10 Tips For Minimizing Incoming Paper and Information

Posted on February 6th, 2013, by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D.

We certainly don't live in a paperless society and we definitely do live in the information age. Reducing the flow of paper and information into our lives requires proactive steps. The less random paper and information you have to deal with, the more productive you can be. Implement at least one of the following steps this week and then another one each week until you have done everything you can to minimize the incoming "flow."

Sign up for no call lists at home (just Google Do Not Call Lists and you'll find where to register). It does not completely stop the calls, but it stops some of them. Note: Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to apply to political calls, but that's another discussion.

While you cannot sign up for no fax lists, it is against the law for people to send unsolicited faxes. (Google unsolicited fax laws and you'll get the documentation you need just in case you have to "prove" this to someone). Generally, when you receive a fax that you did not want, you can call and ask to be removed from their list.

Get a powerful spam blocker for your email. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) should have one built it, but you often have to activate it. Then, you need to have software installed on your computer that further blocks the emails that get through your ISP. You'll still get some unnecessary spam, but it will be drastically reduced.

Install a pop-up blocker so that you aren't bombarded by annoying pop-ups when you are working on the web. That's more information than you wanted when you started searching and the idea here is to block as much extraneous and unwanted "incoming" as you can.

Register with the Direct Mail Service to get off of mailing lists. Just Google Direct Mail Service and you'll find the place to do so.

Ask that your name be removed from office routing slips. This may involve direct conversations with someone or an email requesting that you be removed.

Ask that your name be removed from others' email lists. You just don't need every joke or "I-don't-know-if-this-is-true-or-not" email that some people feel compelled to forward on.

Open all your physical mail by the trashcan. Be ruthless about throwing out mail–often before you even open it.

Say "no thanks" when others ask if you would like to receive….

Turn off the TV, radio, etc. You are pelted with information and sometimes, you need to say, "Enough is enough."

Live it up. Do two or more right now! It starts making a difference, believe me! And if you implement all 10 of these tips… WOW! That really helps lighten the load.

And to access more tips that you can use to increase your own (and your team's) productivity, you're invited to join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin's weekly emails Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (http://www.KeepingChaosatBay.com).

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