Opening Envelopes
Did you know that opening envelopes is the key to mail and paper management?
It’s a mistake to leave mail unopened or to place the contents back into the envelope after reading the material. Opening each envelope and discarding the unwanted inserts will greatly reduce the volume.
Once you have eliminated the excess, unfold everything that remains, staple pages together if needed and (if nothing else) place everything in an action tray for later. You can choose to go further and process your daily mail each day or decide on a regularly scheduled time that you’ll do your mail processing each week. How about Saturday morning over your first cup of coffee or one evening a week, when you are watching your favorite TV show? The processing can be simplified by asking yourself “What’s the next action I need to take on this piece of paper?” The usual answers to this question are: file it, read it, do some action (like send an email or make a call, etc), and then there are the bills. By opening envelopes, unfolding the paperwork, and discarding said envelope you are miles ahead in your paper management.
Also, I need to mention junk mail. There are several ways to eliminate most junk mail, which will greatly reduce your paper processing time. Here’s another blog post that will help you get off those pesky mailing lists.
Did you know that opening envelopes is the key to mail and paper management? Share on XReady to take action? Did you know that we occasionally offer a Paper Organizing Party? Follow us on Facebook or Instagram so you know when we schedule and next party.
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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.
I agree! Over the years of working with clients, I have found that almost every client who has paper issues has envelopes and unnecessary extra inserts. One time, I recall a client and me going through paperwork and found that a 6-inch pile of paper was reduced to about 1/2 inch just by getting rid of the excess envelopes. Seeing this was a game changer for my client.
So true, it’s happening a lot. At the end, the clients are always amazed about the difference. It would have been such an easier task if they took care of it immediately when they just received the mail.
Oh my goodness – YES! I have several clients who have a difficult time opening the mail. As you know, this can result in late payments and missed communications. And, recycling the envelopes as well as knowing what to do with the contents is a key element.
I had a client go through papers a while ago while we were organizing his space. He found a check of over 2K, he couldn’t believe it.
It’s funny, but I remember the days when we used to get A LOT of mail. With so many things now digital, the mail that arrives each day is minuscule in comparison. However, I still understand how unopened envelopes and unattended mail can accumulate.
My dad greatly influenced how I approach and feel about mail. He loved going to the mailbox to collect and process the mail. I never asked him why, but it was one of the things I remember about him. I’m the same way. I can hear when the sound of our mailman opening and closing our box at the end of the driveway. That’s my cue that mail has arrived. It’s always fun to open the box with anticipation. What good surprises are there today? Is it a handwritten note, an invitation to a celebration, a bill, or a refund? There are always a few pieces of junk mail.
The process is simple. I enjoy the walk outside to retrieve the mail. I lean into the positive anticipation that there might be a fun surprise and bring the pile back into the house to process immediately. Things get routed to > Recycling > Trash > My Husband’s Mail Pile > Bills to Pay folder > Specific File > Pending Pile > Immediate Action.
So true Linda. Yes I do remember how much mail we used to get. The problem with some of our older clients is that, they want everything on papers, but they never open it, which causes the mountain of mail sitting and waiting for it to be processed.
The process is simple and fast if we don’t get distracted away from it for sure.
This appeals to me on a visceral level. It reduces the amount of paper almost instantly as the outer envelopes, and often the junk mail inserts, can go. Plus, opening gets us invested in what needs to be done. I love that you drilled down the important of this step. Having a letter opener nearby is another way to make this happen!
I love a nice letter opener. we’ve been getting less and less mail my husband and I and thankfully, we both process it immediately.
Paper management is my specialty, and it very well might be because I fell in love with answering mail call as a tiny kid. (Linda’s dad and I are mail twins!)
Getting the mail, opening it, sorting it, managing what needs to be done — I love every element of it. I understand why people with financial difficulties might avoid their mail (because of the pain points it represents), but I always think that’s like avoiding going to the doctor because you fear the diagnosis. The only way you can take control is to meet the mail where it arrives and process it. All mail (even junk mail) comes down to the next action to be taken on it, even if that’s to toss it out or shred it. Without the bulky outer envelopes and the shiny inserts, everything is so much easier to handle.
I agree on the point where people avoid their mail, whether for financial reason or medical and they don’t want to know about it. I get it, it does become a burden for some and they don’t ask for help until they realize it has become an unpleasant task.