How to Unsubscribe from Catalogs and Other Junk Mail

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | March 7, 2024 |

Do you get annoyed or – worse – overwhelmed by the amount of credit card offers, catalogs and other junk mail you need to sort through in your mail pile? If you receive even just a couple of pieces per day, the time it takes to sort, review and discard or shred can really add up.

Plus, many of these companies sell your information to other companies, so the amount of mail you receive can increase and cost you even more time!

So, how can you unsubscribe from all of these time-costing annoyances?

Here are some different resources for cutting back on mail by getting removed from mailing lists:

  • https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ – This removes you from bank and credit card lists. This list is maintained by the major credit reporting agencies, so it’s safe to hand over your personal information through this web page, using a secure connection (not a public Wi-Fi).

 

 

 

  • http://www.41pounds.org – This used to be one of my favorite resources. For only $35, this organization would work to get you unsubscribed from mailing lists. Your fee covered 5 years of service. It has since evolved into https://www.paperkarma.com and now costs $25 per year. But that’s a small price to pay for saving time.

 

 

Additionally, these are steps you can take:

 

  • Unsubscribe from your donor lists. There are a number of charities and political organizations that sell their donor information to marketing companies. This is another source of funding for them. When you make a donation to a non-profit, make it contingent upon them not sharing your information with any other entity.

 

  • Unsubscribe from “offers” when you shop online. Many online stores (no matter how big or small) will sell your information to other companies or share it with their partners. During checkout, be sure to opt out of being contacted. This option is usually in fine print, or there’s a microscopic link to another page that allows you to do this.

 

  • When you receive catalogs, look for the removal or unsubscribe information near the pre-printed address label. If they’re not forthcoming and don’t include that, here’s the magical work-around using Google:

Google search terms such as:

company.com + unsubscribe from catalog list

or

company.com + stop receiving catalogs

Sometimes you need to try a couple of variations for the “stop” part of the search.

 

Ex: jmclaughlin.com + remove from mailing list

 

Google brings up this hidden page:

https://www.jmclaughlin.com/pages/unsubscribe

 

Submit the information requested. Note: Some companies will ask for an email address to confirm your request. I used my “junk mail” address when helping a client with this. A couple of underhanded companies placed me on their email list, so I reported their emails as s p a m and unsubscribed from them. Oh, the games we need to play.

 

It does take some time to get yourself unsubscribed from mailing lists but think of it as an investment in saving you time in the future.

 

Happy Unsubscribing!

 

 

For recommendations on setting up a complete paper management system, check out The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.

About Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO®

As The Inefficiency Assassin™, Time Management Fixer Helene Segura empowers professionals on the go with the tools to slay lost time. Personal inefficiency at work leads to increased stress levels, lower morale, higher absenteeism, more turnover – and rising spending on employee health care and hiring. Why not improve productivity, decrease stress levels, and increase profits instead?The author of four books – two of which were Amazon best-sellers – Helene Segura has been the featured organization expert in more than 200 media interviews. She has coached hundreds of clients to productivity success and performance improvement by applying neuroscience and behavioral modification techniques to wipe out destructive, time-wasting habits.Helene turns time management on its head by sharing both client case studies and pop culture examples to teach her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue.

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