Reduce Clutter - Surefire Ways to Handle Junk Mail in Minutes

Reduce Clutter - Surefire Ways to Handle Junk Mail in Minutes
by Zach Bradley

We are inundated everyday with displays of reading matter - menus, signs, maps, magazines, programs, junk mail, brochures, books, newsletters. We don't have to buy it or ask for it - it comes to us generously, spontaneously, and regularly, the majority of it for free. About 80 percent of it is and will become clutter fast, and will eventually smother the life out of us if we don't exercise some kind of control over it. Needless to say, it's high time we reduce clutter now!

Let me help you sort. You don't have to do it like I do - you can adjust the steps and the process to tailor-fit or suit yourself. Here are some proven guidelines to reduce clutter that will surely help expedite the task:

1. First, I never get rid of anything before I look at it. It is only American to sell, advertise, and offer, and you should give some attention - however short-lived - to what is said or sent to you. I once tore and disposed of an envelope that I thought to be an insurance ad, only to find out eventually that it was a $1,500 check I'd been waiting for. Some so-called "junk" mail is legitimate, so give it a look.

2. Magazines. Magazines are fun to read and the ads and stories keep you updated of what's new, but keep a couple of things in mind.

In most magazines, nothing is printed that is too controversial or profound or they would lose their advertisers. The majority of magazine material, while fun to read, is not extremely edifying to the mind.

Up to 75 percent of a magazine is advertisements and they are updated each month, so it's pointless for you to keep them. You can go through a trade newsletter or journal in minutes, scanning the headlines. If there happens to be an article that you want to save or read, tear it out and file it, and throw the rest away - it's just pure junk. Remember, 75 percent is out-of-date ads, most of the rest is out-of-style or obsolete ideas.

3. Bills. The most dreaded. In almost every home I cleaned in my years as a professional cleaner, there was a little pile or den of opened and unpaid bills. Always open every bill right away, never pile or pitch one because you haven't the money to pay. Many of us have suffered for this. If you can't take care of all your bills, at least be aware of to whom, how much, and when. Immediate adjustment to the shock is less detrimental than long-unknowing suspenseful agony. Don't stock bill stuffers; they are usually irrelevant and bulky - all that you'll ever need are the invoices or statement, and if you insist, the envelope. The same goes for contest mailers, deals and offers, and make-money-at-home junk.

4. Calendars. You only need a couple in the house, yet after Christmas we have one for every month. Get a big calendar instead - it is a wonderful way to eliminate unnecessary phone calls, junk mail, and junk. Get one that has big enough squares where you can write notes inside. Hang it near the heaviest flow of communication (the phone perhaps). From now on, as soon as invitations and announcements arrive in the mail, instead of hanging onto them, simply transfer the data onto the appropriate square of your big calendar.

With these effective tips on how to reduce clutter, you can tame the paper tiger before it can clutter your home - and your mind trying to keep track of it!

Zach Bradley is a professional organizer, cleaner and coach for 35 years. Find out more about secrets and expert tips about how to declutter and simplify life, reduce clutter and everything you need to know about how to how to get your home in order in the easiest possible way with his popular free ecourse, available at => http://www.reduceclutter.co/

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