Does your mail cause you stress? You’re not alone. For most people, the pile of mail that keeps piling up is a significant source frustration. In today’s post I’m going to provide you with five suggestions on how to deal with your ever-growing pile.
1. Recycle the majority – Out of the mail you receive, I’m going to guess that ½ to 2/3 of it is junk. If you live in a building with a recycling bin next to the mailboxes, dump the junk before you even head into your apartment. Otherwise, stand next to the recycling bin and do it right when you get in.
2. Categorize the backlog – Grab that teetering pile and prepare to spend the time to reach mailbox zero. Use either the floor or the dining room table to make piles – recycling, shred, to deal with, cards, etc. You can’t deal until you know what you have.
3. Bundle activities – If 5 of your 10 mail to do items are financially related, plan to do them at once – you’re going to be using the same part of your brain so it makes sense to make the best use of your time.
4. Go Paperless – Most bills that you pay have an option to be paperless – i.e. you can pay them online and you will receive paperwork in your inbox but not in your mailbox. Taking it one step further, if it’s a bill you pay every month for the same amount, why not set it to autopay? (Keep in mind that if you autopay bills, enough money needs to be in the account to cover the bill)
5. Day to deal – Choose a day each month or every two weeks (based on what you’ll actually do) by which time you’ll have dealt with your mail backlog. Once you get to mailbox zero and you’ve done things like switching to online bill pay, this will become a much more manageable task.
Bonus (for the super intense, like me J): A few years ago, I started responding to every credit card offer by writing TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST in big bold sharpie letters on the return offering. And guess what? It worked. I started receiving much less junk mail. It’s intense but it works.
Dealing with mail causes most people stress. The key is to get on top of it, stay on top of it and take steps to lessen the amount you receive.
Dealing with mail causes most people stress. The key is to get on top of it, stay on top of it and take steps to lessen the amount you receive.
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