Simple Tasks - Office Supplies Week - Paper Fasteners

*Welcome to today's Simple Task! A Simple Task is a quick decluttering job that only takes 5-15 minutes. It is meant to work into your daily life so you can declutter without being overwhelmed. Categories change every week, so jump in wherever you are comfortable! Keep it simple, and be happy!*

Before

Thursdays are our long days for dance classes, so I had to have a super-simple task today. Continuing with this week's category of office supplies, I decided to tackle all types of paper fasteners. Our drawer wasn't very full of fasteners, but it was full of lots of other things! I broke down my supplies into the following categories:

*Staples and stapler
*Paperclips (small and large)
*Butterfly clamps
*Binder clips (small, medium, and large)
*Binder rings (small, medium, and large)
*Brass fasteners

If you have more types, create more categories. It is best to separate them by type so you can compare them and eliminate any that are no longer usable. There are really only three things to keep in mind for decluttering these.

1) Do you use them in your current life? I don't use many things from this category anymore, so I only kept what I think I might use in the next two years. If your job or lifestyle doesn't require much paper fastening, consider cutting back.

2) Are they bent beyond use? Paperclips get bent up for reasons beyond clipping papers together (anyone have to pop open a CD drive lately?), and many times they can be bent back into shape. Some can't though, and we need them lingering and getting in our way if we can't use them.

3) Are they rusted? Paperclips and staples rust. When they rust, they become brittle, which can make them ineffective, and they can also stain your papers. Be sure to use good lightening for this category so you can throw away anything with rust damage. Don't forget to check the inside of the binder clips where the paint has worn off!

After

When you look at my "After" picture, you may notice some things appeared that weren't there before. That is because this isn't my organizing stage - this is only my decluttering stage. After I have decluttered all of my supplies, and when I receive my new workstation, I will be able to organize everything. Many people try to organize while they declutter, but the problem is that when you are constantly reducing, your organizing needs change.  For right now, I have all of my "paper manipulation supplies," aside from the stapler and tape dispenser, in one draw, and they are all decluttered and usable.

If you're saving up donations for your favorite organization, remember to donate only what is excessive to you and is still usable to others. Unusable supplies should go straight to the trash.