To make my work life manageable, I have my e-mail program automatically tag and filter and label and categorize and prioritize all incoming e-mail.
This helps me deal with the all time greatest “killer” app without getting bogged down with spam from vendors or forwards from friends and family. I handle the hot stuff first, and then, if I have time, I get to the rest.
But when it comes to snail mail, that’s a whole ‘nother story.
This morning, I went into the kitchen and found a pile of mail on the counter that my wife and I had been ignoring for the last couple of days. And that was just the start. In the dining room, the table was nearly half covered in partially open as well as un-opened mail, magazines, flyers, and circulars.
Holy crap!
It hit me. I need to tag and filter and label this stuff too. Better yet, why doesn’t the Post Office do that for me automatically? (Hmm. Business idea #102.)
Well, we all know that ain’t gonna happen, so here’s the alternative.
Instructions to self: Get four boxes or a file box with four hanging folders and label them thusly —
– Priority (ie bills, review/response required, bank statements)
– FYI Only (ie thank you cards, announcements, etc. – read and toss)
– Promotions and Coupons (ie mostly spam – dump immediately or weekly)
– Uncategorized (ie uncategorized)
There’s a final category and that’s Magazines. Those don’t go in the file box. Instead, magazines go straight into a magazine rack or into the toilet. I don’t mean literally in the toilet. I mean the “reading” section. (By the way, check this out.)
Rules for success: (1) Clear everything out regularly. Even better, touch everything only once — trash it, pay it, file it NOW! (2) Stay on it.
I’ll give you a progress report in a couple of months. (Prediction: Complete and utter failure.)