Recently, a coaching client asked for Powerful Questions to ask herself, to increase her motivation to get rid of paper clutter.  Below are questions I ask my clients (and myself!) as we work, to clarify the paper decision-making process.  In my experience, we all keep too much paper – I am rarely called to help someone because they got rid of too much!  Therefore, these questions will nudge you to purge your papers.

In addition, we often tackle our paper management in little pieces of time, and not big blocks. So we need to get in the organizing and purging zone regularly, and that takes practice!  These questions help you build your decision-making muscles, so you can hit that organizing / purging zone more quickly.  Here’s another tip – the questions can be tweaked and used to review every type of clutter!!

• Now is not the time to ask Why?  As in “Why on earth did I keep this?”  Not why, then, but “What am I going to do right now?”
• What can I do today to help future Me out? (Purge, unsubscribe, etc.)  What can I digitize, or subscribe to online?
• If you keep paper for “Just In Case”, ask these:
  • Will anyone ever ask me for this piece of paper / information?  (If no, toss it.)
  • Does this information exist elsewhere?  (If yes, likely can toss it.)
  • Do I need to be the keeper of this information?  (No.  It’s called the internet.)
  • Is this information still correct, or pertinent?
  • If I purge this paper, what’s the worst that can happen?  Can I accept that “worst”?
  • Are all these papers worth the mess?
• If you feel that “I can’t purge my papers because they will somehow change my life”, ask these:
  • Does this paper represent a reasonable expectation of myself or someone else?
  • Does my happiness really hinge on me having this piece of paper?  (No.)
  • Does this paper hold the secret to life? How likely is it that I hold the secrets of the universe in a dusty box of papers from 10 years ago?
  • Wouldn’t a better change come from clearing the clutter?
• If you know you “Don’t want it, but don’t know what to do with it”, ask these:
  • Do I need to recycle it or shred it?
  • Does someone else need it more?  (Pass it on!)
• If you keep paper for Nostalgia / Sentimentality / Guilt, ask these:
  • Who am I keeping this for?  (I ask this question of parents who keep every school paper their child ever brought home.  Because they are keeping those papers for themselves.  In 20 years, the kids will NOT want old boxes of school papers.)
  • Charitable donations / solicitations:
    • Do I make decisions regarding charitable giving based on mail or phone calls I receive?  (Personally?  No. So I can let those go.)
    • Did I ask for this information, or did someone else decide I need it?  Do I agree?  (Use this to review the unsolicited greeting cards / address labels / stickers that non-profit organizations send us so that we feel obliged to send them money.)
  • If I’m keeping these old papers in respect for a loved one who passed away, would they really want me struggling under all this clutter?
• If these papers reminds me you that you need to do something, ask these:
  • What action does this paper represent?  (Go ahead and act, or at least add the task to your to-do list, then let the paper go.)
  • What nugget of information on this paper do I really need to keep?  (For example, a business card represents contact info for a person.  Log the info into your address book, either paper or digital, and then toss the card.)

So, next time you are struggling with piles of paper, keep some of these in mind. Make little index cards or post-its of the questions that resonate with you most, and stick them up where you can see them!  Let them be your mantra as you review your papers and let some go!