Living Clutter Free Forever - decluttering tips,home organizing, minimalist living

Overwhelmed by paperwork? This is why (and where to begin) #158

• Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer - KonMari® Consultant

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Join the Paper Reset HERE

Why does paper clutter feel so much heavier than it should? It’s just a few envelopes, right? A school form here, a receipt there… so why does it feel like it’s taking over your kitchen counter, your brain, and your sense of calm?

If you’ve ever opened a drawer and found a pile of forgotten forms…
If you’ve ever panicked because you knew you had that document somewhere…
Or if your paperwork situation feels like a giant, looming cloud of guilt—you are absolutely not alone.

In this episode, I’m digging into why paperwork is so overwhelming (hint: it’s not just about mess) and how you can start to feel in control again—without needing a whole weekend, colour-coded folders, or a trip to the stationery store.

What if the key to calm is just a tray, a box, and a new way of seeing things?
And what if that emotional weight you’ve been carrying around… wasn’t yours to hold onto in the first place?

We’ll talk about:

  • Real declutter strategies that work even when you’re short on time and energy
  • The truth behind why paperwork keeps piling up
  • The KonMari perspective on paper—and why it might just be the most powerful category to tackle
  • What’s really going on beneath the surface of all that clutter
  • My go-to micro-step to contain the chaos (this alone changes everything)

If you’re craving more intention, more clarity, and a calmer home, this one’s for you.
Let’s talk paper, overwhelm, and what’s actually possible when you finally stop trying to do it all alone.

Your reset starts here.

Come join me for The Paper Reset Challenge starting May 17.
3 days. 15 minutes a day. Simple, calming steps to reclaim your space.

JOIN HERE

Ready to take that first step?
 Hit play.
 Let’s do this together.

I would LOVE to hear from you. Text Message me here.

Thanks for listening! For more organizational motivation, support and free resources:
Join my online membership Clutter Free Collective
Join my podcast Facebook group Living Clutter Free Forever Podcast: KonMari® Inspired Organizing | Facebook
Visit my website www.caroline-thor.com
Come and say 'hi' on Instagram @caro.thor
Follow me on Facebook @carolineorganizer

Speaker 1:

Hi there, I'm Caroline Thor, professional organiser, konmari consultant, teacher and mum of three. I started off my life as a mum feeling overwhelmed, disorganised and desperately trying to carve out some time for me amongst the nappies, chaos and clutter. One day, one small book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying changed everything and I began to learn strategies for making everyday life easier. Today, I have the systems in place that means life can throw almost anything at me, and I want to share them with you. If you're an overwhelmed mum struggling to keep it together, then this is the podcast for you. Grab a coffee and settle in for a quick chat with someone who gets your reality. Hello and welcome to this latest episode of the Living Clutter-Free Forever podcast. I'm Caroline and, if you haven't listened before, I'm a KonMari consultant and professional organiser and actually, most importantly, mum of three.

Speaker 1:

Now, a few weeks ago, I asked the question on my Instagram account and in my free Facebook group what area of the home people would most like a bit of support with? What are they feeling most overwhelmed by? And there was a very clear majority and I was really surprised and it was paperwork. Actually, I don't know why I am surprised because I get a lot of clients contacting me to ask if I will go into their homes and help them with paperwork, so I shouldn't really have been all that surprised. But paper clutter is one of those things that feels like it should be simple but it never is. That feels like it should be simple but it never is. Like it's a few envelopes, a permission slip, a receipt how can it be hard? But somehow it just feels like a hundred pound weight. So today we're talking about why that is and what you can do gently to start lifting that weight. Gently, to start lifting that weight. I would love for every single person who listens to this podcast to have their paperwork in order, and I will explain why as we go on through. But I actually think of all the categories in the KonMari method, which are clothes books, papers, kimono, which are clothes books, papers, kimono, miscellaneous items and sentimental. I actually think having your papers decluttered and organized is the thing that can make the most difference to your emotional well-being. So let's get started, because we've got a lot to get through today and I'm going to try really hard to keep it short because I'm aware of the fact that you, like me, are very short on time. So where are papers?

Speaker 1:

When I walk into people's homes and when I think back to how my home used to be, the kitchen counter is a really big culprit for having a pile of papers. These are the unopened letters, the forms you've missed, all that sort of stuff there may be in the hallway where you come in. Things just get dumped In handbags. There are often a lot of papers that have been picked up and put in there on your way in, on your way out of the house and forgotten about in work bags, in the car, in your bedside table. Paper just gets everywhere and this becomes the problem.

Speaker 1:

It is strewn all over the place and paper carries guilt. We have a huge guilt for not dealing with it. We have a huge guilt about forgetting that we needed to do something with this paper. We have a huge guilt for not having a system, and sometimes there is also real shame involved in how we feel about having let it pile up. Now, if you are someone who is caring for a family member or has a family member who is ill or has a child of school age, the amount of paperwork attached to that is relentless school appointments, reports, ieps. If you have a child with neurodiversity, medical receipts, medical appointments, the list goes on, and because we're dealing with this situation at home anyway, we just never have the energy or mental space to catch up.

Speaker 1:

Now, in the KonMari method, as I said, paper comes third in the journey and it is the category that most people will say that they feel least inclined to do, because it's hard and we've already built decision making muscles by then, if we've already gone through clothes and we've already gone through books. So it does get slightly easier to make decisions about papers. But a lot of people are thrown into dealing with paper first with no structure and no support, out of necessity, because something comes up and you need to have the paper that you need for that particular event or appointment and you can't find it, and so you end up having to start sorting papers, and it really is very often in a crisis situation, and then it makes it feel super stressful and that is never a good way to be going into any of these things. So it is no wonder that so many people feel like they're failing when it comes to their papers. But I need you to know you are not failing. You've just been trying to do a hard thing alone, and I know firsthand how hard papers can be. It's something that I kept procrastinating on and putting off. It made me completing my tidy festival. That's where you go through all the categories in the KonMari method. It made me take longer to get finished because I was doing things in order and papers just took forever, and I don't want that for you.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about some practical strategies, like a micro first step, if you like, and here is what I recommend if paper clutter is weighing on you today and you have no time and no plan and very little energy, it is doable, I promise you. So step one walk through your home and just notice where paper is piling up. Don't touch it, don't fix it, just notice, okay. Step two choose a basket or a tray and set that up as your paper inbox, so that, in future, papers are going to go in there and they're not going to end up in one of these random piles around the home. And step three put one of those paper piles inside it, just one, so that you know that those papers are now collected together in there in a safe place, and that's it. You're not sorting, you're not organising for now you're just containing the chaos and sometimes that's all. You need to feel more in control.

Speaker 1:

Now, if I'm going to a client's home and we're going to be working on papers, what I suggest is they get a large cardboard box papers. What I suggest is they get a large cardboard box very often a moving box and they go around their home into every single room, every drawer, every space, and they just collect all the papers together and put them into the box so that at least they're in one place. You have got no idea, you, what a great feeling that gives you to know that, should you need a paper, you now know where it is. It can't be anywhere else. It has to be in that box. So that is a good way to get started.

Speaker 1:

Now, I would imagine you've been listening to this and thinking, yes, I really do need to get on top of this, caroline. But you are having a laugh because the reality is, I don't have the time or energy to tackle this, and I know that that's the case. So I would like to invite you to something that can help. It's called the Paper Reset and it's a free three-day challenge I'm running starting May, the 17th, and each day I'm going to guide you through one small calming step just 15 minutes of gentle action, plus. You can stay for another 15 minutes if you want and do some co-working with me so that we can make a real dent in the chaos, without needing a full weekend or color-coded systems. I'm just going to give you some support, some structure and a space to breathe.

Speaker 1:

If you are thinking, yes, I would love to do this, I would love to have the accountability and just get started with getting my papers in order, then I would love for you to come and join me. It's completely free and you can sign up by clicking the paper reset link in the show notes. You can also go to this. You can go to caroline-thormykajabikajabikajabicom. Forward slash paper hyphen reset. Now, that is a bit of a mouthful. So you can just go to the link in the show notes and click on that and reserve your place.

Speaker 1:

We're going to be meeting online in Zoom and I would love to see you there and let's get you started, because very often it's just the getting started that's the problem, and once you get, you're on your way and you're going to be golden after that. So imagine walking into your kitchen and not feeling that dread of a pile of papers on the side, knowing that school form is before your child even asks for it, not getting that pit in your stomach when a new letter arrives. That's what we're building not perfection, just peace. And I want you to know you're not behind, you are not lazy, you're not overwhelmed, and support can change everything. So come and join me for the paper reset on May the 17th, 18th and 19th and let's see if we can't get you started and feeling a bit more confident about your papers Now.

Speaker 1:

I said right at the very start of this episode that the one thing I would love is for all listeners of this podcast to have their papers in order. Listeners of this podcast to have their papers in order, and the reason for that is there is such peace of mind in knowing that every piece of paper you need, you know where it is, it's filed somewhere. If someone asks you for it, you can just put your hands on it without having to spend hours searching, and that peace of mind is worth so much in this crazy world that we're living in at the moment If we can just have some pockets of our life that are calmer, because they don't need to be as stressful as they very often are Okay, until next time. If you've enjoyed this episode, please send the link to a friend you know would appreciate it. Until next time, or on Facebook at Caroline Organiser. Thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter free ever after.