Using Time Wisely

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Sorting the Mail

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Does mail pile up at your house? Have you found a way to keep on top of the paperwork? I have heard organizers suggest keeping two containers by the front door. When you get the mail, all junk mail goes in one container.  Then items to read/pay/act upon get placed in the second container. The idea is that the junk mail gets taken out with the trash. Then the active pile gets read once a week.

The above system may work for some people, but I choose to deal with mail each day. I have found the following list works for me:

1.       Hubby brings in the mail and puts it on the kitchen counter when he gets home from work.

2.       As I am making dinner, I open the envelopes and sort through the mail.

  • Junk – goes in the trash
  • Bills, movies, statements, etc. – placed in one pile on top of my bread maker

3.       When the family retires upstairs for the evening, I bring the pile from the top of the bread maker and take it to my desk.

4.       After putting my children to bed, I file the paperwork in the appropriate place.

  • Movies – go on my husband’s desk
  • Bills – date added on calendar and statement placed in “bills to be paid” section of file
  • Receipts, rebates, etc. – added to original paperwork and filed in filing cabinet
  • Coupons – placed in binder or folder

I handle the mail in small sections of time. In doing so, my mail pile stays small, manageable, and organized. What tips have you found to be helpful in keeping the mail pile manageable?

Rising above Household Disorder

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If you are like me, then you have those days when everything in your life feels unorganized and chaotic. As a wife and mother of three small children, I have days like this at least once a month. You might not have these feelings or you may feel overwhelmed more often, but I do understand the feeling of crawling out from under the mess and getting back on track.

To keep my home running smoothly, I must have a system that works for me. What works for me may or may not work for you. My organizational system has changed many times over the years. I can no longer take three to four days to clean my house top to bottom. However, I can break the cleaning schedule into bite-size pieces to make the task manageable.

So please join me on Mondays as I share with you how I work to keep my home organized. Next Monday I hope to reveal how we efficiently pickup a room of toys.