Mastering Mail

Halting Junk Mail at the Source Saves Time and Trees

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Whether you want to reduce clutter piles, pay bills on time, or spend less time looking for lost paperwork, taking an organized approach to your incoming mail can have big benefits! Together with my clients, who have made this topic my most requested organizing service for the home office, we’ve developed some great solutions.

One technique that is most often overlooked is to simply reduce incoming mail by stopping it at its source. The average American spends eight months in a lifetime sorting through unwanted junk mail, contributing to a pile of four million tons of unnecessary waste every year. (For those of you who love your catalogs and offers, consider this: 40% of all junk mail gets thrown away unopened and unread). Here are a few simple ideas that don’t cost a cent or take more than a moment:

• Call the Credit Reporting Industry Pre-Screening Opt-Out Hotline at 888-567-8688 to stop receiving credit card offers.
• Email the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service to be removed from mass mailing lists.
• Remove yourself from unwanted catalogs by simply calling the 800-number on the back.
• Receive investment prospectuses and frequent flyer mile statements via email instead of on paper; there are usually instructions on how to do this on the envelope.
• When placing an order or making a donation, notify the other party that you do not want your information to be exchanged.

In addition to saving you time and paper waste, you’re also protecting yourself from identity theft by decreasing the amount of paper floating around out there with your personal information on it. So take a few minutes—it’s worth it!

Want to use this article in your e-newsletter or website? You can use this material in whole or in part, as long as you include this complete attribution and live link: Productivity consultant and trainer Cristin Lind of Clearwater Productivity helps busy professionals enhance their work and enrich their lives. If you’re ready to get more done with less effort, visit www.clearwaterproductivity.com.