Pile of Files

How do you keep your home office neat, organized and for the purpose of what it is intended: to pay bills, use the computer and store papers?

The first step is reducing clutter, just like in any area of the home.  Papers are an insidious form of clutter because they are so abundant in our lives.  One particularly helpful way to reduce the clutter of papers entering this space is to take time to get off of unwanted mailing lists.  You can email the companies who send unwanted mail to request that they remove your name and address from any lists and that they do not forward your information to any other companies. When you order an item from an on-line company, you can immediately email customer service and request that they take your name off their mailing list.  

You can also use www.OptOutPrescreen.com to prevent your information from being given to creditors who send you credit card, insurance or other offers.  This site offers the option of opting out for five years on line or printing a form that can be signed and mailed in to opt you out for life!  

Once you make a pile of mail you would like to shred, you can buy a sturdy home shredder or attend a community shredding event.  Pennsylvania Representative Justin Simmons is hosting a shredding event Saturday June 9, 2012 from 9:00 to 11:00am at the Mack Fire Station South at Lehigh and Vultee Streets in Allentown. You can call 610.861.5201 for more information.  

In my next blog, I will continue to address the home office so you can find, and use, your desk!