One of the most popular questions I'm asked when I'm leading a letter writing workshop is "How do you keep up with all your pen pals and letters?" This is understandable and I'm happy to share.

I'm very familiar with the excitement that comes when first learning about others around the globe that want to exchange written correspondence. And because I lead workshops and manage social media accounts promoting letter writing, I have more than the average amount of pen pals. Things can get out of hand quickly if you don't have a system in place to keep track of incoming and outgoing letters.

There are several ways I stay on track. First, I keep a weekly journal and record incoming and outgoing mail. Second, I set a goal for myself to write an average of two letters per week. Third, I developed a simple filing system for all missives. If you are interested in this system, please check out the video below.

Always remember that writing letters should be a pleasure. Never feel guilty about not responding to letters immediately. Most mature pen pals will understand that and enjoy the surprise of receiving your letters at random.