I
do not have a good system for my mail. I work, have three children,
and am a Relief Society president, so time is at a premium for me.
Do
you have any suggestions for organizing mail?
Answer:
Mail
is one of those things that sounds like it should take no time at
all. And if you deal with it every day, it doesn’t take more
than a few minutes.
But
if you let a mountain of mail pile up on your dining room table,
you’ll spend an hour sorting through it all. And you’ll
end up with lost documents, late bills, and missed invitations.
The
trick with mail is consistency. When you look for something, you want
to be able to say, “I’m looking for a bill. I always put
bills in the red basket in the office. Here is the red basket in the
office, and here is my bill!”
In
other words, you need to designate a place for the different kinds of
mail you receive: bills, magazines, forms, etc. Each kind of mail
should be put near the place you will eventually use it.
So
here is what I suggest.
First,
bring in the mail. That’s easy enough: go to the mailbox,
remove the mail, and bring it into the house.
Second,
when you enter the house, walk directly to the trash and recycling
cans. Put the mail on the counter by the cans.
Third,
look at each item. Open all envelopes. You’d hate to toss a
rebate check or school enrollment form because it looked like a
credit card solicitation.
Junk
should be thrown into the recycling can immediately. This includes
solicitations for credit cards, mortgage refinancing, magazines, lawn
services, etc. which should be shredded or torn into little pieces.
It
also includes catalogs and magazines you do not want to look at,
coupons you will never use, and forms for events you will not
actually sign up for. Sorting the mail is no time to get
aspirational.
Things
you don’t need to keep can also go right into the recycle can
after you read them, such as thank-you notes, or baby announcements
that you were delighted to see but which you don’t want to
keep.
Fourth,
get out your calendar and add any events and deadlines, such as
parties, sign-up deadlines, school activities, and the like. Make
sure you include important phone numbers, times, and addresses. If
you use your phone’s calendar, set alerts to remind you of each
event.
RSVPs
should be made immediately. Keep any necessary paperwork for your
events or deadlines, but toss any papers you don’t need.
Fifth,
put the bills in your bill place: a basket or bin or cubby that is
not in danger of being knocked over, lost, or spilled on. Bill-pay
day will go much more smoothly if you don’t have to hunt
through your house for your bills.
If
you get paper bank statements, put them with your bills. But if you
have financial documents that don’t need to be saved and which
require no action, look at them while you are sorting the mail, then
tear them up and discard them.
Sixth,
put the things you need to deal with in your deal-with-it place: a
basket or bin that is large enough for a large piece of paper to lie
flat, and which is at least four inches deep.
Things
you need to deal with include forms to fill out, calls to make, and
papers to file. If you put a deadline on your calendar that requires
paperwork, put that paperwork in your deal-with-it pile. Then, when
the deadline comes up, you will know where to look for the paperwork.
Seventh,
put coupons in your coupon place. The goal with coupons is to have
them when you need them. So put them in an easily-accessible envelope
or place so you can grab them as you head out the door.
Eighth,
put magazines, newspapers, journals, and other reading materials
where they will be read. Your husband’s Car and Driver
might go on his bedside table while your Runner’s World
might live on the kitchen shelf.
When
you read a magazine, if there is a page, recipe, article, or picture
you want to keep, tear it out and put it away (in your recipe binder,
for example). Or take a picture of it. Then, when you have finished
the magazine, put it right into the recycle bin or your library
donation pile. Make a rule for yourself that any magazine over two
months old must be discarded. Do not drown in magazines!
Finally,
you might have some other categories of mail that need to be
carefully managed, such as business documents or confidential
correspondence. You should have special places designated for these
kinds of mail.
Wait!
There is one more kind of mail. You might get a letter! If this
happens, read it with great joy. Letters are a rare and precious
thing.
Do
you have a quandary, conundrum, or sticky situation in your life?
Click this button to drop Cyndie a line, and she’ll be happy to
answer your question in a future column. Any topic is welcome!
Cynthia Munk Swindlehurst spent her childhood in New Hampshire and her
adolescence in San Diego. She served a mission in Manaus Brazil. She
graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and from
Duke University with a law degree.
She practiced law until her first child was born. She enjoys reading, tap
dancing, and discussing current events. She and her husband live in
Greensboro, North Carolina with their two sons.
Cyndie serves as the Sunbeams teacher in her ward.