Here are some helpful tips to better handle mail and clear up your workspace:

• If you subscribe to magazines and then save them for a long time, here’s some good advice: Don’t. Throw them out. They will build up fast if you save them, and really, you have to ask yourself what you’re saving them for. If you are determined to save something from a magazine, do just that. Clip out what you specifically want to save. Make a file folder and file it away so you will know where to find it when you really need it.
• Junk mail can be another culprit. Well-meaning people put piles of it on their desks because they feel like they have to look at it before they throw it out. Check your mail closely. Take it to a place where a trash receptacle is near at hand. Don’t put your mail down. Force yourself to go through it then and there. Immediately discard things you know you will never have any use for. Keep the items you are interested in, but go through them on a daily basis so they don’t build up. Create an idea file for those direct mail pieces you like and want to save.
• Finally, if you receive bills or invoices, take care of those items immediately. Pay them or fill out the necessary paperwork and forward to accounting. Either way, just get them off your desk.

Employ these three easy methods of paper control in your life, and you will see your stress level fall so that you have more energy and peace of mind to enjoy yourself.