Comments on: Weekend Roundup: Paper Clutter Edition

By: Barbara House

Barbara House — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:32:15 +0000

Junk mail is definitely a problem, and while the list at Get Rich Slowly is good – it’s missing some of the key places to get off the lists, particularly to get rid of local advertisements.

I created a Squidoo page with all the research I collected and links to the top (4) places to go to eliminate this junk mail. All are free, and it will take 30 minutes to an hour of your time.

Check it out and help spread the word:
http://www.squidoo.com/do-not-mail

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:46:14 +0000

Thanks for the mention. :)

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:37:09 +0000

When you pull your mail out of your mailbox (not later, do this as you receive your mail):

Starting today…

Open everything, one at a time.

Put everything into one of these piles:

* – bills. Open them and put the statement, including any paperwork that comes with it that you want to look at, back into the “return envelope”. Even if you pay bills online, keep the return envelope in case of power outage or anything else that can occur. The rest goes into trash/recycling.

* – paperwork requiring action/response

* – items to be filed

* – items to be shredded

* – food flyers/coupons (if these interest you), otherwise, trash/recycle them

* – other people’s mail

* – trash/recycling

Put the bills in a place you’ve designated for this purpose. Don’t mix your bills in with the paperwork requiring a response.

Put your paperwork requiring a response/action into your inbox. If you don’t have one, set one up.

File the papers needing to be filed. If you don’t have a file for something you’ve received, put it in your inbox.

Put other people’s mail somewhere you’ve designated for such purpose. If it is for someone who doesn’t live there, mark it as such and put it wherever you put your outgoing mail.

If you handle your mail every day as it comes in, it won’t take long and you’ll be amazed how much it will cut down your paper clutter and save you time. You will stop handling the same piece of paper several times before getting it either into your file cabinet or the trash/recycler/shredder. You’ll also have the comfort of knowing that all your bills are in one place and anything requiring your attention is in another. The rest is out of your way.

For the papers currently on your desk – spend five/ten/fifteen minutes (whatever suits your schedule/energy level), every day, and process it all according to your regular incoming mail. Just grab the top document and work downwards for the alotted time.

Hope this helps. I know it’s helped me!

By: PT

PT — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:23:55 +0000

I just signed up to reduce the junk mail too. Thanks for the mention. A lot of your readers have come over to enter the contest. Thanks!

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:06:02 +0000

I haven’t tamed the paper monster either. :( Fortunately, it’s not causing any impending doom, so I let it be and it lets me be.

Thanks for including my alien abduction piece…more to come! :)

By: Shanti @ Antishay

Shanti @ Antishay — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:01:24 +0000

Thank you for the link! Time management is one of my strengths :)

By: Kristi

Kristi — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:59:47 +0000

You should check out elizabethhagen.com she has an awesome “tickler” file system to tame the paper monster that plagues all of us!! I love it and swear by it for my Avon business and home office!!

By: Bellen

Bellen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:50:40 +0000

While we have signed up to reduce junk mail, we still receive unwanted mail from local businesses we have used or companies we have requested info from but decided not to use. Yesterday, after picking up the mail, I spent about 15 minutes e-mailing 3 local businesses asking to be removed from their mailing lists. All replied they would. The 4th, an out of area business, required 4 e-mails with questions to be sure we were removed (explanation was they had about 15 mailing lists so had to be able to find ours). We were getting 8-12 pieces of mail monthly from these 4 places.

For filing systems: when we were first married, and thruout our 40 years including 15 of having our own business, I opened and sorted mail daily, doing filing monthly and then weekly with the business. For taxes, long before computer programs, I organized on the 15th of the following month (15th of Feb for Jan). When tax time came around, I was ready by the end of January.

Biggest decision: find a system, or combination of systems, that you can and will use regularly.

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:36:46 +0000

I don’t know if this will interest you, but it has saved my sanity. I found Maria Gracia’s “My Oh-So-Organized Filing System recently, and ordered it. My files were out of control for YEARS…it took my husband and me six and a half hours three weeks ago to set up the system, and it works beautifully for us. Not only are my files neatly organized in categories we need, but it is quite easy to file papers as they come in, almost daily. I no longer have stacks of paper everywhere, and the sense of relief I felt when I realized we had nine years worth of tax forms finally in order was a palpable relief. I do scan some items onto the computer, but for things you need hard copies of, the system is awesome.

By: SingleGuyMoney

SingleGuyMoney — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:33:26 +0000

Great roundup. Thanks for including me.