I know it seems like a lot, but try it. Open the mail. Every. Single. Day.
Each day, collect the mail and go through it all while standing over a recycle bin. Don’t forget, there’s a good chance that 80% or more of your mail is somebody trying to sell you something. Remember the arrogance here and toss freely. If it’s a marketing brochure or an invitation to an event, be brutal about whether it’s worth your time. Toss it. And recycle those catalogs too – another one is coming. 🙂
If you see an envelope that you know is a bill, open it anyway. Don’t leave the envelope closed because you’re just leaving more work for yourself later. Open the envelope and throw out all the damn leaflets in there of somebody trying to sell you a pen or upgrade you or get you a loan. For this bill, or any mail that requires an action, like a an RSVP or a phone call, I follow the advice of one of the productivity heroes to which I aspire: David Allen (Getting Things Done). David suggests that if you can do it in two minutes or less, do it now. If the action will take longer than that—perhaps it requires research, a talk with someone else or some additional effort – schedule it or move it to an action folder.
Now I realize it’s possible you have piles of old mail. Don’t worry about that now. Stick simply to opening the new mail each day. Stay with it. If you miss a day, no worries. See, the thing is, the more you do this, the more you create a simple habit. Each day, open and toss. Creating this new habit may motivate you to grab a few inches of the old mail. If that happens, glory be! Whoop! Do it with my sincere congratulations.
BONUS TIP: Get a shredder or use the one you have. Identity theft is real. Keep the shredder by your recycle bin as part of this process. Shred anything that has a full or partial account number on it. You don’t have to shred things that have only your address, by the way. Anyone can get your address so it’s not a risk. Shred freely.
If you want more inspiration, spend 50 minutes with me at one of these online workshops!