| Paper. It should be a benign part of our lives. It means | | | | Evaluate whether you want to continue to receive |
| no harm, really. But somehow, when it piles up and has | | | | magazines and newspapers that you are not regularly |
| a paper party with its friends, it becomes dreaded | | | | reading. Cancel subscriptions, rotate them, or share |
| clutter! What to do? | | | | with a friend or neighbor. Get in the habit of cutting out |
| Grab a RAFT and sail to an organized shore! (Okay, | | | | only those articles you know you will refer to again, |
| technically, it should be RAFTS, plural, but that just didn't | | | | and recycling the magazine itself. Set up those articles |
| work well in a sentence, so allow me some leeway.) | | | | by subject matter in your home filing system. Start by |
| Sort your mail daily - use the RAFTS method: | | | | throwing out the piles of unread junk mail and catalogs. |
| - Recycle - Junk mail that is not confidential. | | | | If you have a home office, use it! If not, set up a Home |
| - Act - Bills to pay, invitations to RSVP to, forms to fill | | | | Information Center. |
| out, etc. | | | | - Home offices do not need to be a room, but can be |
| - File - Vital documents that must be kept long term | | | | a "hub" somewhere in the home. A likely spot may be |
| (only 20% of paper needs to be filed!). | | | | in the kitchen, as many people do paperwork and pay |
| - Toss - If you unfortunately do not have paper | | | | bills in the "public" areas of their home. If you do realize |
| recycling in your area. | | | | you need a larger space, re-evaluate the space you |
| - Shred - Anything with financial or confidential | | | | have in the home to determine where the home office |
| information on it. | | | | should be established. For example, if your child is |
| Designate a spot for your mail. If there is no "mailbox" | | | | away at college, repurpose the room as a home |
| in the house, you will "deliver" it to a different spot each | | | | office. Invent the room that best suits the space and |
| time, or in a location that may not be best suited to | | | | the activities that will take place in your "office." |
| paper flow (for example, the dining room table!). | | | | When you have a high functioning paper management |
| Keep the recycling bin, garbage, shredder, and calendar | | | | system, you will be motivated to actually get the work |
| planner nearby to immediately be able to take action. | | | | done and keep it organized. If you have good systems |
| Whatever is brought in the house should be pre-sorted | | | | in place, you will be able to find what you need more |
| by recipient, category or any system that makes | | | | easily and be able to do the mundane tasks, such as |
| sense for your household. For a large household, | | | | bill paying with less stress! Now, go find your RAFT |
| consider separate mail slots per person. | | | | and climb in. Happy sailing... |