Eliminate Paper Clutter from Mail
Reducing Clutter
Here is a very easy method to use when sorting through your daily mail. This method comes from the book Organizing for Dummies by Eileen Roth and Elizabeth Miles. They call it R-A-P-I-D which stands for read, attend, pay, important and dump. Here is how you do it:
Read: Anything that you need to read goes in this stack. These are usually magazines, newsletters and catalogs you are actually interested in.
Attend: Notices and invitations for seminars, workshops, meetings, performances, parties and so on go in to attend stack.
Reduce Paperwork
Organizing Your Life
Remember when we were going to have a paper-less society? Well, there is still a great deal of paper floating around and we still have to deal with it. I came across one organizing system called “Taming the Paper Tiger.” I think that what it was called. So here are some ways put your paper tiger on a diet and tame him too.
Reduce the amount of paper flowing into your home
- Stop junk mail from coming by writing to this address:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735-900
5 Organizing Myths
Organizing Your Life
1. Buying the supplies will get you organized - Don’t assume if buy organizing supplies such as containers, file folders, binders etc. you will be instantly more organized. To quote an old saying “You are putting the cart before the horse.” First rule of organizing is to go through the area you want to organize and get rid of the things you don’t need or want anymore. Once you do this you will know what organizing supplies you will need to purchase.
Categories: Organization Tags: clutter control, filing systems, getting rid of clutter, organizing tips, organizing your life
Favorite Organizing Tools
Like any other job it easier to do if you have the right tools. Here are some favorites of mine and others I have come across in my travels:
Stackable bins – You can use these for toys, clothes, art-work, papers, school memos, shoes etc. You can buy them in different colors and color code them. A lot families use a certain color for each member of the family. They are cheap and plus you can stack them high and make use of vertical space.
Categories: Organization Tags: clutter control, Organization, organizing, organizing clutter, organizing tips, organizing your life
Clutter Control – Organizing Pandora’s Box
Sometimes we avoid organizing a space because it contains a Pandora’s box. Pandora’s box is a mythical story about a box, which contained all of man’s miseries. An organizational Pandora’s box can contain photographs of deceased loved ones, photographs of ex-spouses or simply any reminders of a painful emotional time. Even happy memories can evoke strong feelings, which can be difficult to recover from quickly. Often we may not consciously acknowledge the drawer or closet is a Pandora’s box, we just know the contents give us an uncomfortable feeling.     Â
There are a few ways you can shield yourself from the magic in the box. My first suggestion would be to limit exposure. Set a timer for 15 minutes and force yourself to leave the area when it rings. It may take a long time to clean out the space but it will get done. Also each time you work on the area you may be less emotional because you know what to expect and are a little more comfortable with the emotions. Psychologists call this phenomenon systematic desensitization and the process is used to help people deal with phobias.
Another possibility is to have a sympathetic friend sit with you while you go through items. A friend can provide emotional support and be a sort of coach who will help you keep going through the rough parts. Plus, the work always goes faster when you have an extra set of hands. Â
If you must the get the space clear within a specific time period and cannot find a friend to help you, here are two choices. You can hire a professional organizer to assist you with the task or you can simply box the items up, label it and pack it away for a time in the future when you will be better able to deal with the contents.
See our post How To File Paperwork Faster
clutter control,getting rid of clutter,organizing tips, pandoras box
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