Pushing the Envelope… Right Into the Recycling Bin!

I always talk about one of the keys to any organizing project being VISIBILITY. You have to have visibility of your things to know what you have, where it is, and what it is.

Sometimes when people sort mail, they open an envelope, see what the papers say, fold it all back up, and put it back into the envelope. WHY?

Once you have done all of the work to get the papers unfolded and readable, there is no reason to double your work and time spent on these papers by putting them all back. You can use a stapler, a paper clip, or a tray or folder to hold the papers after they have been released from their envelope prison. Now you can see what you have and what actions need to be taken on those papers.

What's worse? FILING those envelopes. File drawer space comes at a high premium, and when you take a two page letter, fold it into thirds, and stick it in an envelope, two thicknesses of paper become EIGHT. Now you have quadrupled the thickness of your files.

I mainly want people to know there is no "rule" that says you have to keep envelopes, unless there is some exceptional reason that the envelope is specially decorated or has special handwriting on it. If you need the return address, rip that corner off and put the address in with your data entry of other business cards and such that need to go into your contact records. 

So, don't be afraid to push the envelope– right into the recycling bin!  🙂

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