It’s Friday and your very tall mountain of mail on the kitchen table has avalanched to the floor- Sigh.  You would go through it, but the kids just got home with more papers from their week at school. Never fear, oh fellow crazy busy woman, there are two solutions available.  I think you will need some ice water for this one and relaxing music (you will need to concentrate).

You will need:

• 1 bin for shredding
• 1 bin for recycling
• (Plus a mail organizing system we will talk about after the sorting)

Where do we start? At the top of course! Here is a flyer new tires?  Do you need new tires?  No? Recycle. Old credit card bills that you paid 2 months ago? Shred.

FYI monthly bills you only need to keep for a month when you get the new one shred the old. The piles that you create with the items that you have kept should consist of …

• Bills to be paid
• Correspondence needed
• Periodicals you want to read
• Monthly or quarterly insurance information, health, life, stocks, investments. (Replace the old with the new)

Once you have plowed through your heaping hill of bills and papers. You should only be left withthe 4 bunny hills listed above.

Now what? First make yourself a cup of coffee. Lets start with your bills.

• Do you have trouble paying your bills on time because you forgot about them or they were misplaced?
• How do you pay them, all at once, twice or 3 times a month?

Open each bill and stack according to when they need to be paid for example the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4thweek of the month.

Select the proper tool you are going to use to keep these bills in, and keep in the designated bill paying area. Desk or office etc. a desktop file holder works very well. Assign a different color or pattern to each week.  Keep it interesting and inviting by using colorful and fun patterned file folders. Place the bills in the folder that is a week before it is due. So each week when you sit down to pay those bills they are all together. You can write checks and send them off or pay online. When your receive the new bill in the mail or email simply shred the old one and replace. There are such things called a tickler file, it has a slot for everyday of the month.  That works well for those of you who need even more visual reminders. Some tickler files are just expandable file folders, others are made out of wood for desktop use. Choose which one that will work best for you.

It is also good to have a slot, file or section in a desktop file holder for correspondence or immediate action, such as signed permission slips, Dr forms etc.

Periodicals, catalogues magazines newspapers, industry newsletters can overtake any table, counter, or floor. Keep a basket or shelf where these are stored until you can look at them. If you have had it for longer than a month, toss.  Remember almost everything in your magazines and catalogues can be found on line.

Special articles, pictures and recipes can be torn out and kept in a pocket folder or a 3-ring notebook with clear inserts then divided into groups:

• Recipes
• Garden
• Clothes
• Vacation spots
• Decorating ideas

These folders can be kept neatly together in a clean lined vertical magazine holder. Which come in all different colors and materials. Choose one that invites you and fits your style.

You’ve done it! Some of these steps might not pertain to you, but the general idea creates the everyday paper managing system you can keep up with. Decide if you are going to take care of it everyday or every other day, even once e a week, whatever the case with these steps streamlined it will take half the time.

Do I hear you saying “Julie, what about the things I have to file and how do I do it? I don’t even know what’s lurking in my file drawers! How long do I keep stuff?” That my friend is for another time. We only have one afternoon. One step at at time.

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