31 Days of Decluttering - Day #17 - Mail

Thank goodness for recycling, because that's where most of the mail we get goes.  There are so many flyers and advertisements that come each week.  Most of them don't even make it into the house because I dump them right into the recycling bin on the way in the house.

For what does make it in, "From Overwhelmed to Organized" recommends these action steps:

• Start by gathering ALL your mail into one spot (find any places that it has piled up and bring it all together so you can deal with it once and for all)
• Throw out any garbage you come across in your piles
• Recycle or shred any papers you do not need (outdated flyers, empty envelopes, junk mail, coupons you don't use, etc.)
• These steps should already reduce your pile significantly
• Sort through your pile of paperwork to keep and group like items together (bills to be paid, paperwork to file, items to follow-up on, etc.)
• Take care of each category (pay bills, file papers, follow-up on things).  If you don't have time right now to do this, then set up a time when you will take care of it.

That should take care of the backlog of mail!  Now, to keep it decluttered in the future, follow these simple steps:

1. Throw out or recycle EVERY piece of incoming mail that you do not need, as you bring it into the house {if it helps, keep a shredder and a recycle bin near your main entryway!}
2. Establish a place to keep each category of mail that you need to deal with later {use files, boxes or baskets to create a place for the categories you need:  inbox, to pay, to follow-up, to file, to read, etc.}
3. Designate certain days of the week or month to deal with each of these categories of mail so they don't pile up
4. If other people bring in the mail, train them to use your new system too

I like the idea of a "command center", so I bought this expandable file folder to create that:  

That was easy!  Now all my papers/magazines (that were on the floor in front of the couch) are in a nice little expandable tote that can be easily stored away.  Who-hoo!!

Next Up:  Plasticware