3.  Get yourself a shredder.  I found this one at Costco (look for one that will shred 5 or more pieces of paper at at time).

4.  Get yourself a small cork board.  This is a MUST space for informational items such as invitations, important dates to remember, community events, etc. 

5.  Some sort of visible holding system where you can put mail in 3 different categories: (1) OPEN (2) PAY (3) FILE.

 Here is a  closer look:

6.  Create a place for those miscellaneous items.  I use a top to a box from Ikea.  This space is STRICTLY for things I plan to pay attention to in the immediate future.  These items USED to go on my cork board, but I am disciplined enough now to put them out of sight (as I know I will not forget about them).  So, what’s in this miscellaneous space you ask?  Well, this week, an old envelope with notes on it regarding an product I want to buy, a nice letter from my son’s childcare that I will show Scott later when he gets home, a rolled up piece of paper with a recipe on it (that I will blog about later), a piece of business I will discuss with Scott when he gets home, and some pictures from my friend’s wedding (that I plan to frame and make into a gift).  All things I don’t want cluttering up space, so I put them in their own box or a “to take care of box.”  They will not be forgotten. 

And here it is all tucked away in my desk

Okay, we’ve covered some essential items to organize your mail.  Let’s get started organizing shall we. 
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Organizing your mail:

First, get a large empty box and put ALLLLLL the mail from all over your house in the box.  And I mean everything, grocery store ads, coupons, magazines, papers, etc.  Everything.  

Second, clear out your schedule, I would do an entire day (a Saturday or Sunday).  Get yourself some snacks as rewards.  Locate your favorite music to play as you go through this box of mail (and NO TV – too distracting).

Finally, with adequate time, a quiet house perhaps, snacks and music at the ready, it’s time to go through the box.  
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Here we go…

#1. Pick up 1 item at a time from the box.  Look at it and determine if fits into one of these five categories:

*Recycle
*Shred
*Pay
*File
*Coupons/informational items

#2.  Make 5 separate piles on the ground.  Go ahead, spread yourself out.  Label the 5 piles so you don’t forget.  Just use a sticky note or something for the label.  

#1.  Now take away the recycling and put it in the recycling bin

#2.  IMMEDIATELY shred everything you have in the shred pile

#3.  Place your “bills to pay” in the appropriate holding area

#4.  File what you can.  If you don’t have a file for that subject, write it down so you can make a file later.  Or store in the appropriate file holding area

#5.  Place all the coupons in your coupon box

#6.  Place all informational items on the cork board

#7.  Place everything else into your miscellaneous box (just DON’T forget about…promise!)

#8.  Tired of all those magazine catalogs?  Best way to stop them from coming is to call the phone number in the catalog and tell them you want to be removed from their mailing list.  I do this often.  Easy way to decrease waste too! 
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Final Thoughts:

*Taking control of your mail is easy, you just have to stay on top of it.  

*Once you clean up all the mail and clutter that’s been sitting around your house for months…perhaps years, you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.  You will feel light, happy, in control, calm, and centered.  

*You have to want this.  If you’re not ready to make the change and keep at it, then wait until you are.  Some people like having their piles of mail around, there is a method to their clutter, and that’s totally fine.

*This post is meant for those who are ready to make that change, ready to organize their space (mail in this case) but having trouble taking that first step.  This is truly the hardest part – that step from thinking about doing it to actually doing it.  It can even feel scary for some people.  This is all normal.  But you CAN do it.  Behavior can change.  And this small change might provide a great sense of accomplishment and control in your life.    
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1.  Make a list of things you want to organize.  Keep it realistic.

2.  Carve out some time to complete the object.  Running out of time is your biggest enemy.  Once you start, it’s important to follow through until your finished.

3.  Start small.  If you’re not used to organizing things, start with a small project, such as under the kitchen sink, or the bedside drawer.  Start small and get yourself accustomed to the behavior of going through things, looking at things, and (perhaps most important)  letting things go.

4. Tell someone about your project/intentions.  This is a great technique in preventing procrastination.  When you verbally express your intentions to do something to someone else, there is not only personal accountability but someone else will have knowledge of your intentions and hold you accountable.

5.  Include others.  I prefer to organize alone, but for the starter, you might want to include your partner or children.  I always include my kiddos when we clean and organize their art bin or play room.  Together we decide what we are keeping in their art journal, what are we hanging up on the wall, what can we give as gifts (grandparents just love getting those sweet pictures), what we can donate or sell, and what goes into recycling.

Goals of Organizing:

1.  Purge.  You want to get rid of stuff.

2.  Recycle or sell what you don’t need/want.  

3.  Cleaning.  Diving into a space you don’t pay much attention to allows for the opportunity to clean it. 

4.  Make room for more important items.  If you clean out a drawer, you might very well make room for something more important in that space.  For example, your bedside table can store books you’re reading opposed to old papers, magazines, mail or old socks.  

5.  Take inventory of what you have.  This is a great point to remember when organizing your closet.  Above all, the goal should be to KNOW what you have.  It’s like going shopping. “Oh, there’s that super cute little summer dress I haven’t seen in five years.”