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Declutter & Stop Catalogs {15 Minute Mission}

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Today's mission is to stop catalogs that you don't want to receive anymore, and declutter excess of these catalogs as well so you aren't overwhelmed by them.


Organizing Magazines, Newspapers & Catalogs Challenge
This mission is designed to be done during the Organizing Magazines, Newspapers & Catalogs Challenge here on the site.

The first part of this mission is to look around and declutter your catalogs, winnowing it down to a much more reasonable number that you can keep in one small area of your home.

Some people have been struggling this week with whether to save certain articles from magazines that they feel may be relevant to them in the future. The thing about decluttering catalogs that is easier to deal with, as compared to decluttering magazines, is that the stuff in catalogs is, by its very nature, short term. When a new catalog comes out it typically means what was available in the old catalog probably isn't anymore, or if it is, you can find it in the new catalogs, with updated prices and other information.

That makes it a bit easier to get rid of excess catalogs. There really isn't a good reason to save the old ones.

When taking on this task you can easily get rid of:
  • Duplicates

  • Older issues, especially those from previous seasons
Once you've decluttered don't let yourself build back up too large of a collection of these booklets again.

Instead, get in the habit of using the one in, one out rule, and when you receive the next catalog from that company throw the old one out.

Of course, when I say "throw it out," I really mean get it out of your home. As always I encourage you to recycle your catalogs instead of trashing them. Just like magazines, most catalogs can be recycled!

Below, you can find out how to stop unwanted catalogs from entering your home from now on, if you don't want to have to keep receiving them.

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Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to paper clutter.

Stop Unwanted Catalogs From Coming To Your Home

The second part of this mission, after you've decluttered excess catalogs, is to ensure that you don't have to spend more time than necessary in the future doing this again.

how to stop junk mail
Sure, the one in, one out rule will help significantly in keeping the catalogs from piling up.

But, what about catalogs that you'd rather not have at all? It isn't just me that receives certain of these books in the mail and wonders, why in the world did the company think I would ever, in a million years, be interested in this?

Those types of unwanted catalogs are the prime candidates to stop from even entering your house. It's good for the environment, and it is good for your sanity to not waste any time on them in the future.

To help you out with this part of the mission check out my article on how to stop junk mail, and let your mailbox thank you!

Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Declutter 365 missions: 15 minute missions for your entire home

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.

Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!


Click here to take me to this year's Declutter 365 calendar



Get This Paper & Filing Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home

Right now you're decluttering your papers and files, and there's a lot of types and varieties of these around your home.

Get your 2 page paper and filing decluttering checklist, plus 32 other decluttering checklists, to help you declutter your entire home here.

Get this paper and filing decluttering checklist and 32 other decluttering checklists for your home {on Home Storage Solutions 101}

I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.

In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!

Click here to learn more about 33 Decluttering Checklists Pack



In addition, here's my article on how to opt out and stop telemarketing calls, to get rid of another type of clutter in your home.

How to opt out and stop telemarketing calls


Photo courtesy of byzantiumbooks

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of Fame

Getting Rid Of Paper Clutter Hall Of Fame

Go From Declutter & Stop Catalogs Mission To Home Page

Comments for Stop Unwanted Catalogs From Coming To Your Home

Click here to add your own comments

Handle it Once
by: Mary

When I receive catalogs in the junk mail I flip through it to see if there's anything interesting. Since I rarely order anything from catalogs I toss them into the recycling bin. Once a magazine is read it gets passed on to a friend who is on a budget and can't spare the money for a subscription. Recipes or articles I want to keep get scanned and saved on my computer. I try to handle this stuff only once. Also, go through your mail EVERY DAY instead of tossing it on a pile. This is a huge help.

Don't let it in!
by: Anonymous

When I get unwanted mail, flyers, catalogs, etc, I stop at the recycling bin on the way into my house and toss it in. That way it doesn't get mixed in with other papers I WILL need. Make sure to open the junk mail/credit card/"looks real" mail if it has your name or other info on it. Toss the envelope and insert, rip out or pull out the part with your info, and shred it! I have a small mail or receipt size shredder in my kitchen. I keep a small gift bag next to it and drop in the personal stuff. When I'm in the kitchen waiting for something to boil or cook I shred a few things! I have a bigger tub full of important things that are too much for me to shred. That goes out when our area has community shred days.

Unwanted catalogs
by: Anonymous

You can call the 800 number listed to order items and request that your name be removed from their mail list. Everyone I spoke to was very polite and assured me they would do that.

Use the online wishlist
by: Brina

While I love going through catalogues in their paper version, I hate when they lie around in the house. So every time I see an item I might buy, I just put it onto my wishlist of that shop. That way, the catalogue can get into the trash right after reading and I have my might-buy-items everywhere I go.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to paper clutter.


Click here to get your free ticket or all access pass to the Simplify your Holiday Season summit


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When you work through the Declutter 365 missions, and accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenges, you'll be able to declutter your home one mission at a time, organize what's left, and learn the skills, habits and routines to maintain your space from now on.

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