REDUCE, REDUCE, REDUCE CONTROL THE FLOW
The single most effective way to stay on top of the paperwork river is to create a drop station. This is a spot near the entrance of the home that acts as a filter for every piece of paper that enters the house. Play with a system that works for you. Try out the entry table, a desk built into the kitchen, or your office. Most people do well with a three-basket system. The first basket is the ‘In’ basket. This is where the kids put notes from teachers and permission slips that need a signature. It’s also where today’s mail might sit temporarily. The goal is for the ‘In’ basket to always be empty. The second basket is the ‘Out’ basket. This is for the letters you need to mail and the signed permission slip that needs to go back to the school. Your third basket is the ‘To Do’ basket. Don’t confuse this with a catch-all basket where you might dump everything you don’t know what else to do with. The 'To Do' basket is for those tasks that need to be taken care of. Here you’ll find bills that need to be paid, the grocery list, and the barcode you need to attach to your Amazon return. When you come into the house, sort the mail. Dedicate a few minutes to this every day or two. Immediately pull out recycling and put it into a receptacle and shred or burn documents with personal information. Open every envelope. Designate places for magazines, coupons, and other items you’ll address later, but don’t put them in your three baskets. When you run across multi-page documents you need to file, be sure to staple them together so you don’t lose any of the information. Then promptly file the papers you need to keep. If you receive a bill, take a minute to pay it online, or write a check, put it into the return envelope, and place it in the ‘Out’ box. Even if you need to wait until payday to send it, simply put a date on the front so you know when to mail it out.
The initial step in managing the amount of paper in your home is to reduce it whenever possible. If you’re comfortable with the digital realm, sign up for online billing with every company you do business with and the amount of paper in your house will shrink exponentially. Utility companies, doctor’s offices, banks, credit card companies, insurance, your mortgage—nearly every company offers a paperless option now. They are required to keep your records for tax purposes so you don’t always have to. At the store, accept an email receipt at checkout. Opt out of catalog mailings and make a list of every solicitation you no longer want to receive. Then contact a few companies each week and ask to be removed from the mailing list.
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July 2024
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