Organizing Tip of the Week - Paper Mail

Happy Monday! Organizing tip of the week – Paper Mail. One theme that I always see come up amongst clients, family and friends is the accumulation of paper mail in the house. This mostly consists of bills, junk mail and flyers. When I see these stacks of mail overflowing on the desk or table, I ask myself, why do people hold on to their mail? Do we really need extra pieces of paper floating around the house? I think the biggest excuse we say to ourselves is that we’ll get to it later. I challenge you to live a more paperless and clutter free life by following these tips on handling your paper mail!

1. As soon as you get your mail, check it right away (don’t let it get to the table before looking through it!)

2. Immediately toss or recycle whatever you do not need. I open my mail near the recycling bin.

3. Create an action pile. I would recommend a mail sorter or a basket that is visible. Action items would be bills that you need to pay, invites and things to file.

4. Pick a time once a week to file items like annual tax returns, receipts for major purchases that you still own, year-end summaries from financial services, home improvement records and beneficiary designations.

5. I would highly recommend going paperless with all your bills and make payments online. With today’s technology, there are few times where we need to write checks or handle paper when it comes to bills.

Start the week fresh and go through your mail today!