Take Control of the Mail
Last week I led an online workshop on clearing the clutter. When I asked the participants what the main source of clutter stress for them was, several answered "paper," and specifically mail. So, I thought I would share with you a few tips on mail management.
Tip 1: Don't let unnecessary paper even come in your door. As you bring the mail from the mailbox to the house, do a quick sort. Weed out the junk mail (think flyers, random catalogs, advertisements, etc.) and don't allow it to cross the threshold to your home. You can do this by having a recycling bin in your garage or by the back door. Getting rid of unnecessary paper before it comes in the house goes a long way to managing mail.
Tip 2: Have a mail sorter or in-box to collect mail. Once you have come through the door with mail that you need/want, IF you cannot deal with it right away, have a designated place to collect it.
Tip 3: If you cannot attend to your mail every day, designate a specific day each week to deal with it. And by dealing with it, I mean sitting down with it and doing something with it – pay that bill, RSVP to that event, schedule that appointment.
Tip 4: File, Shred, Toss, or Recycle – Once you have dealt with each piece of mail, file it for future reference, shred it, throw it away, or recycle it. Whatever you do, don't stick it back in a stack of paper.
Tip 5: Unsubscribe to mailing lists – Here are a few helpful links:
Manage that mail! And if you'd like help putting these tips into practice, or have any other organizing questions, I'm just an email away.