Getting Rid of Inbox Clutter

Well, my desk doesn't look like this, but if I printed off every email I receive and stacked it on my writing surface, it sure would. Between emails from companies I've purchased from, to blogs I've subscribed to, and to messages from various Facebook groups, I receive over 200 emails a day. That doesn't even count the emails from friends or business contacts I must respond to.

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed the past few weeks. It's left me less than productive, and I know I need to make changes. One of those changes was spending time yesterday and today unsubscribing from mailing lists. Whether it be the online retailer I purchased one item from a year ago or from a blog I haven't visited in six months, out they went. I also spent time reviewing my incoming RSS Feeds. If I have months' worth of unread posts, why am I having the feed delivered to my Inbox anyway? I also cut down the number of Facebook groups where I am a member.

Taking just a few simple steps will help keep your Inbox less cluttered and find you spending less time checking and deleting email.

Do You Have a Reluctant Recycler?

One of the obstacles to becoming more self-sufficient is the reluctant recycler living here. I won't say who it is, but it's tough to lead by example when not everyone is on board. I'm not the recycling police. I don't hit family members with a baton when they toss a cat food can lid in the trash, but I've made it simple to recycle in this house. Our recycle bins are right outside the garage door, and even if you don't want to travel that far, I have one spot in the kitchen for people to stack up paper/cardboard and another place for cans/bottles/plastic, etc.

Every week when I empty the trash cans, there's a certain someone who has tossed all types of junk mail and catalogs into the can instead of throwing them in the bin or stacking them in the kitchen. So, I spend time digging through the trash and putting things where they belong. On the up side, it's got me to thinking about unnecessary packing materials on products and that has influenced me to change some of my shopping habits.

How do you handle a reluctant recycler? Can you give me any tips that might work here?