Final answer:
To eliminate piles, the most effective strategy is to keep flat surfaces clear, which promotes immediate action and prevents the accumulation of clutter.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to eliminate piles, you must keep flat surfaces clear. This is a common principle in organization and productivity strategies. Piling is often the result of postponed decisions or tasks, which accumulate and create clutter. By keeping flat surfaces clear, you encourage immediate action on items such as mail, documents, and other materials. Instead of creating piles, you should take immediate action by sorting, filing, discarding, or completing tasks as soon as they arise.
Additionally, having a special pile for mail only temporarily organizes the clutter without truly addressing the underlying issue. Organizing the stacks of papers and reducing the use of hanging files can be a part of a larger organizational system, but they do not directly prevent the formation of new piles.