04.14.08
Has anyone seen my desk?
I’ve lost my desk to paper piles and disorganization again. Somehow, all of my grand attempts to keep paper clutter off my desk and filed away have completely failed me. Stacks of papers, problem books, and partially completed projects have crept up from the depths of Paper Hell and spread themselves across my desk. Some papers blend into two piles simultaneously, which means if I bother to throw anything away, I’ll have read it and evaluate it before I pitch it.
I know what the problem is– I’ve not been filing papers as soon as I touch them. I caught myself throwing a piece of paper on a pile today and thinking, “I’ll file it later.” Bad girl! That’s how I got into so much trouble in the first place. Too much procrastination makes for a huge project later.
To make matters worse, I haven’t been cleaning off my desk at the end of the day. I’ve been too exhausted and overwhelmed to organize my papers at any point in the day, which means I start the next day exhausted and overwhelmed just looking at the mess when I walk into my office. The paper gremlins seem to multiply when I’m distracted by a crisis or have too many meetings in one day.
Cleaning off my desk is like working out– I know it’s good for me and I know how good I’ll feel after my workout, but some days it’s easier to lie on the couch and watch TV while grazing from a bag of potato chips. It’s painless to let the mess build up, but stressful and unhealthy to live this way in the long run. (Too bad those papers aren’t really potato chips– I doubt I’d let them pile up!)
Maybe the vacation day I randomly scheduled for this Friday is the medicine I need to take. I will make it my goal to clear off my desk (and not just pile it in a corner), so that when I return next Monday, I’ll start with a clear idea of what next week’s problems and priorities will be.
04.01.08
Paper panic
I couldn’t find two very important pieces of paper yesterday and such a feeling of panic arose in me. I’ve been working very hard to file papers as soon as I got them, not touch them more than once, and not stack them in piles. I’ve really grown to like the clean desktop concept and the feeling of calm that comes with it. Then when I couldn’t find these two pieces of paper, my first thought was, “Eeeek, I’ve thrown them away by mistake! How could I have done that? It was such a bad idea to get organized. I knew where everything was when it was in piles.”
I frantically searched what remained of my piles and files: my nearly empty in-box, a pile of stuff left over from the big purge awhile back, and a folder marked “DO.” I found some interesting stuff I’d forgotten about squirreled away in those places, like those darned appraisals I was going to do a few weeks ago. But I didn’t find the papers I was looking for.
In a fit of desperation, I checked the green conference bag I bring to work every day, sure I wouldn’t find them in there. Why would I take them home with me?, I asked myself. They were part of a larger group of papers, so I wouldn’t need them by themselves.
Surprise! That’s where they were. I was relieved I found them, frustrated I couldn’t find them, and aggravated that I forgot where I put them. Some days I feel like I wake up and have totally forgotten everything that happened in my life up until that morning.
03.15.08
Clean desktop
Ever since I purged my desktop and files of several pounds of paper two weeks ago, I’ve become accustomed to seeing lots of white space on my desktop. I can honestly say I’m hooked on it. I can see the smooth, flat, light gray Formica for the first time in years. It brings a feeling of peacefulness to the whole room.
Anything that lands on the desk doesn’t stay there long now– that’s my new goal. I can say it’s almost becoming an obsession to keep paper off my desktop. I want it clean when I leave at the end of the day, which is what most normal people do. But I’m not normal and many times in the past, I’d leave stuff out when I left, because I knew I’d be working on it the next day. As long as it wasn’t confidential paperwork, why bother to put it away? I’d just have to get it out again. I was partly afraid if I put it away, I’d forget the next day I was working on it. You know– out of sight, out of mind.
The best incentive of all is the reduction in my stress levels. Seeing a clean desktop at the end of one workday and at the beginning of the next tells me everything is going to be all right and that I can handle all of my projects, employees, and responsibilities. That’s probably the best reason of all to keep it clean.
02.28.08
Controlling paper clutter
There was an article in our Sunday paper where readers shared with Sara Noel of Frugal Village their tips on how to control paper clutter. While I’m still struggling to figure out which method would work for me, I can tell you which ones won’t (hint: all of them).
Go paperless: this reader scanned paper documents and saved the digital images to a removable hard drive. Bad idea for me: I already have a problem organizing my born digital documents, much less any I would scan in order to eliminate paper from my life.
Box system: this reader put all of their paperwork into a box and at the end of the month, went through the box and paid bills, sent birthday cards, etc.
Bad idea for me: I’d never go through the box and bills would go unpaid. I already have a hard enough time sending birthday cards despite having a whole desk drawer full of them. Maybe I should send them all on Jan. 1st every year.
Immediate action: this reader opens mail next to their filing cabinet.
Bad idea for me: this is way too easy, therefore I don’t do it. Procrastination doesn’t allow it.
Prioritize: this reader pays all bills online and stores things in binders if they think it’s worth the time to punch holes in paper and file it that way.
Bad idea for me: I don’t trust online bill paying (yet) and who has time to punch holes in papers? I just let ‘em pile up. They don’t fit in my overstuffed binders anyway.
Portable file, one for each family member: this reader handles papers only once and files papers in boxes or portable files according to family member.
Bad idea for me: I would need extra large boxes for all the papers I keep that pertain to my kids (oops! already have ‘em and they’re full!) and what fun is it if I can’t pick up the paper several times and never know what to do with it?
Self-discipline: this reader says don’t waste time filing papers you don’t need to save. Besides, it’s probably on the Web if you need it.
Bad idea for me: I don’t have any self-discipline and can’t figure out what to keep or pitch. Besides, I’d probably have to bookmark it on the Web so I can come back to it later. Then I’d have to organize my bookmarks.
Create deadlines: this reader creates boxes with deadlines for catalogs, throwing them out a month after they arrive.
Bad idea for me: who has so much free time they can track the age of their mail-order catalogs? I wait until there’s a huge pile and the year on them doesn’t match the current year in which I’m living, then I pitch them.
P.S. I recently found out I have a moderate case of AD/HD, so I’m going to have to work twice as hard as the next gal to stay on top of projects, mail, email, paperwork, and everything else. Wish me luck. If anyone with AD/HD has practical, useful advice, please share it. 
02.26.08
Old papers
I tried in vain today to file a piece of paper in one of my hanging files located at the back of my lateral file drawer. All the hanging files in front of it were so stuffed I couldn’t slide the file forward, much less squeeze in one skinny piece of paper. I decided to temporarily remove 3 very fat hanging files in order to reach the file at the back. I quickly leafed through it, purging some of the contents and sending them to the recycle bin. What a small triumph to let go of old stuff I didn’t need, much less know I had!
Hmmm… What if I spent a little time each day (or week– let’s not get too excited here) going through each file folder doing the same thing? Could I free up needed space for future papers and project folders? It’s worth a try. I’m desperate. The piles and files aren’t getting smaller on their own and the clutter, both visible and in drawers, is getting on my last nerve.
