Paper is one of the hardest things to organize. One reason is because there is so much of it!
We are inundated with paper! Mail, junk mail, bills, announcements, invitations, kids school permission slips, medical information, tax information....and on and on...
Most people have no system in place for handling the influx of paper.
They walk through the door of their home and just dump the paper on the kitchen table. And then - forget about it.
And tommorrow - the same thing happens. This time - the mail goes on top of yesterday's pile. And tomorrow - the same thing happens....the mail goes on yesterdays pile... and on and on and on...
Until the pile falls over and maybe lands on the floor!
A lot of people don't actually look at their mail until days later. Some people - never look at their mail. It just keeps piling up.
What's in that pile????
Bills - that you might have forgotten to pay. School permission slips that you never signed. Invitations that you never responded to - and at the last minute you are scrambling for gifts for that party or wedding that you have to go to!
Having a system in place for handling incoming mail and paper is crucial - not only for your financial security - but also for your sanity!
Doing some as simple as:
1) pitching all of the "junk" mail into the trash or recycle bin. *besure to get shred identitying information
2) put all of your bills into 1 basket - so that you never lose a bill in the pile of papers
3) put any important mail that you need to respond to or answer in a specific time into it's own bin (or you can combine it with the bills)
4) put any correspondance that you need to look at or keep - that doesn't have a hard deadline - into another bin
The next step - is to plan a time (have it on your calendar!) that you will go through each bin. Whether it's every day - every other day - once or twice a week - weekly.... it doesn't matter as long as you have a dedicated schedule for dealing with each bin
Take each bin - handle each piece of paper - whether it's scheduling a bill to be paid or paying the bill at that moment - or answering a letter/invitation....and then file it in the appropriate folder.
If you don't have a filing system set up - or a dedicated spot for working on your bills and papers - then set aside some time to figure out a place that will work for you. Having a decidated space - that you can use every week - will make a huge difference. Be sure to have everything you need to deal with paper - in that spot. Envelopes, pens, stamps....
By at least dealing with each bin once a week - and then emptying that bin - you will be able to keep on top of the papers that come into your home.
Step back and take a look at how you deal with papers - and simplify the method to alleviate some of the stress associated with apaper clutter!
Happy Organizing!
Less Clutter = Less Stress SM in your home, your business and your life
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