Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all. There should be only two responses to every piece of mail or e-mail, do something with it, or toss it!
The best way, as always, to deal with it all is in an organized fashion.
One of the quickest ways to do this is to have the following folders:
A red one for things that must be dealt with immediately. This would include anything that needs an immediate response, something that has to be done today. A letter you must respond to, a meeting you have to schedule, a report you need to do, a telephone call that needs to be made. Within this folder you will need to prioritize what needs to be handled first, second, etc.
Bills that come in and need to be paid should be placed in your tickler file a couple days before their due date to account for mailing time. So as you are opening your bills that come in the mail, check the due date and place them in your tickler file. If it has to be paid upon receipt, put it in the red folder so you can deal with it immediately.
Meetings (flyers) that have to be attended are placed in a gray folder. Be sure to check the dates, highlight them. Your next step is to be sure to place them on your calendar, and then to tickle them two days before for your review or if there is anything you need to do or prepare for the meeting.
If you receive meeting highlights or minutes by mail, these can be placed in a yellow folder for your perusal at a later date. These are the types of things that can be read during lunch, or while backing up files, printing, etc.
Magazines and articles you receive can be placed in a black folder. This is your reading folder. Take it with you when you go on appointments that you know you will have some lag time. Read during lunch. Schedule time in the morning and weekends. If you make reading a part of your daily schedule, it won't pile up. And remember, once you read it, file it away, or toss it.
Every piece of paper should generate a reaction, the reaction might be to deal with it, file it, or toss it, but one of them needs to occur. If you follow this simple rule, you can keep mail and paperwork under control, and your sanity to boot.
Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2000
Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it's like having your own personal coach: http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
It's 6:00 a.m. I'm awake. I'm pumped! I'm ready to... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
"At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More
"Slaves to the clock" was the cover story in the... Read More
Most of us have a to-do list ? some of... Read More
We are all born equal! We all have the same... Read More
Here's some time management tips to try:1) Set strict office... Read More
It's always a challenge finding time to clean my house.... Read More
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is... Read More
Do you believe that the best way to deal with... Read More
* If you were paying you to prioritise emails over... Read More
"There is never enough time, unless you're serving it." -Malcolm... Read More
As the song goes, this is the time to relax,... Read More
Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and... Read More
Are you too busy to put yourself first? If a... Read More
It is not enough if you are busy. The question... Read More
Do you have plenty to do, but don't have enough... Read More
When I sit down with a client to work on... Read More
Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More
Whatever providence has in store for us tomorrow is not... Read More
Many of us spend long hours at our desk. To... Read More
Determine Your Procrastination PersonalityBrook Noel is the author of The... Read More
How do you eat two elephants? The same way you... Read More
Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?Have you ever... Read More
cleaning lady near Arlington Heights ..As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
I'm sure we've all had the experience of having a... Read More
It's been said, "That no one has enough time yet,... Read More
If you are like most moms I know you think... Read More
Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More
Many of us spend long hours at our desk. To... Read More
Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
How can you get an extra hour out of each... Read More
Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in... Read More
How do you know what's the best use of your... Read More
When a good friend asked me to contribute a little... Read More
Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
Microsoft wanted to know how individuals around the world were... Read More
Isn't it amazing that some people can produce huge results... Read More
Today, it is hard to open an e-mail newsletter, a... Read More
Looking out through my picture window during a recent winter... Read More
A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More
Women's health issues often are focused on goals to reach:... Read More
When do you want to make time for a networking... Read More
When you decide to become self-employed, you automatically become the... Read More
A simple kitchen gadget is transforming my life. I don't... Read More
Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I... Read More
It is not enough if you are busy. The question... Read More
"I never seem to have any time for myself. What... Read More
Time Management |