Tag Archives: clutter

Getting Organized - Email

Getting Organized ~ Email

I’m old enough to remember the days before email was even a word. In the mid 90’s I set up my first email account through AOL … like as in “You’ve Got Mail” (love that movie, btw). Remember the weird ringing tone as the dial up connection to the internet was made. It was fun sharing jokes and stories with family and friends. However, important things were still mailed through the Post Office … affectionately known as “snail mail”.

In today’s world, email has made snail mail practically obsolete … practically, but not totally. We all receive plenty of “junk mail” to attest to that. You can read about my tips about organizing paper clutter here.

These days, our electronic inboxes are overflowing with emails … some are from family & friends, some are business/school related, some are household related, but many, a great many, are advertisements.

I try to “organize” my email accounts monthly. I have a couple … personal and business.
Today, I’ll concentrate on my personal/household account. I’ve had the same email address for many years. That being said, I’m on many mailing lists that are no longer important to me. Here’s an example, as many of you know, I homeschooled my kids. My youngest graduated in 2011 … and I still receive emails from homeschool textbook companies 🙁 Instead of just deleting them, I unsubscribed so I won’t receive future emails from them. I also made adjustments to the frequency that I receive emails from companies that are still relevant to me but I don’t necessarily want to hear from on a daily basis. I also usually just delete all those forwarded jokes (sorry) … I just don’t have time to read them all, especially since I’ve probably seen many of them floating around on Facebook or Twitter.

I created separate folders and “filed” important emails that I may need to refer back to in the future. I have also created a new email address that I use strictly for signing up for free giveaways and following blogs, etc. I don’t have to check this daily, only when I have a little time for some leisurely reading. It is there when I need it and then my other email inbox doesn’t get clogged up so quickly 🙂

After my initial inbox clean up (which I admit, took awhile), I now delete and file stuff from my smartphone whenever I have a few minutes of downtime between clients and appointments.

Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to take a look at your inbox & get it more organized 🙂

Photo credit to SeanMacEntee

 

I confess ... Organizing Paper Clutter is Ongoing

Getting Organized ~ Controlling Paper Clutter is an Ongoing Job

I have a confession to make … it’s time to come clean … I issued a challenge to all of you in our Newsletter, but I haven’t been able to do it completely 🙁

I really wanted to get my piles of paper clutter organized and filed … but it wasn’t meant to be. Not in February anyway, but it’s OK ~ I got a little bit done, and “every little bit helps” 🙂 I was able to shred my pile of “you’re pre-approved” mail and “opt out” of receiving them. I also spent a lot of time preparing financial spreadsheets to give to our tax guy. I’ve made myself a goal to enter this data monthly from now on … no more procrastinating and waiting to the last minute.

I also spent some time going through and deleting some files on our family computer. As long as I’m confessing, I still had many, many homeschooling files … and, yes, my youngest child graduated in 2011 😉 I have to remind my perfectionist self that “every little bit helps”!

So, they say confession is good for the soul, and so is forgiveness … so I am forgiving myself, instead of mentally beating myself up. This paper clutter is an ongoing challenge that I will continue chipping away at … I hope you’ll join me.

Filing Cabinet Tips

Getting Organized ~ Tips For Keeping Your Filing Cabinet Organized

I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda glad the Holidays are over. Don’t get me wrong … I LOVE the Holiday season, but I’m the kind of person who does better having a routine. Part of me likes being in “vacation mode” ~ but the other part of me longs to get back to my routine / schedule 🙂

January is the perfect time to take a good look at your files. In the first couple of weeks of January, I like to purge and get my files organized. It’s a new year, and the perfect time to update your file cabinet.

I usually sort through and file my paperwork once a month, but I skipped November and December. You know how it is … decorating, baking, shopping, wrapping, going to all those holiday parties … so I spent a few hours last week trying to get caught up 🙂

First I updated my household management file box. I purged all of 2012 papers, then moved all of my 2013 files into the last year folder to make way for this year. For a more thorough explanation of my filing system, you can check out my previous blog post here. I then had quite a large stack of 2012 documents to shred.

Then I had to take my own advice, and get my paper clutter back under control. In just those couple of months, my paperwork and junk mail really piled up.

Now I have a fairly full recycle bin (lots of holiday sale papers). Unfortunately, I was only able get partially through my shred pile because my shredder died … so I’m on the lookout for a great sale price on a new one.

Are you making progress on getting your paper clutter under control ? Share your tips and techniques with us 🙂

photo by: mrmanc

Getting Organized – Paper Clutter

Paper ~ it’s everywhere … newspapers, junk mail, catalogs, magazines, sales papers, bills … and all too soon, school papers ! Piles and Piles of paper ! They’re everywhere – the desk, the coffee table, the kitchen counter.

As with most organizing jobs, I like to try to break it down into smaller tasks. It is a plan that serves me well in many situations. Depending on how long you have been accumulating your piles, you might want to attack one stack at a time. In dealing with paper clutter, you’ll find that the recycle bin and the shredder are your friends. Continue reading →

photo by: cogdogblog