Today, we’re continuing our “Clear the Clutter” series. Now we come to one of my favorite topics related to getting organized—dealing with piles of paper.

Isn’t it ironic that we live in such a technologically advanced age… yet we seem to be drowning in paper? On any given day, I’m dealing with several pages of notes I’ve taken during meetings, receipts from purchases, cards or other items I’ve gotten in the mail, and other paper items.

My general rule is that you should only keep a paper item unless it’s absolutely necessary. So, whenever I encounter paper, I do one of three things:

1. File it physically (in a file cabinet or drawer, or box). Obviously, you should keep paper items you’ll need later, like car titles, personal property tax statements, some items related to taxes, sentimental items, etc.
2. File it digitally. Anytime I take notes, I transfer these to my computer. Most of the time, I type these into Evernote, which is my digital brain. For example, I had several meetings yesterday, so today I’ll go through these 8 pages of notes and put the information in the relevant Evernote notebooks.

If I don’t need to keep the actual item, but I need the image (such as an insurance card), I’ll take a picture and file it in Evernote. Some people like apps such as Notion or OneNote. It doesn’t really matter what you use as long as you can easily organize and recall information and notes later on. For me, Evernote continues to be my app of choice.

3. Shred or discard it. Once you’re done with paper, or if you don’t need it to begin with, get rid of it. Just like knick-knacks or random junk demands your attention, paper does too.

The same is true for magazines, newspapers, and journals. If you subscribe to any of these in print form, clip any items you want and file them digitally, then discard them. Or better yet, cancel the subscription if you don’t actually read them.

Whenever you handle paper, try to make a decision about it as soon as possible, then take action on it. When you wind up with piles of paper to go through, it causes stress and anxiety. This kind of mental state makes it harder to be creative and productive.

I know that none of this sounds exciting or “sexy.” It’s all rather mundane. But the reality of the writing life—and any kind of life that involves creative work—is that we need to do the daily work of making space for creativity. Once you clear the clutter, you’re giving much more space and energy for the Muse to show up and work her magic.

Today’s Challenge: Gather the notes and random papers lying around your work area and house. Take a few minutes to file them away, transfer the information to a digital file, or discard them. Even if you have a big pile of papers, the simple act of gathering them together is a great start!