Do you love getting a new glossy magazine filled with inspiration in the mail, but are not sure what to do with them after you’re finished reading? Today, I will be offering a quick organizing tip on how to control magazine clutter.

 

Long before the steady reliable stream of digital images, print inspiration was king. Magazine subscriptions were sold door to door as a form of entertainment and inspiration, and it was big business. I too have had a few longstanding subscriptions. And I can genuinely say that I look forward to each month’s new copy.

However, there is a major downside to this seemingly harmless consumption. Clutter.

 

HOW MAGAZINE CLUTTER HAPPENS

Perhaps you already have a system in place to stay on top of paper pile up. Many businesses now offer a paperless billing option that you might be taking advantage of. Or maybe you are great about sending junk promotions directly to the recycle bin as soon as they exit your mailbox.

However, there is something a bit more special about that shiny new magazine that shows up once a month. Whether because they arrive with less frequency or the fact that they are full of colorful images and inspiring information, magazines are hard to let go of.

One thin magazine laid on the coffee table turns into five, and then into a stack in the corner of the room. Before you know it, magazines are taking up more of your precious space than you would like. If this has become a problem for you, I have a tip that can help you control magazine clutter.

 

SIMPLE STORAGE TIP

Because I work in the home design industry, I find home decor and building magazines very inspiring. For years I held onto stacks of my favorite issues. Eventually they got overwhelming, and I had to come up with a solution. I realized that of an entire magazine, I was interested in about 5% of the articles and images.

Because of this, I determined that it didn’t make much sense to keep the entire magazine. Instead, I opt to rip out only the pages that are most inspiring. I then curate them in plastic sheet covers, in white three ring binders. This is an ultra simple and inexpensive way to control magazine clutter, and it has been working well for me.

One important word of advice. This method will work best when you get in the habit of practicing the ‘tear out’ method immediately after reading through a magazine. Not only will your favorite ideas and images be fresh in your mind, you will also be more likely to get the job done. If a magazine is allowed to stay whole for too long, it becomes a more permanent house resident that sadly won’t be noticed until a few of it’s buddies join.

My binders are stored on a shelf in my home office. The contents are used as inspiration not only for the decorating of my own home, but also also but when designing homes and spaces for clients. They are plump full of images I love. And they certainly were helpful to look back on during the design process of our family’s home, Arrow Hill Cottage.

 

 

WATCH ME DECLUTTER MY MAGAZINE STASH

With this storage system, it is important to go through the binders on a regular basis. Doing so will allow you to be sure they contain contain content you wish to save.

Recently, when looking through my collection, I noticed that there were articles and images that were outdated or no longer my style. Trending home products from 2006? Probably not relevant any longer. Just this week I decided to further pare down my collection by eliminating the pages that no longer inspired me.

 

The beauty of the binder system is that you can easily switch out items that are no longer giving you inspiration for those that are.

Before this most recent declutter, I had a total of six binders filled with plastic sleeves. Through the declutter process, I was able to reduce my binders from six down to three. It feels good to know that inspiration on each and every page awaits me, whenever I choose to open the binders up.

 

IS STORING MAGAZINES MINIMAL?

You might be wondering – wouldn’t it just be easier, and more minimal, to throw out all the magazines? Is keeping magazine clippings even necessary when there is Pinerest?

There is no short answer to either of those questions. The truth is that the more we walk down this minimalism path, the more realize that it is a highly personal journey. There are no hard and fast rules about what can be deemed appropriate to save, and what for sure needs to be tossed. Those decisions lie solely with the person who owns the possession, and nobody else.

Minimalism does not mean we need to rid our lives of all the things we love. Instead, it asks us to be mindful of the intentions behind each of our belongings. To decide, for ourselves, what things and quantity of things are appropriate for this moment in time.

The beauty of this mindset is that I don’t need to justify my decision to save three binders full of magazine clippings any more than someone else needs to justify their personal collection. Whatever that may be. My magazine binders bring me joy, and serve a purpose at this point in my life. So they stay. In the future, if I decide to scan all of the pages and keep only a digital copy, that is fine too.

I would encourage you to follow the same process of thinking while you declutter or attempt to simplify.

 

PIN THIS SIMPLE WAY TO CONTROL MAGAZINE CLUTTER

If you are a magazine lover like I am, I encourage you to try out this method. It’s inexpensive – maybe $3 per binder and $5 for a large pack of plastic sheets. It is also simple enough to be maintained as a long term solution to control magazine clutter.

 

OTHER MAGAZINE ORGANIZING TIPS

These articles offer additional ways to control magazine clutter:

Simple Magazine Filing System

Determine what magazines mean to you