Organizing Mail
Do you ignore the the daily acts of collecting, sorting, and processing the mail? Dose it go away? No! It just keeps piling up. I find that a routine helps me keep the mail organized and prevents piles from forming.
My mail routine:
- Sort into my mail vs. my husband’s mail (he gets to open and process is own mail)
- Open it as soon as I bring it in the house, if not then, by the end of the day
- Put open pieces in their predetermined homes
- Bills go in bill pay box by computer
- Coupons go in box on top of fridge
- Flyers, advertisements, and solicitations get briefly viewed then recycled
- Junk mail gets immediately recycled
- Statements or the like, get filed right away
- Mail to read gets put in my “to read” location
- Mail that requires action goes into my action folder
Organizing guidelines help me stay on top of the mounting mail, as well.
Here are my guidelines:
- My timeframe to open the mail is right away or by the end of the day
- I have predetermined homes for pieces of mail to land
- I immediately recycle as much as I can
- I’m not the mail opener for the whole household
- I consciously make an effort to reduce the amount of mail I receive
Mail is delivered 6 days a week, whether we view it or not. So, stop ignoring it, and establish organizing routines and guidelines in order to stay on top of it.
© March 2014 Janine Cavanaugh, CPO® All rights reserved
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