Dealing with the Mail

Yesterday's client was frustrated about the ever-returning pile of mail on the kitchen table.

"It starts," she told me, "and it just gets worse."

1. Separate- We separated out what was hers, her husband's, recycle, and shred.

2. Recycle/Shred

3. Separate further- We separated her file pile from her to-do pile, and the same for her husband's pile. A common pending pile emerged.

4. Do what's easy- The pending pile found a home with an already existing pending pile nearby.

5. Search elsewhere/condense- Upon going through all the papers on her desk in the other room, all fit into one of the piles.

6. Separate again- within the file pile, there were those papers with preexisting files, and those which needed new files made for them.

7. Check for strays- in pausing to think, one often inadvertently creates a new pile or places things in unrelated places. Look again with fresh eyes to see if there is anything else that sneaked by the sorting process, or that suddenly shouts that it does not belong.

How many piles are left?

My client had four: Husband, Preexisting files, Create-a-file, To-do.
Why was there mail on the kitchen table?

Two reasons: it's the first place to put things upon entering the house, and there is no real filing cabinet/system large enough for all files. Both of these reasons can be dealt with. Although the mail did not magically go away, much of the pile did, making the chores of filing and doing much less daunting.

As far as the furniture/lack of comprehensive system is concerned, to be continued....!