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
When trying to achieve a quality education, everybody knows that... Read More
Everyday life can present us with opportunities to make us... Read More
Time - it is the one thing that we are... Read More
Yesterday, I'd just gotten comfortable at my favorite table in... Read More
Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in... Read More
Time management consultant Stephen Young claims that the average time... Read More
Many of the world's most driven and successful people sleep... Read More
We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get... Read More
Many of the clients I work with in success coaching... Read More
If you have ever missed an appointment, forgotten to pick... Read More
All too often we can feel overwhelmed by the amount... Read More
A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More
As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More
Many of us get so caught up in day-to-day pressures... Read More
One of the most common complaints that small business owners... Read More
Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More
Choose to be HappyHappiness is a choice. You can choose... Read More
Last week I had the privilege of spending some quality... Read More
I am an ordinary man - A middle class high... Read More
If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More
If you are like most moms I know you think... Read More
How do you eat two elephants? The same way you... Read More
Sounds too good to be true?It really isn't!In fact, studies... Read More
It's 6:00 a.m. I'm awake. I'm pumped! I'm ready to... Read More
Still awaiting the birth of my baby (I am overdue),... Read More
green cleaning service Deerfield ..The most powerful resource that we have is time. Everything... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
If you can regularly ask yourself "Am I regularly and... Read More
I'm sure we've all had the experience of having a... Read More
Last week I had the privilege of spending some quality... Read More
Many folks tell me that they just don't have time... Read More
I've divided my tips into two sections - 5 ways... Read More
If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More
Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that... Read More
If you're like most people, you want to get better... Read More
"I never seem to have any time for myself. What... Read More
Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having... Read More
Time and money are both very important in business. Yet,... Read More
Despite the best of intentions, most of us don't use... Read More
A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More
TIME MANAGEMENTWith the creation of the universe, God gave humankind... Read More
41 practical and quick ways to get on top of... Read More
Does choosing which time we do an activity really make... Read More
It's amazing how many sayings there are in our culture... Read More
Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard... Read More
Women's health issues often are focused on goals to reach:... Read More
As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as... Read More
Time - it is the one thing that we are... Read More
What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More
A simple kitchen gadget is transforming my life. I don't... Read More
Time Management |