Mission: Control Paper Clutter In 15 Minutes

The Mission:  Fifteen Minute Paper Mail De-cluttering Tip

Are you are fed-up with the influx of paper?  Are you are tired of getting junk mail and not knowing what to do with it.  Here are a few suggestions that will make your life easier.  Let’s do something about the paper that comes in, if we can control that, then later we can focus on the paper already in our home.

It’s all about baby steps, you don’t expect a toddler to start walking right way.  We guide them and encourage them to

go step by step; after all, you don’t want to scare them from trying every day.  Unfortunately, in this high pace way of life, we don’t take the small steps necessary to reach our ultimate goal in order to feel good about our accomplishments.  Our goal, to streamline and control our mail.

So, I want to help you and guide you by starting with small steps.   Once we are steady in the baby steps, we can start the walking process, and finally running when necessary.  Where do we start?  By preventing anymore paper clutter from coming into your environment–without your permission!

• Catalogs:  We love our catalogs, but not 30 every month right?    You wonder how in the world I began getting all these catalogs.  Unfortunately,  it could come from just on offer you replied on the Internet.  Or, if you filled out a credit card application, purchased a major article, whatever it was, your name was given to these merchants.  So here it is, take five minutes and log onto:  www.Catalogchoice.org

• The excess of catalogs you have at home can be:  sorted, recycled, or taken to a shelter, hospital or even goodwill.   Note: Be sure to shred the name and address on the catalog.

Once you open and account with them, at your leisure, you can start deleting one or two catalogs at a time.  Follow thier instruction, you will need the catalog in front of you for the required information.  Remember; just take 15 minutes a week, or 15 minutes per day, pending the quantity of catalogs.

Now for the ones you do want to keep do the following:

• Set aside, 15 minutes.  Get a timer to help you stay on track.
• Get a folder and label each one accordingly.  Then organize by categories.  For example:  if it’s Gardening, then name it gardening, for clothes, select a label that you will remember, say fashion.  Do another folder for home decorating.  You get the idea.
• Go through the catalogs and rip out the pages of items or designs you enjoy.  In this way, you minimize the paper clutter and you keep only what you know will be useful.  Space is a premium now a days.
• Another tip is to date the folder.  This helps you when you are cleaning out your files (which I recommend yearly) when you look at your files again, you will know how long you’ve had them.
• Or you can date right on the pages you ripped out of the magazine.

Here is another way to stop paper clutter from coming into your home.  Use a service to help streamline your mail, such as www.ecocycle.org/junkmail.  They list multiple ways to streamline, or even stop junk mail coming from many different sources.  And what’s best, most of the options are free!

Mission accomplished!

Nancy Rivera

PS:  If you feel that you still need help, call Nancy for a 30 minute free consultation: 813-514-5696