The "Touch it Once Rule"

 Many people lose time and important papers by taking in their mail, dropping it on a table, and getting to it “later”.  Sometimes, when “later” comes, an important bill has been misplaced or accidentally tossed out.  My rule to keep mail organized is just to “touch it one.” If you don’t have time to sort through it when it arrives, keep it in one designated spot-don’t use more than one location.  Then, when you do have time, be ready to immediately toss out junk mail in the recycling (you might want to shred papers with your name and address), and sort the rest in your file To Read, To File, and To  Pay  folders.  Get rid of catalogs (a major clutter creator) you don’t want to keep those you do want in a magazine rack or a file, if you keep several editions of particular catalogs.  Mark down invitations dates in your day planner to avoid overbooking you day or forgetting an important event.