Managing the Mail

On the surface, getting the mail seems to be a pretty easy chore. Yet, managing the paper load once it enters the home can be a difficult task. From coupons and credit card offers to bills and bank statements it is hard to decipher what is important and what is just plain junk.

The following organizing system for managing mail will bring order to your countertops and paper piles by using just 4 file folders. Keep these files on top of your desk or file cabinet using a standing file organizer like the one shown in the picture below.



Folder 1: Bills to Be Paid
It is too often we decide to leave bills on the desk, in plain view, to prevent them from being filed away and forgotten. This technique should be avoided. Not only should bills be kept confidential, but they also should be stored in safe place until they can be paid and filed appropriately.

Folder 2: To Do
By the time the mail has reached your home from the mailbox, it could be well after 5:00pm and most businesses or call centers would be closed at that time. This file will hold all the items that came in the mail, but can’t be acted upon immediately. Place items in chronological order by due date so time sensitive mail remains in the front.
Keeping a running ‘To Do’ file will save you time by only having to look in one place when it’s time to mark things off the ‘To Do’ list.

Folder 3: To File
This file is important as it stores all of your paid and completed mail that needs to be filed, but there isn’t time to do it yet.

Folder 4: Unopened Mail
Most members of a household run on very different schedules. Each person must understand that they are responsible for putting the mail in the ‘Unopened Mail’ file when they bring the mail into the house from the mailbox. This step will eliminate the problem of lost mail.

It is also important to keep a paper shredder and recycling bin near the filing system. Junk mail needs to immediately be thrown away and any offers with specific information must be shredded!

Happy organizing!