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
Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I... Read More
Determine Your Procrastination PersonalityBrook Noel is the author of The... Read More
If you are like most moms I know you think... Read More
I keep a fossil on my desk at all times.... Read More
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More
Fitting an education into a busy lifestyleMany people have aspirations... Read More
Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and... Read More
41 practical and quick ways to get on top of... Read More
Time management consultant Stephen Young claims that the average time... Read More
And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More
Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More
One of the issues most often raised by my clients... Read More
When is the best time to plan your day? Well,... Read More
Handle small emergencies fast: When a small emergency does pop... Read More
You can lose, damage or waste some things in life,... Read More
"I never seem to have any time for myself. What... Read More
Time is wealth;Time is health; Time is power; Time is... Read More
If you have ever missed an appointment, forgotten to pick... Read More
Many organisations view time management training as something they'll spend... Read More
There is an old way of goal setting and a... Read More
Do your dishes really need to be dried, or could... Read More
Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More
We are all born equal! We all have the same... Read More
Yesterday, I'd just gotten comfortable at my favorite table in... Read More
after renovation cleaning Highland Park ..When you decide to become self-employed, you automatically become the... Read More
We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get... Read More
Time and money are both very important in business. Yet,... Read More
Whether you're a new business owner or if you have... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
So What Then Is The Opposite Of Procrastination? Urgency is... Read More
What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More
When do you want to make time for a networking... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
We are all born equal! We all have the same... Read More
The concept of Mercury Retrograde is very well known even... Read More
Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More
One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More
How can you get an extra hour out of each... Read More
We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
Time is money in your online business, just as in... Read More
When a good friend asked me to contribute a little... Read More
How do you know what's the best use of your... Read More
Does it seem like there is never enough time in... Read More
If you feel like your life moves faster than a... Read More
If you operate any kind of home business, you must... Read More
Microsoft wanted to know how individuals around the world were... Read More
I've divided my tips into two sections - 5 ways... Read More
OK...let's assume that you're truly motivated to change. Great. But... Read More
Time Management |