Unneeded files came to their end this holiday period. After Christmas Day with our family, and having not long ago helped to clear Mom’s apartment after her death, I realized that I wanted to make the process as easy as I can for my girls when that day comes for me—hopefully not for some years yet.
Mom’s papers were in good order, so that wasn’t a problem. It was the stuff we hang on to. And the closet spaces held a surprising amount of stuff. Living in a country with four seasons will do that, and that includes clothing and decorations as well as the usual household stuff.
Even then it was some work to clear out. I want to be as organized as I can, but there was much work to do to get there. And so I got to work on computer and paper files. I deleted endless old files to the junk box on the computer, lightened my emails in each Inbox that I have (more to do yet, but it’s a good start).
Another thing that needed clearing out was old papers I no longer needed to keep. Expired documents ( beyond the 7 years I need to keep) and old writing files for which I have newer documents.
As I was reminded when I purchased a new shredder this past year, I needed to take care of it and run a lubricant sheet through it every so often. I used several sheets in the process.
I won’t go into a list of all I shredded but it was paper I don’t need cluttering my office anymore. Backups are a good thing, and another investment I made this year on an additional external  hard drive to store photos and back up my documents. I pay for a service each year through a preferred company, but that’s only for documents, not pictures.
Make the process a little easier for your family, as  you’re able. Don’t wait. Some day they’ll thank you for it. Make a plan for where stuff might go when you no longer need it, business wise and books. Give away things to kids who can use it, such a a rug a family member could use for a basement playroom. Big stuff, little stuff. And in that breath, my husband and I are not alike in the way we share and keep, but that’s a topic for another time.
Take some time, clean out unnecessary stuff and start the New Year a little lighter. Someone will thank you for it. You may like it too.

One bag of shredded paper. There was more.