I’ve been out of my office for the last two weeks. Although Joanne and I were on the amazing 48Days cruise and then spent another week in Florida I thought I was pretty much up to speed on all correspondence and messages – until I walked back into my office yesterday morning.
My beautiful desk was covered with magazines, brochures, sales information, books from friends and publishers, royalty checks, bills, handwritten testimonial notes, the latest credit card offers, and mounds of coupons from local merchants. 
And I’ve never created a good system for delegating this avalanche. My daughter Ashley did just introduce me to an app called PaperKarma that I’m totally loving. I registered my primary addresses and put in Joanne’s name as well and then I just took a picture of the return mail address of any unwanted mail and simply hit unsubscribe. They say it’s a free app but I was blowing through so many in the first 10 minutes it asked me for an annual fee of $19.95 – which I did. I’ve put in about 40 pieces so far. I know it will take a little time to catch up on scheduled mail but the reviews are very favorable from users.
As we move to less paper it will be interesting to see how much “mail” will be eliminated. I have had a PO Box for years – I now check it once a week. We have two mailboxes at the ends of our adjoining driveways and I frequently go a day or two without checking – and then it’s primarily to prevent an overflow of junk mail onto the street. I can’t believe they still deliver on Saturdays – seems like eliminating that would be a major efficiency and I’d be fine with once a week delivery. One of the major reasons people scream about any change to the current mail delivery system is the ongoing stories of mailmen checking in on the elderly.
Some of the items I received in this mountain of mail were in fact important to me. But it’s discouraging to throw reams and reams of paper in the trash (even if it’s recycled) and it takes time that I could use more productively doing other things. (Yes, I know I need to do a better job of delegating as well.)
So what advice do you have for me on handling physical mail?
Dan, I agree, the post office could go to a much reduced delivery schedule and it really wouldn’t bother me either! Maybe the delivery people could mobilize neighbors to check on the elderly by identifying them and asking for help!
As for recommendations, I really don’t have any, but will try the Paper Karma app since you find it useful!
Micki
Micki,
It’s funny how habitual systems become used for something other than their original intention. Maybe Amazon could use their drones to check on the elderly.
Yes, it is. And, I hope it doesn’t ever come to the point in our world where drones need to check on neighbors (sadly, we may be going there!).
Dan, my High-S is screaming “Roll up those sleeves and Organize, Organize, Organize – SYSTEMS ARE KING!” But I think you’re definitely on the right track with the PaperKarma app and unsubscribing! Oh, and royalty checks coming in are always a great problem! Great post!!
Geri,
Thanks – yes, this seems like such a random problem that I’ve never created a really good system. I am good about only handling mail once. I don’t put things in a drawer and then have to go through it all again. One sort, one handle, done.
Hi Dan. Do you have an office assistant who could sort the mail for you into junk/advertising, personal mail, business mail etc..? If so, you could delegate that that person discard all intrusive and unwanted mail for you. If you have to do it yourself (as I do) then the only way is to tackle it asap and do the sort yourself. I have found that it is far easier to allocate a small (very small!) amount of time daily or every other day to sort through a relatively small pile of mail rather than to deal with a large pile of mail once a week! I apply this approach to my e-mails as well.
Marilyn,
I do have an assistant – but I’ve not assigned that to her as I normally do what you suggest. I spend a very small amount of time each day going through the mail. It’s only extended periods of time like this where it builds so much that it frustrates me.
Hi Dan,
I’m not sure how much time is involved in sorting through the mail that you’re referring to. It might make it easier if you enlist the help of someone for those occasions when you have mail overload. Perhaps your assistant or your wife or a few people from your team. You could set up this time as an informal meeting of sorts in which you casually brainstorm, discuss issues or concerns, business planning etc… Grab some coffees, get some assistance and turn it into a mini-meeting! Who knows, you may find that discussing work, life etc in this informal way may lead to some breakthroughs and creative solutions. When our conscious minds are engaged and our hands our busy our subconcious mind may go to work for us! At the very least the task of mail sorting and opening will be easier and more fun! Hope this helps.
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0262-stopping-unsolicited-mail-phone-calls-and-email – This is the place to go for information about how to get off of lists. It only works for legitimate companies. Scammers still call and send junk. But I signed up years ago to get off of lists, and I do not get very much junk mail, and the phone calls I get are usually scams which I know because I’m on the Do Not Call List.
Oh, and if you buy from some mail order “junk magazines” they sell your name to others. You’re what is known as a mullet (I think that’s the proper name for the fish), one that has already proven to “bite.”
Eva,
I need to use every approach possible to reduce this. Thanks for the tips.
Dan, your pile encouraged me to dig into mine…so LifeHacker has this, http://lifehacker.com/how-to-banish-junk-mail-from-your-real-world-mailbox-1569005690
Dan,
Could you get those royalty checks direct-deposited with a follow-up email with the details? The info would also then be downloaded directly into your money management system as well, saving you extra time. Delegate setting each account up to your assistant. Also, no chance of losing one in the mail.
Also, do you do as much online banking as possible? Currently, I have no bills coming to me through the mail. That’s probably not feasible for you for some of your unknowns, but if you put everything for the month on one credit card and then auto pay the card from your bank account in full at the end of the month, it eliminates a lot of bills. Everything is recorded on your CC and the transactions can be downloaded into your money management system (I use Mint – a very robust system that is avaiable as an app and online). This system is quick and works well for me. I’m disabled, so the least amount of time, handling, and stress is best for me. Hope this or my other idea helps.
I know it takes a bit of effort and time Dan, however, I have virtually eliminated all junk mail from my home. Whenever I get “pre-approved” credit card offers or other non-sense I return the junk back to the sender, including their original envelopes, via their own postage paid envelopes usually included with such solicitations. I even went to the extra effort of printing off small labels in red ink which I adhere just above my own address on their correspondence asking them to kindly remove me from their mailing list. This is similar to your “fighting paint with paint” story in response to local graffiti artists.
As for those ads that come in without return envelopes, I have also followed through with “Opting Out” through the website Eva mentions below. Using these methods I rarely ever get junk mail any more. I, too, would also be happy with once per week mail delivery. Thanks for the paperless post. 😉