Paper Organization - Incoming Mail

Erin Young: Hi! I am Erin Young. I am with Clutterbusters and today we are talking about reducing your paper clutter with ways to manage your incoming mail.

What youre going to need to get started with this project is a vertical file holder or a magazine holder such as this. They come in all shapes and sizes, different kinds of materials; pick what works best for you. Youre going need a labeler or a marker and some labels, and of course your stack of incoming mail.

Next, youre going to want to designate one spot in your home either at the front door, for when you come in with the mail or at your desk right by computer for when youre paying bills that kind of thing that where your paper is going to stay, thats the one spot. This is going to reduce the paper clutter in the rest of your house and help to keep your other surfaces nice and clear.

When youre sorting your incoming mail, youre going to want to keep these categories as general as possible. Final sorting will come later when youre going to be doing your filing.

Were going to start with some general categories.

To File, - This includes medical papers, insurance papers, general correspondence, some financial statements, that kind of thing thats going to go in your filing cabinet.

Next, To Do - This includes those lists that make, parking ticket, things that need your attention and immediate action. Clear this out as often as you can.

Next, Bills - Clear this out often. Make sure that your bills are paid on time and then when they are paid, go ahead and file them in the To File box.

Next, we have a category called To Read - This is for magazines, catalogues, newspapers, all those things that come in that you want to read and save, but because they are bulky, as you can see, they take up a lot of space and will build up really quickly. So, make sure that you clear this bin often.

Next, we have a category called Recycle and this is for those mass mailers, those coupons, all that junk mail that comes in that you dont need. So, just toss it in there as soon as you get it.

Next, we have items To Shred - This is for sensitive information like credit card offers, financial statements, all those papers that you dont want people picking out of the trash and getting your identity from. Unfortunately, identity theft is a big problem in our society right now. So, you want to make sure that you are protected.

So, with these simple steps, you can very easily manage your incoming mails as long as you have it one spot in your home and youre proactive about dealing with it everyday.