You’ve Got Mail–Now Organize It

Mail organization can seem like a never-ending chore, especially if you let it pile up. The good news is, with a few simple tricks in place, you can have a mail organization system that works. Then you won’t need to worry about the mail piling up anymore. Take control with some or all of the following ideas!

• Set up a space for all mail to go directly after being brought in from the mailbox. This can be a desk space somewhere, a spot in your kitchen, etc. Just set up a convenient spot for you.
• A basket or other type of mail organizer should be in this spot. Like your email, you want something you can designate as an inbox. You might prefer something like this mail and file organizer from Amazon, or an organizer that you can mount to the wall. There are a lot of options available!
• Have a spot ready for magazines and catalogs that you receive via mail. A basket in the living room or near your favorite reading spot will work perfectly.

• For efficiency, keep a wastebasket near the inbox where you can toss mass mailers and flyers you don’t want to bother with. Or skip this step and stop at the recycling can on your way back inside the house with your mail! That step alone makes mail organization much simpler.

• If you don’t already have a paper shredder at home, it’s a good idea to get one and keep it near your “inbox.” That way, you can safely shred any credit card offers and other similar mail that you don’t want falling into the wrong hands. If you do this when you bring in the mail, those credit card offers won’t pile up!
• Have a file labeled in your inbox where you can put the bills you need to pay later.
• If you really want to streamline your paper mail organization, set up online bills and take those paper bills out of the equation.
• Part of your mail organization should include a file for yearly tax records, property tax records, and other important documents. Plan to hang onto those for 7 years before you consider shredding them.

A system for mail organization helps keep clutter to a minimum. Don’t put it off–start your mail organization today.