My Simple Solution to Mail Clutter

Inside: Organizing incoming paper doesn’t have to be complicated. It starts with a decorative storage basket. Curious? Check out my simple solution to mail clutter.

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A basket for simple solution to mail clutter. — My simple solution. . .

Got Mail Clutter?

Is your kitchen table cluttered with mail? Be honest. Bills. Catalogs you’ve been meaning to look through. Coupons. Advertisements. Newspapers with assorted sales inserts. Invitations. Fliers.

Or maybe your kitchen table looks great, but your counter is a mess? Or maybe you’ve just got papers strewn everywhere?

If the answer to any of the above questions is no, then I’ll save you some reading. Visit our fudge recipe to make and celebrate your savvy organizing skills. Way to go, oh organized one! We salute you.

If the answer is yes, then settle in for the short read. . . And maybe check out the recipe after you read this.

Finding a Simple Solution to Mail Clutter

I’ll let you in on a little secret: It wasn’t long ago that all those above mentioned pieces of mail–plus other papers that found their way into our house–sat in sloppy piles at the end of my kitchen table, threatening to spill on to the floor. A holiday would roll around, and I’d find the nearest Amazon box and start inserting assorted (and unsorted) paper items into their new large cardboard home, only to be placed in my catch-all room. But soon I’d see those piles forming again, small and innocent at first, until I had the same large stacks, precariously balancing on table’s end, only to have the cycle repeat itself over and over and over.

Last fall I signed up for an organizing summit (different online presenters discussing a topic) over at I heart planners with Laura. I took lots of notes that week, and I can’t remember who to thank for this tip, but one of the presenters showed her system of dealing with all the paper coming into her home. She had a large box with a few file folders in the back of it, and, basically, she merely dumped everything into the box. Period. Once a week she’d sort through the box and file items away into the folders or discard them.

Having a place to dump all of the paper made sense to me, and so I bought a functional, nice-looking container. So now into my box it goes–everything from clothes catalogs to coupons. Papers that need our attention, such as license renewals or bills or checks to cash? Into the box. Random old photo? Homemade card from my nephew? Find your spot inside the confines of my lovely decorative container.

Papers in a basket to avoid cluttering table. — A nice place for all those papers!

Throughout the week, as I have time, I dip into the box and sort. Like while I’m waiting for my cup of coffee that’s heating in the microwave. I place checks, coupons, and other very small snippets of paper on the right side of the box, vertically. On the left go bills, folded but standing upright against the inside of the box. In the middle are things like sales papers, clipped articles, fliers, and catalogs, which lie flat. In the back I place large manila envelopes with important materials, such as tax papers that I need to work on, and magazines, standing on their sides, as it looks more confined that way.

While I can understand the benefits of the folders, that’s a bit too much work for me. I like to keep it simple, and this unsophisticated system works for me. I feel so much better about the space!

A Few Tips

Choose a box or basket you love. That way you’re more inclined to use it. I found some attractive-looking boxes and baskets on this page that you might like.

Make sure it is rectangular shaped and large enough for the amount of paper coming into your home. Because it’s just the two of us now, we don’t have near the amount of paper as we once did with a school-age child in the house.

Look for handles, which come in handy (no pun intended) for moving the box (temporarily) out of sight when company comes. But don’t leave it there!

If you’re into folders, by all means, go for it!

Oh, and one more thing. I don’t get down to zero contents. Sometimes I have an item (or several) that I haven’t yet decided what to do with. The point is, I know where to find it, it’s not falling on the floor, and it looks neat and straightened.

Small Changes Yield Big Results

It’s funny how small changes can sometimes yield big results. This simple purchase of a decorative box has made me feel better and not as stressed. While a few piles of clutter might not seem like such a big deal, even the little things tug at you. This is one less thing. The space is ordered and functional. I like sitting around my kitchen table again.

One small step for a rural girl. A big leap for creating a peaceful environment.