Organizing Paper Clutter - What To Do With Mail Order Catalogues

By: Karen Fritscher-Porter
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:41:45
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There is no shortage of paper clutter in your home. For one, those mail order catalogues are still coming to your postal mailbox. And the truth is that you do like to receive and browse them. Is that a problem though, especially if you're trying to organize paper clutter at home? Only if you let it become one.

PROBLEM: Saving paper catalogues you MIGHT order from stacks up, literally. This causes more piles of paper clutter in your home. How many times has a company mailed you a catalogue with the "this could be your last catalog" warning stamped on its front. Yea, right...in all reality (and speaking as a welcome and experienced recipient of mail order catalogues), there is no chance it's your last catalogue. Ever! Even when you're dead and buried, that catalogue will be going to "or the current resident". But right now it's you who has to deal with this wanted, yet unwanted, paper clutter.

SOLUTION: Shortly after you receive a mail order catalogue, tear out the pages from the catalogue of just the items that you're interested in ordering. Complete the order form (preferably in pencil because you may change your mind later about some items). Then stash those pages and the order form with your bills due. Trash the remainder of the paper catalogue. Once the impulse passes, you may not want to order all or some of the items (which is why you completed the order form in pencil). And if you still do, the only information you need is there in your "bills due" file to handle on payday (or whatever day you designate).

Also, keep all of your incoming catalogues together. For instance, store them in a decorative tabletop basket. BUT set a specific time for browsing these catalogues. Perhaps determine that during the first week of every month you'll spend a leisurely hour or two flipping through the catalogue pages. At that time, either follow the solution above where you draft the order form and keep pages only OR trash every catalogue (even if you have not looked at its contents).

If your bulging postal mail box is any indication, it won't be long before your catalogue in-basket is full again for the following month. That's why it's important you create ongoing routines such as this one to handle paper catalogues. Because whether you invite paper into your home or it just shows up without an invitation, you must handle incoming paper ongoing. Otherwise you'll be buried by stacks of paper clutter in no time at all.

Karen Fritscher-Porter writes about home organization at http://www.EasyHomeOrganizing.com where you can read hundreds of free tips to organize your home, shop for home organizing products and subscribe to a free home organization newsletter. Read more about organizing paper clutter here.

Article source: Expert Articles

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