SelfGrowth.comThe Self Improvement Guide
Article

Stop the Madness: Get Off of Junk Mail Lists!

Topic: Organizing and Learning How to OrganizeBy Lisa MontanaroPublished Recently added

Legacy signals

Legacy popularity: 1,802 legacy views

Legacy rating: 5/5 from 2 archived votes

A large percentage of my clients face paper clutter challenges. Despite visions of a paperless society when the computer was invented, we are still inundated with paper at home and at work. One of the biggest culprits is “junk mail” — those credit card solicitations, catalogs, circulars, and the like that you don’t want or need, but that still keep coming. Experts estimate that the average person receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year. How to stop the madness? Here are some great resources for helping you whittle down the amount of junk mail that comes into your home or office in the first place.
  • www.OptOutPrescreen.com is the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry website to accept and process requests from consumers to opt-in or opt-out of firm offers of credit or insurance. Catalog Choice is a free service that allows you to decide what gets in your mailbox. Use it to reduce your mailbox clutter, while helping save natural resources.
  • www.DMAChoice.org is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help you manage your mail. This site is part of a larger program designed to respond to consumers’ conce s over the amount of mail they receive, and it is the evolution of the DMA’s Mail Preference Service created in 1971. For the purposes of this site, direct mail is divided into four categories: Credit Offers, Catalogs, Magazine Offers and Other Mail Offers. You can request to start or stop receiving mail from individual companies within each category—or from an entire category at once.
  • www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org was started because we are continually bombarded with yellow and white pages directories at both home and office. The site is not intended to stop the use of such directories, but to eliminate the unsolicited delivery of the books. The thinking is, if you want a book, you can call and order one.
  • www.41Pounds.org is a service that helps you stop 80-95% of unwanted catalogs and junk mail. Yes, it is a paid service, but the fee is reasonable and they do all of the work of contacting the mailing companies for you. 41 Pounds donates over half of its profits to environmental groups, local schools, and youth groups.
  • Mail Stopper (www.mailstopper.tonic.com) is another paid service that does all of the work for you. Mail Stopper plants 5 trees on behalf of each member to further fight the environmental impact of all of the wasted paper produced by junk mail.
Take the time to contact any of the above resources to help you stop junk mail from entering your home or office. The result will be less paper to process, which means less clutter and more time for you!

Article author

About the Author

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you use this complete statement: Copyright 2009. Lisa Montanaro, "The Solutions Expert," is Principal of LM Organizing Solutions, LLC, a professional services firm created in 2002 that offers professional organizing, business and life coaching, and motivational speaking to individuals and organizations. Lisa publishes the monthly "DECIDE™ to be Organized" e-zine for the general public, and "Next Level Business Success" e-zine for professional organizers and entrepreneurs. Subscribe today at www.LMOrganizingSolutions.com. Lisa also publishes the DECIDE™ to be Organized blog at www.DecideToBeOrganized.com. Through LMOS, Lisa helps people deal with the issues that block personal and professional change and growth. To explore how LMOS can improve your home or work environment, or help take your business to the next level, contact Lisa at (845) 988-0183 or by e-mail at Lisa@LMOrganizingSolutions.com.

Further reading

Further Reading

4 total

Website

Remarkable Transformations

CLEAR YOUR SPACE - CLEAR YOUR MIND I provide clients with tangible tools to assist them in getting organized and reaching their goals. From organizing home/work space to addressing financial, time management, and personal, career, & spiritual goals, my proven system gives you clear, direct guidance.

Related piece

Website

Remarkable Transformations - Professional Organizer & Life Coach

"REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATIONS We are professional home and business organizers. With 20 years of experience in the field of human behavior, I teach clients a new way of thinking and acting that will make their physical space, time, finances and lives flow more smoothly!"

Related piece

Article

Summer Fun in Your Own Backyard

We all know that with the price of gas going up, that everything else will soon be jumping in price too. This takes a toll on family vacations, outings for the weekend, rising grocery bills etc. So how can a family have fun and still have money left for all of the bills that are due every month? Sometimes we have to look at things in a simple way in order to re-lea how to enjoy life. We tell kids all of the time to 'use your imagination', but as adults we forget to use ours.

Related piece

Article

Sasha's Six Steps for Bringing in the Mail

"I believe in opening mail once a month, whether it needs it or not." Bob Considine Close your eyes. Imagine coming home from a three week vacation. Notice how big the pile of mail that awaits you is. How do you feel as you contemplate having to deal with it? Feel some resistance? After learning ‘Sasha’s Six Steps for Bringing in the Mail’, I guarantee you’ll feel better about it. Sound good? Okay, then here’s what you need: • A shredder • Three/four tiered horizontal filing tray • Datebook – paper or electronic • Pen and highlighter rnr

Related piece