Does paper clutter get you down? Do you get too much mail that just piles up and you don’t know what to do with it? Reduce mail stress by implementing these 3 invaluable tips to get rid of paper clutter.
I love to quilt and my little five year old grandson is the lucky recipient of quilts I make. He was given the assignment in school to draw a picture. He chose to draw a quilt for me. The main colors are blues and oranges as those are his favorite colors. He was so proud of it when he brought it home and gave it to his mother to mail to me. Of course I was thrilled to get this surprise drawing in the mail from him.
Too often in this day and age we have more paper than we know what to do with. Our kids bring home paper from school, we get unsolicited junk mail, bills, life and health insurance policies, maybe a thank you note or letter if we’re lucky, and the list goes on.
Paper clutter can be a real problem for many of us. As a professional organizer I organize in women’s homes and it doesn’t seem to matter what we are organizing sooner or later we move to organize and get rid of paper clutter.
To get rid of paper clutter (and it is possible) let’s start with the mail.
Decide what paper you have too much of in your home. Let’s talk about mail that comes into your mail box and from there into your home.
Take a look at your mail and decide why it is a problem for you. Is it that there is no specific place for it after it is brought into your home? Do you have junk mail coming out of your ears? Do papers get scattered all over the kitchen counter? Do you have a hard time finding important papers such as bills, invitations or other type of paper that have deadlines?
1. Get your name off junk mail lists. This is very easy to do and it only takes 30 minutes to an hour to do it. To find a place to subscribe to get off lists; Google junk mail and choose the company you want to work with. You can control the catalogs, bank and credit card requests along with all the other junk mail you don’t want to receive. Every day the mail comes you will save a lot of time and it is being kind to our environment.
Before you get your name off lists (which takes about six weeks) and you’re still getting junk mail don’t even take it in the house, walk right over to the recycle bin and toss it. Be sure to check all mail to make sure it doesn’t have your personal information that could be useful to them and detrimental to you. Especially those checks from banks that tell you to fill it in so they can send you money. If someone else got a hold of it they could sign it and you would be responsible. Mail with personal identification needs to be shredded.
2. Designate one place as a landing site for all mail that comes into your home. Educate your family where it is and encourage them to use it. (Actually insist on it). It could be placed in an office or even on the corner of the kitchen counter. I recommend an attractive basket.
3. Allow yourself time to sort your mail. Look at each piece of mail, make a decision and get on with life. Don’t put it back in the basket once you have looked at it, move it to its designated spot. Sort the mail daily so it doesn’t pile up.
Put catalogs and magazines in their own baskets to be savored later. Mail that is for someone else in your home put it in their basket or in box or other designated area.
Things that can be done within two minutes—do them and get that task over with immediately. (This could even be tossing junk mail). Or responding to an RSVP.
Items that are going to need some time to take care of put in a designated place so you know where it is and can get back to it later in the day when you have time.
Getting rid of paper clutter can be a thing of the past. Your life will be less stressful and it will also save you time. It can even save money as there won’t be any more late payment fees for bills paid late.
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