How to eliminate paper clutter in just 5 minutes a day

Instead of procrastinating until this task becomes overwhelming, try devoting just five minutes a day to get organized. Start by setting up a mail sorting station, detailed below and in just a few minutes a day, you can kiss the paper clutter goodbye — forever.

1. Set up a sorting system.

The trick to dealing with paper clutter before it piles up is to catch it the second it comes in the door. In the entryway or mudroom (even the wall next to your front door will work!), set up a paper sorter labeled with just two or three categories: for long-term storage, to deal with ASAP, and potentially one for your kids’ important papers.

As you walk in the door, take one minute to open each item of mail and decide whether it’s something to store long-term, take action on (such as a bill that needs to be paid) or toss immediately.

2. Have the recycling ready.

Set out a paper recycling bin right below the sorting station. This way, you’ll be able to toss out flyers and catalogs right away. You may be surprised by how much mail you throw directly into the bin.

For one week, take note of what you end up recycling right away. If there are certain mailings you always toss out immediately, go ahead and unsubscribe — it will save paper and your time. For bills and bank statements, see if you can switch to digital notifications. When the bills land in your inbox, you may actually find it easier to remember to pay them.

Stop the junk mail. For a processing fee, DMAchoice.org will let you opt out of entire categories of mail, such as catalogs, for the next 10 years.

4. Create long-term storage.

Once you’ve started using the sorting system for about a week, start taking note of the type of papers that land in the long-term storage bin. This will look different for each person and household. You may realize there’s very little you actually need to hang onto (hello, tax forms), or you may have a huge stack of papers you need to sort. Based on what you decide you need to keep, create an organization system according to your needs. Limit the categories to just the essentials so you aren’t tempted to save those coupons or catalogs you’ll likely never use.

Here’s how to get organized:

If you don’t have many categories of paperwork to stash and have mostly switched over to digital bills and bank statements, a few file folders may be all you need. With tax forms in one and important documents in another, you’ll resist hanging onto paperwork that doesn’t fit into those categories.

If you have more categories or multiple kids you need to store paperwork for, consider investing in a set of stylish magazine holders. Get a different-color organizer for each category — yellow for taxes, green for medical paperwork — or dedicate one for each family member.

For those with decades worth of important documents, it’s time to invest in a filing cabinet. Similar to the folders and magazine holders above, this organization system is only as good as the categories you create for it. Once you’ve gone through all of your papers, trashing the expired coupons and shredding the old forms, choose categories according to what’s left.

(Real Simple magazine provides smart, realistic solutions to everyday challenges. Online at www.realsimple.com.)