is currently available. And remember, only a fraction of products available on their website is represented in their catalog.

While magazines may not become outdated as quickly, there is a certain point at which making a macro-decision may be preferable to magazine mountains. You can set your own date. What about all of a certain type of magazine be recycled if it is more than 2.5 years-old?

INTEREST DEPARTURES

Our hobbies and activities change over time. As such, the amount of information (and supplies!) should shift accordingly. Let me give an example:

I had a client who enjoyed many different crafts: needlepoint, cross-stitch, knitting, scrapbooking, sewing, and stamping. She had books, magazines, articles, and supplies for each craft. I asked her to consider all aspects of her life and rate these crafts in order of her current interest. Then we set a boundary for each according to her ranking. For example, cross-stitch was #6, so we deleted all materials that could only be used in cross-stitch. Knitting and sewing were #4 and #5. As such, each got one box for what she considered to be the most crucial instructions and supplies. Anything that didn’t fit in the designated box was deleted. I think you get the picture.

Think about it: if you have years of magazines about woodworking or piano scores but don’t have the time, interest, or space to enjoy these activities, then it’s time to decrease the number of magazines. I’m not saying you have to delete all of them.

Life-disrupting situations often increase incoming paper, yet life transitions also impact your time and decision-making ability.

You may be more successful making macro-decisions if you work with an objective person. The goal of my Overwhelm Slayer Coaching Program is to empower strong, driven, professional women who are living a fast-paced life to create and implement solutions to manage their tasks, time, and space with ease. This definitely includes papers!

Contact me TODAY via phone/text at 919-467-7058 or email to find out how we can work together and bring your papers under control.