Cure the Paper Plague!

Are you maddened by mail?  Crazed by credit card and charity requests? Overwhelmed by offers?  Inundated by bogus invitations?  Besieged by bills? 

The number one reason clients call a professional organizer is to help them manage their paper. It IS possible to cure the Paper Plague.  How?  By creating a simple system that allows you to process paper quickly and efficiently. The key to controlling it is to do a little bit every day. 

Here are a few of my favorite techniques for staying on top of the daily deluge:

  • Stop paper at the door and go digital. Opt to receive bank and investment statements, bills, and receipts electronically.
  • When the mail comes in, sort it immediately, always in the same place, and near the recycling bin.
  • Toss junk mail right away. What’s junk mail?  That really is up to you to decide.  In general, it could be anything that doesn’t meet a need you have right now. For instance, if you don’t need a new credit card, rip up the offer and recycle it immediately.  Those coupon packs that come?  Do you really go to those places?  If not, toss the whole envelope without even opening it. 
  • Have a “landing pad” for paper bills you still receive, things you want to read, invitations you receive, and coupons you really will use. I like to have a small file system in the kitchen.  It could be a drawer in a cabinet or a small desktop file box.  Color code the folders and label them clearly (everyone loves a label-maker!).  If they are attractive, you’ll be more likely to use them.
  • Schedule 15 minutes with yourself (yes, put in your calendar) to address the items in the file system that have to be acted on – pay the bills, reply to the invitation, etc. Better yet, if time permits, act on these items as they come in.  Then they won’t be hanging over your head. Move the items you’ve acted on to a…
  • “Permanent” file system that works for the way you think. Have five to seven broad categories and label them with titles that will let you find what you need quickly.  Once a year, go through your files and shred what you no longer need.  Consult your trusted advisors if you aren’t sure of something.
  • Read current issues of magazines and other publications when they arrive, then recycle the old ones. Or subscribe only to the digital version.

As always, we’re here to help.  Give us a call and cure your paper plague!