Project COPE: The Paper Purge

Last month, I kicked off my 2015 project to Clean, Organize, Purge, and Enjoy my home. Step 1, after an apartment-wide deep clean, was to establish a more regular cleaning schedule. After exploring some options, I optimistically believed that I could maintain an everyday cleaning schedule. I soon discovered, however, that a daily cleaning schedule only worked when I could clean at the same time everyday, but my schedule was too varied for that to work. Through some trial and error, I finally discovered what works for me:

Daily: 10-minute clean up. This usually includes some combination of de-cluttering, wiping countertops, and doing dishes, but not always. The rule is that I get to stop after 10 minutes. It's amazing how these mini-cleaning sessions add up to a happier home for me every week.

Weekly: One morning a week is dedicated to various cleaning needs, like scrubbing toilets, dusting, sweeping and mopping, or sorting rogue papers. The items on this to-do list vary by week, but I've let myself off the hook on items that I used to think had to be done every week. I don't really have time to spend more than a couple of hours on this, so I work on whatever is most pressing that week, then allow myself to put off the other items until the next week.

Now, my cleaning schedule only accounts for my cleaning, not my husband's (with the exception of 10-minute-clean, which works best when we do it together). He has certain areas of the home that he always takes care of, and he is very disciplined in those tasks. I'm the one who has to make a big production out of establishing a cleaning routine. So far, it's working. I'll let you know in March whether or not it's holding up.

Now, for our February COPE focus: The paper purge!

Since it's time for taxes, I figured it would also be a great time to purge our pile of papers and refine our organizational format as applicable. As before, here are some links to help me (and you, if you're playing along at home) get started.

• From the IRS: "How Long Should I Keep Records?"
• From USA.gov: "Managing Household Records."
• From the always helpful Real Simple Magazine: "5 Steps to Simpler Record Keeping."
• And my very favorite, from Just Organize Your Stuff: "Should You Keep that Paper? Paper Purging Guidelines." It comes with a great flowchart, and we all know I love a good flowchart.

Any tips from the pros at home for how to purge paper and keep paper clutter in check? I need all the help I can get.