4 Ways to Keep Your Email Organized

I've already mentioned how inboxes can add anxiety to life. One way I've limited this anxiety (and found the process to be quite freeing) is by unsubscribing to the mass emails I receive and organizing the important emails (work or personal) into folders. Try one of these solutions if you're inbox is overloading you:

• Practice the filing system. Create folders that are clearly labeled and that you will use often. When you get a message, send your reply and if you can't delete it then file it away. Just like that.

• Keep up on it. Just like cleaning your room when you were a kid—doing a little each day is so much easier to maintain compared to waiting for it to spiral out of control.

• Take time to unsubscribe (unless you've somehow been added to lists that you've never heard of and in that case, get a new email). If you do this, you will notice some decrease in the amount of messages flooding your inbox.

• Create an email account for the spammy stuff. If you have to subscribe to get coupons or special offers to your favorite stores then create a second email address that will collect the junk mail and don't connect it to your phone. Only connect email addresses to your phone that are necessary for you to check every day. 

RELATED POST: How to Eliminate Paper Clutter

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3 Ways to Reduce Paper Clutter

In an age where products like Venmo and online banking rule and mobile wallets are all the craze it seems like paper wouldn't be a bother anymore but we all know thats not true. No matter how hard I try I end up with piles of sticky notes, junk mail and Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons up, in and around.

This year, I'm trying really hard to eliminate paper clutter and my first line of defense is avoiding the collection of it in the first place. How? I recommend a few things:

• One-off pieces of paper. When the movie theatre clerk gives you your movie stub toss it on your way out. You don't need to save those little pieces of paper and they end up adding to the collection of garbage that accumulates in places like the bottom of your purse or the console in your car

• Receipts. Nowadays, you don't have to take your receipts. If you don't need to return the item and you're using something like a mobile phone or plastic to make the transaction, opt out of taking the copy of your receipt and it'll help cut down on what collects at home

• Shredder. Invest in a shredder. I'm always leery of things like identify theft and personal mail getting into the hands of the wrong people. I shred like it's going out of style to avoid those scenarios. The shredder will also help you eliminate the piles of paper that accumulate around the house. I use a Royal shredder like the one here.

RELATED POST: How to Declutter Your Home: Why, How and When to Help You Succeed

How and Why I Started Simplifying My Life

I've realized a few things while living in big cities working in somewhat glorified industries and living in a culture where being glued to a smartphone is standard. That one thing is that we don't take time to pause. I'm not sure my generation ever did pause. I reached my mid-twenties and was already burned out on the flood of information I got in the form of emails, tweets, Facebook posts, instant messages and texts in a single day. As things turned out, I have this flood of communication to thank for the fact that if I'm not on my iPhone I'm thinking about being on my phone for fear of missing out on some piece of content that may need my reply.

I'm already an anxious person. I worry, I think too much and I wonder about things beyond my reach and out of my control. So, taking myself away from technology is great but since I'm conditioned to always 'be on' I experience restlessness. So where does this leave me? To practice the art of leaving my phone a few feet away and reminding myself there's no rush. I'm slowly starting to do this in my professional and personal life and it's taking some time to get used to because I always want to please and I always want to be responsive. But those things are neither realistic nor healthy most of the time.

RELATED POST: Mental Shift: How to Move Past the Honeymoon Phase of Minimalism

The Beginning

I've created this space to document my journey as I look for ways to kick the endless pursuit of consumerism to the curb and make a path out of less instead of more. The way I see it, we've got nice stuff in front of us all the time—fine dining, clothes, fancy houses and the compelling notion that we need it all. That's made up pressure, people. We actually don't.

I'm on a journey to share what I find while living a more minimal life. I've always found joy in the essentials but now it's time I try for something more—or rather less—for myself and my family. 

RELATED POST: What Minimalism Taught Me About Appreciation and Some Convincing Proof If You’re On the Fence About Trying It Out