Set Up a System
Managing
today’s mail is even more complicated than in the past when everything came by
snail mail. Whether you remain totally paper-based or manage most of your bill
payments and personal business online, you need a system to manage the flow of
paper in your home and in your life.
Make a Commitment
Follow this
step-by-step plan to help you to take control. This time, with a system in
place, you can make it happen. Remember to adapt it to your personal situation.
Step 1. Create a home
§
Control
the chaos by setting up a “home” for everything and a process that works for
you to direct incoming paper where it belongs.
§
Be
sure to designate a clear organized space to write checks and correspondence
and use the computer and the phone with everything you need at your finger tips
- including an online filing system such as the Papervana Binder System for storing, if you have one.
Step 2. Gather the tools
§
Have
the tools you need ready in the designated “home” location - letter opener,
pencil/pen, pad, stamps, calculator, return address stamps or labels, a holder
for outgoing mail and a small, portable file holder with 4 folders
labeled:
ü
Bills
ü
File/Scan ü To Do
ü Receipts
Step 3. Collect your mail and papers daily
§
Retrieve
mail from your mailbox every day, if possible. Don’t neglect your snail mailbox.
Especially if you receive most items electronically you don’t want to miss an
important item needed for filing income tax or other date sensitive
notifications.
§
Empty
your wallet, purse, backpack, laptop case, pockets, glove box of your car,
children’s backpacks etc. of all receipts on a daily basis
§
Bring
mail, receipts, school flyers, etc. into your home or office to the same
designated location everyday. Be creative. Set up a place that makes sense for
your living space
§
Recycle used envelopes, unwanted flyers, solicitations,
junk mail and all unwanted print materials.
§
Shred – items containing your personal information to avoid identity theft.
§
Read – store notes, letters, magazines, catalogs, newspapers,
etc. in
the same designated place for reading time later.
§
Take Action – sort
any papers requiring action into one of your four folders in your portable, small file holder.
Take
all items to be recycled to the recycle bin right away and do your shredding immediately
- now you are gaining control!
Place
all the “Read” items in a designated location when they arrive.
Set
a deadline, such as recycle day in the first week of the month, to help motivate you to enjoy
your “Read” file and prevent a pile up.
To
pare down your pile of magazines and newspapers, cut out the articles you want
to read, scan any articles you want to keep and recycle the rest!
Step 5. File items for later action
Place items
requiring action directly into one of 4 folders in your portable, small file
holder:
§
Bills and Payments to be made and Statements
to be reconciled
– then filed.
§
File and/or Scan – medical statements, paid bills,
reconciled statements, policies or anything else you may need to reference later.
§
To Do – make a call, discuss a decision,
send an email, collect items, etc.
§
Receipts – save for proof of purchase,
warranties, tax related items, etc.
Step 6. Take care of business
§
Make
sure to set an uninterrupted scheduled time to take care or your financial
affairs . – once a week, twice a month, you decide.
§
On
your scheduled date and time bring your portable outgoing mail holder along
with your portable small file holder to the location where you will pay your
bills, send emails, make phone calls, read, etc.
If you are paying bills by mail:
§
Open
the bill
§
Recycle
the outer envelope and unwanted inserts
§
File
the bill in the small file holder in the Bill folder
§
Use proper postage and return address
information to ensure receipt. Write a “to be mailed by” date on a visible
corner and file in date order in the outgoing mail holder with the date showing
§
Incorporate
occasion cards and other date sensitive items into the outgoing mail holder
with the mailing date visible and filed in order
If you are paying your paper bills
online:
§
Open
the bill
§
Recycle
the outer envelope and unwanted inserts
§
File
in the small file holder in the Bill folder
§
Set
up e-bill, if desired
§
Scan
into an electronic file, if desired
§ Have
passwords handy
Tip There are several highly encrypted password vaults that
you can use on your desktop to manage passwords so you only have to remember
one password to access them all. They can even capture your User IDs and
passwords as you create them and fill them in for you as you log in to a site. Search
online for password managers, password keepers to compare software, if this
appeals to you.
Handling all the To Dos
§
Set
aside a time each week to handle all your To Dos, mark it on you calendar, or set an alarm
§
Make
a list and assign a priority order to the list, check it daily
§
Remember
to do one thing at a time
§
Delegate
whenever possible
§
Be
honest with yourself and only take on what you can handle while keeping your
stress level as low as possible
§
When
something is driving you crazy – create a new system that will last, it’s all
about consistency
Build a
habit, challenge yourself! Commit to
controlling your mail for the next 30 days then celebrate and reward yourself!
While clutter
and a lack of organizational skills can be a nuisance, hoarding can be a
serious illness which expert Marilyn
Ellis discusses in the most recent issue of the CSA Journal.
Blog posting provided by Judy Rough,
CSA
Owner of Carefree Transitions, LLC
- a Senior Move Management company and Owner of Papervana, LLC –
a record and document organizing and management company
Judy works with seniors and their
families on the emotional, as well as the physical aspects of moving and
professional organizing. She can be reached at judy@carefree-transitions.com or 480-200-3415
