The Paper Solution by Lisa Woodruff Summary

The Paper Solution provides a practical system to conquer paper clutter through strategic organization, offering step-by-step guidance on categorizing documents, implementing the "Sunday Basket" workflow, and transitioning from filing cabinets to accessible binders. Lisa Woodruff's method emphasizes retaining only essential papers while creating sustainable systems for financial, medical, and household management.

This book is ideal for professionals, parents, caregivers, and anyone overwhelmed by paper clutter. It’s particularly valuable for those managing household responsibilities, estate planning, or chronic disorganization, offering actionable strategies to reduce stress and improve productivity.

Yes—the book’s actionable frameworks, like the 15% rule (retaining only critical documents) and the Sunday Basket method, provide immediate relief for paper overload. Readers praise its clutter-to-clarity approach, calling it “life-changing” for saving time and mental energy.

While Marie Kondo focuses on emotional decluttering, Lisa Woodruff prioritizes functional systems for paper management. The Paper Solution offers tactical steps like color-coded binders and weekly workflow routines, making it more structured for practical, long-term organization.

The Sunday Basket is a weekly workflow tool to process pending paperwork, bills, and tasks. By dedicating 30–60 minutes weekly, users prevent backlog and streamline decision-making, ensuring papers move from “to-do” to “done” efficiently.

1. Shred 85% of papers—retain only legal, financial, and medical essentials.
2. Replace filing cabinets with accessible binders for active documents.
3. Digitize non-essential records to reduce physical clutter.

Woodruff advises using three core binders: Household (manuals, warranties), Financial (estate planning), and Medical (health records). This system ensures critical information is portable and easily accessible during emergencies.

Scan non-essential documents like paid bills or school projects and store them in cloud services (e.g., Google Drive). Pair digitizing with a quarterly “clean-out” ritual to maintain a clutter-free system.

Some readers note the system requires initial time investment to set up binders and workflows. Others suggest combining Woodruff’s methods with digital tools like Evernote for hybrid organization.

Despite digital trends, paper remains prevalent in healthcare, education, and legal systems. Woodruff’s strategies address modern hybrid lifestyles, offering solutions for managing both physical documents and digital backups.

The Financial Organizing Binder centralizes wills, power of attorney forms, and insurance policies, simplifying estate management. This system has been endorsed by legal professionals for reducing administrative hassles during crises.

For holistic organization, pair with Decluttering at the Speed of Life (Dana K. White) or The Joy of Less (Francine Jay). These titles reinforce Woodruff’s principles while addressing broader minimalism and mindset shifts.