The best defense is a good offense when it comes to handling papers. The key to getting a handle on paper is to deal with it starting at the front (or side) door.
Daily when you get your mail, start by sorting it before you get too far into the house:
- Pull all the advertisements or junk mail and toss in a trash can you have conveniently located near the door or recycle.
- Open and sort the rest of the mail at the mail station you created. Sort into: “To Do”, “To Pay”, “To Read” or “To File”. These folders will live in the file system (more on that later) that you have created in the section in the front labeled “Action Files”. Don’t forget to trash or shred the rest including fillers that come with bills and the empty envelopes.
- Place magazines in a basket or verticle holder and catalogs in their own place.
- If you don’t have time to sort the mail immediately, place it in a designated area (maybe a basket) and set a time to sort later.
- Then set time aside on a weekly basis to handle your folders and schedule a regular time to pay bills such as the 1st and 15th of each month or whatever works for your cash flow. [click to continue…]
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