Unpopular opinion: Organizing mail doesn't need fancy bins

I was so fed up with papers everywhere, it was a mess. In my experience, just grabbing a spare box and sorting by date works fine. Your mileage may vary, but I do it every Sunday now. It took some time to get into the habit, but it's way better. Now I can actually see my desk again.

4 comments

4 Comments

xena3161mo ago

After the Sunday sort, I take it one step further with three basic folders from the dollar store. Bills go in red, coupons in blue, and anything needing a longer look gets a yellow folder. When the red folder gets thick, I know it's bill paying time. The blue one gets cleaned out when I go grocery shopping. It turns that box of papers into actual action steps without any complicated system.

the_sean1mo agoMost Upvoted

My kitchen counter used to be a paper graveyard. Tried the folder thing once. Lasted maybe three weeks. Now I just have one tray for the real stuff that matters. Everything else gets recycled on the way in from the mailbox. Viola's got the right idea.

viola2881mo ago

Seriously, three color-coded folders? (No offense to the dollar store.) Most of my mail is just junk ads and takeout menus anyway. I just open it over the trash can, shred the bad stuff, and the rest goes in a drawer until I have to deal with it. It's just paper, not a big project.

susan8551mo ago

My folder phase ended when I found last year's taxes in the urgent pile. It was a bold move for someone who can't even sort laundry right. Your method sounds like the adult version of my chaos, and I'm here for it.