Living in the day of electronic speed for everything, it is a wonder that we still get so much paper mail. We all live in our “email inbox”, social media and websites to the point that it is easy to forget to process the paper mail in our homes.It is easy enough to stop at the mailbox or post office and pick it up, lay it on the kitchen counter or desk and slowly wait for the pile to go away on its own. The secret is that it never does!

A great way to deter the mess and a pile that takes you way too long to sort through, is to take a few action steps and organization methods to combat the mail pile. If you are indeed someone who loves everything electronic, be sure that you have opted for electronic bills and statements. They are easy to file and keep track of. You can also successfully add a new email that is only for your monthly bills and subscriptions, then your personal email box is not flooded with extra items.

For the mail that still comes into your home, create a space for the mail by the door that you use. This keeps it off the kitchen counters or thrown on the desk and it is all together when you are ready to tackle the pile. Keep a recycle bin and shredder handy in the space where you intend to process the mail. This makes it easy enough to open the envelope, toss the extra paper to be recycled and shred the items that have personal information on them. For what you intend to keep, decide if you prefer to file items or scan them to a hard drive for storage. A good recommendation if you are keeping the paper items, is to sort through them at the start of every new year to be sure you are not storing items you do not need.

This simple process keeps your life from being overrun with piles and keeps you from losing important documents. So much information comes at us all day long, being present in spaces that are clean and clutter free helps to reduce the clutter in our minds as well.