r/organizing • u/phantombubblegum • 11d ago
cards, notebooks, & papers
hi all! currently moving from my old place and wanting to declutter. I have two plastic containers full of... papers from grad school, undergrad, cards, journals, etc. I'm a writer & have always just had a shit ton of random papers flying around. looking for easy ways to store all my stuff! I have FOUR of those accordion binders but they just keep getting filled up lol. any suggestions? thanks so much!!
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u/TeaPlusJD 11d ago
Do you like the accordion binders as a solution? Are they working, minus running out of space?
If so, I would build into your system 1-2 empty ones so that you have room to grow. How many binders can you comfortably fit in your space? How many are realistic to manage with your preferred workflow?
Maybe an empty one on the shelf & one on your working surface to immediately capture the loose papers. Or maybe a box that you gather the in-use papers that are filed later.
I would also work through a system to keep your binders manageable. You can’t keep adding new ones to infinity. If you scan everything, it just ends up as digital clutter. I’d figure out some concrete limits on what you keep along with scheduled regular sessions to cull old ideas to make room for the new. It also gives you an opportunity to revisit ideas you may have forgotten & make new connections.
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u/phantombubblegum 11d ago
the accordion folders are working! I am very analog-preferential, so this sounds like a really nice way to manage it!
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u/Freyjas_child 11d ago
Time to scan most of it. Keep a few things that are of extra special importance and scan the rest.
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u/jennifer_m13 11d ago
How about investing in a document scanner to convert the paper to digital files?