You've already done a lot of work! I just cleaned out my filing cabinet recently so I can sypathise... I had bags and bags of stuff that I didn't need to keep any more.

I hear you. I guess there are people who have a system that keeps paper under control, but I'm not yet one of them.

It is looking great! You are doing a good job! Paper is something that just seems to grow and I went through ours recently and just now have a pile to put away!

And today must be the day for it as I asked during my meditation for a sign and if this isn't...

Well done!

Thank you -- and good success with your papers!

*continues cheering you on*

*is cheered*

Looking great, there's so much more open space in the last pic than the first!

I love your yarn rack, what a great way to store crafting supplies.. I could use something similar in my airing cupboard for my fabric..

It's so much nicer! I feel as though it really is possible to get it all cleared out and get to the closet.

I love the rack and baskets. I don't remember where I got it, but I think Home Depot or Lowe's (hardware and appliances and similar stuff).

I think I'll have to wait and see whether one comes into my life - we don't have those places here. And in any case, I think I have other things I need to buy first... a new computer chair for example!

You might also try housewares stores, or even department stores or office supply places.

But a chair is pretty important! If you're not comfortable, it's hard to keep focused on work.

It's more for my DH's youtube and facebook habit, I use my laptop (my work involves lots of milky cuddles, the internet is just a diversion).

Fantastic! You're an inspiration! And... is that all the yarn you have? How do you administer the contraceptive to it? Seriously, you should see how yarn breeds at my house!!

Oh, I hear you about yarn breeding -- I just haven't bought any for years.

Me, it's the books that breed. When I moved from Arizona to Tennessee, I swear that I cleaned out my bookshelves three separate times, and they were full every time.

Hey! I have that filing cabinet too! The only one of our several that's not a butt-ugly corporate discard. I got mine secondhand -- do you happen to remember who sold it originally?

It sounds & looks like you're making great progress. Paper's my next thing to tackle once holiday prep is complete. The Great Box Pile has taken over my bedroom closet...

I honestly don't remember; it's been there for at least 17 years. I *think* probably Staples or Office Depot, though.

I'm working geographically, rather than by topic, if that makes sense. One of the things I learned when I took a workshop on chronic cluttering is to start at one corner of a room and work on that corner until it's done, then move a few steps over and repeat, and so on. That way, you have Visible Evidence of Progress.

I don't know if this will be useful or not, but the system I've used for quite a while to keep paper (at least the important stuff) under control goes like this:

1) Important Papers get put in a particular place as they come in. (This includes things like bank statements, other financial statements, insurance notices, paid utility & credit-card bills, etc.) This place can be anything convenient; it used to be a drawer in a cabinet, but now it's just a box on a bookshelf.

2) Every year, as part of the working-on-taxes project, I go thru the accumulation, sort, file, and throw away unnecessary paper. (Some of the excess has to be shredded, but most of it goes into recycling.)

3) I keep 2 years' worth of bank/financial statements in binders within easy reach. Older statements are pulled out and stored in envelopes salvaged from the current year's statements, which are labeled with their dates. Credit-card and utility bills are handled similarly, except that I don't keep the current ones in binders -- they just go straight into a labeled envelope.

4) Archived statements and bills go into a file drawer for 7 years, in case they should be needed for something. As I store the current year's archives, I pull out the oldest ones and shred them. (Having the dates on the envelopes makes this easy.)

Note that this doesn't do much about the accumulation of paper that isn't Important Papers, which still tends to pile up until I get sick of it and do a sort-to-recycle pass. OTOH, it's helpful to know that if I have to find a particular Important Paper, there's only one pile I have to look thru!

I do a fair amount of organization this way, actually. User manuals all go into a particular drawer, jewelry catalogs go on top of one bookcase, etc. It at least limits the amount of searching I have to do for any particular item.

Steady progress! And so much more floor visible. Well done!