Do you struggle to manage all your mail and papers? Are they piling up on all your flat surfaces? Try this process:
Step 1: Buy 3 wall pockets (as pictured above), 3 file folders and a desktop file sorter, or 3 magazine holders. Create these 3 labels and affix one to each pocket, folder or magazine holder:
- File
- Read
- Take Action
In our house, we also find it helpful to create 3 more folders: Current School Year, Taxes 2021, and Upcoming Events. We find that these are the categories we are accessing about once a week, so it’s handy to keep them out.
Step 2: Put your 3-6 folder system near where the papers tend to pile up. This is the best way to overcome the habit of piling things up on a surface.
Step 3: When you collect the mail each day, recycle or shred the unwanted stuff. Put the rest of the stuff in your folder system.
Step 4: Set up weekly office hours for yourself. Once a week, spend 20 minutes doing all the actions the folders tell you to do: Pay the bills. File those papers in the filing cabinet. Take action on the papers that have a task attached to them. This weekly time is THE KEY to keeping your papers under control. Without this weekly time, your papers will build up again and quickly exceed your 3-6 folder system.
That’s it! If you have time, cut down on the amount of papers coming into your house by removing yourself from junk mail lists. Follow the steps on this website to remove yourself from mailing lists.
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