To organize years of paperwork, you'll first want to separate them into piles. Divide your papers into the following categories: 1. Action Papers in this pile require attention before they can be shredded (bills, tax documents, etc.) 2. Archive These are papers you need to keep for your records such as taxes less than 3 years old, deeds, wills, birth certificates, and other important documents. 3. Household Anything that you use frequently or will use soon such as coupons, recipes, and tax receipts. Use a checklist to help declutter your house. 4. Recycle You can put papers that don't contain sensitive information and that you won't ever need again, such as junk mail, newspaper, and graded homework into your recycling bin. 5. Shred This pile is for papers that do contain important information that you no longer need to keep such as bank statements, bills, and tax documents older than 3 years. From there, you can organize the papers you need and destroy or recycle the papers you don't.