420 - The Weight of Paper in America

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I want to talk with you about the</span> <a href="http://organize365.com/research"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Weight of Paper in American Households</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. I began talking about paper in 2012, when I shared a DIY version of the</span> <a href="http://sundaybasket.com"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Sunday Basket®</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">that transformed my paper organization at home. At that point, I had been using my own Sunday Basket® for ten years. I began using this paper organization system when I had two kids under two years old, and I needed a way to get my actionable to-do’s actually accomplished. I needed a way to manage the mail, the kitchen counter piles, and the kids paperwork. Looking at random papers all over the house kept me reactive, and I wanted to be more proactive and effective when managing my home. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I learned to delay the things that initially seemed urgent and important to one day a week. By developing the system of giving these things regular attention on Sunday, I was able to have more weekday time to run my direct sales business, be a stay at home mom, and manage our house too. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This system results in an immediate change, and over time (usually about six weeks) the habit of addressing all of your paper weekly will give you back</span> <strong>five hours</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">every week. There was a long time when people believed they didn’t have or need paper, and there has been an expectation of a paperless society. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In early 2021, Organize 365 sponsored research about the State of the Household in the 21st Century. As part of that survey, I wanted to learn more about how different generations were dealing with their paper. In today’s podcast, I share the outcomes of the research we did on the weight of paper in the American home. For