Paper attaches to me more or less of its own volition. I’ve noticed this problem my entire life. Stacks grow on my nightstand, my desk, the kitchen counter, and anywhere else they so choose. I process my thoughts on paper, which is sort of like thinking out loud. This means that when life gets busy, my paper clutter grows. And this creates a problem. You see, if my papers aren’t organized, neither are my thoughts.

Have you noticed something similar? If so, you’re in luck, because the Old Bohemian Homestead binder system can help you declutter your papers and organize your life at the same time.

The Old Bohemian Homestead Binder System

If you don’t work from home, start with step two. If you work at home, divide all your papers into personal and professional stacks. Dealing with your personal and work lives separately helps you avoid confusion between the two and helps you feel less overwhelmed. Perform steps two through four for your personal and work papers in turn.
Sort all papers into categories. I’ve provided the names of my categories, below, to give you some ideas. Use category names that make sense to you. I suggest you also include a ‘schedule’ category for to do’s, schedules and calendars. Use sticky notes to label each stack of paper with a category name. You could use the kitchen table for this, but if you have room its nice to set up card tables to hold these piles temporarily. That way you don’t have to try to finish in a single day and your carefully sorted papers are less likely to be accidentally scattered by others in your household. As you sort you will just naturally declutter your papers a bit, but don’t slow down too much for that right now. List all the categories on a single sheet you will keep in a scheduling binder to jog your memory when you need to search for a particular paper later.
Purchase the number of binders you will need for each category, making sure to size them according to the number of papers they will probably hold. Also purchase some binder tabs. If you think you’ll need them, you could also pick up binder pockets, business card holders, address sheets, and CD holders. Note: you can often find binders at a better price in second-hand stores. Be sure to check that the rings work well. Label each binder with the name of a category. At this point, if work space is limited, you could shove the papers in the appropriate binders and store them on a shelf, then pull them each binder out when you are ready to deal with it.
Working with one binder at a time, sort your category papers into logical subcategories. Label your binder tabs with the subcategory names and insert the appropriate papers. Here, while you are focused on a single topic, is a better time to declutter your papers in more detail.

Congratulate yourself on a job well done. Now skip down to learn how to organize your life with the Old Bohemian Homestead binder system.

Reviewing and Updating Your Binders

Once you’ve sorted and organized your papers into binders, you are ready to implement the Old Bohemian Homestead binder system. Here’s how:

Count the number of binders you have.
Determine how much time you can realistically invest in them and on what basis (daily, weekly, monthly).
Decide how often you need to update each binder (daily, weekly, monthly, every six months, yearly).

Using a yearly calendar that lets you see all days of the month at a glance, write in the binder or binders you will review and update on a given day. Plan for one year, but write your entries in pencil so you can make adjustments as needed. There’s probably no need to note the binders you’ll refer to daily (such as your scheduling binder), since you will probably remember them.

Schedule a regularly reoccurring time, maybe every Friday afternoon, to file new papers in the appropriate binders. If you are in a hurry, you can always shove them in the front pockets of the binders to which they pertain, and then add them to the correct tabs when it’s time to take up the binder again.

This system may feel a bit clunky until you get used to it, but it can help you to declutter your papers and organize your life. If you follow it, I hope you’ll email and let me know your success. If you found this post helpful, please share it to let others know. Thanks so much!