One of the first things you’ll notice when you enter an organized person’s home or office is the absence of paper clutter.

Sure there may be some mail on the counter and a newspaper on the kitchen table, but organized people really don’t have much paper lying about.

So what do they know that you don’t?

How to quickly decide which papers to keep and which to toss.

Here’s a simple check list to help you decide which papers to keep and which to toss.

• How will I use this information?
  Can you honestly answer how you’ll use what’s on that paper? (“I might need it sometime” is not a good reason to keep anything.) Will you need it for filing your taxes or for any legal reason?

• What is the worst possible thing that would happen if I didn’t have this piece of paper?
  Would you go to prison? Fail an IRS audit? If nothing would happen if you got rid of the piece of paper, shred or recycle it!

• Is the information still current?
  Did the seminar or party already happen? Is it old news? The grocery ads from three weeks ago? Get rid of it!

• Can I get the information somewhere else?
  When I started organizing people it was in the dark ages before most people had a computer with a high-speed Internet connection. In those days we’d create elaborate file systems to store all the vital resource information people needed to be able to access. How the world has changed. With so much information a simple Google search away, you can get rid of most reference information.

• Do I need to keep the whole thing?
  If it’s something in a magazine or newspaper that you really will use and do want or need to keep, cut out the article and recycle the rest of the magazine or newspaper.

Still can’t decide what to do with that piece of paper? Follow Dana’s Discard Dilemma Rules:

• When in doubt save legal and tax information.

• When in doubt toss resource information.

Using these questions will go a long way toward helping you quickly clear your paper clutter.

Of course, you’ll need to decide what to do with the papers you keep.

That’s why you’ll like my Organized for Life! program. You’ll everything you need to know about how to get organized so you stay organized.

You might also be interested in another article, How You Can Learn To See The Mess.

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Dana Rayburn is an ADD Coach and former Professional Organizer dedicated to helping adults get organized, outsmart their ADD / ADHD and live more successful and satisfying lives. Read more free articles about living successfully with ADD / ADHD.