Curing the Catalog Chaos
Curing the Catalog Chaos
At this time of year, we are all inundated with catalogs. Everyone is trying to make their pitch and sell you that special something for that special someone. I, myself, receive several catalogs that feature kid’s toys and my children are past the toy stage. I also receive multiple catalogs from L.L. Bean and J. Crew and there isn’t a preppie person in my family. By ordering items on the internet, I know that I get my name on mailing lists that eventually will fill my mailbox with all this paper that I am not interested in.
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Well, here’s what I do to counteract these mailings. I deposit all the catalogs in a pile, as they enter my home. As soon as the holidays are over (and the catalogs slow down) I visit a great website Catalog Choice. Here you can opt out of mailings and stop solicitors from contacting you. You will need the contact information on the back of each company’s catalog to opt out. Catalog Choice makes it simple and secure to opt out of unwanted advertising material and protect your privacy.
It’s great! You will see your mail pile reduce in size and do something small for the environment all at the same time.
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
This is a great reminder that we can take action to combat this mess. I do find that I get the same updated catalog every few weeks. But, when the holidays are over, it only comes to me seasonally. I only had a few catalog companies I didn’t know about this year. I guess I am lucky.
That is lucky and you’re also on top of it – a great combination!
I have sort of a love/hate with catalogs. When I have free time and want some ideas, I love them. But mostly, I put them directly into the recycling bin. The one that really gets to me is the giant one from Restoration Hardware. That is like a book! I must be doing something right because I’m not getting as many as I used to. I wonder if all the online shopping will slow the paper catalog business down? I guess we will see!
I can definitely understand the love / hate you’re talking about. They are nice to have around for those free time inspiration moments, but they are easy to overwhelm when they start coming in during busy times.
I love the leaf through the catalogs looking for gift ideas. Sometimes I order from them. More often, though, I just love looking at all the pretty pictures. Another thing to do with catalogs is donate them to a school. The Art room sometimes likes to get catalogs as do preschool teachers as they can use them to teach cutting skills and categorizing.
Donating them to art rooms is a wonderful thing to do with them!
As terrible as they are for the environment, I do love catalogs. I haven’t ordered from a paper catalog in at least 20 years, but there’s that same delight at novelty as you find when looking at the ads in glossy magazines. But yes, it’s a mess that weighs down the recycling bin, and Catalog Choice is a great solution and much faster than calling each catalog company or even using each individual unsub button.
I kind of love catalogs too, but some that land in my mailbox just don’t apply to me. Those are the easy ones to unsubscribe from.