Paper, Glorious Paper
I have a love-hate relationship with paper.
Since I can remember, I have always loved paper. Whether it's reading, writing, getting "fun" mail, looking at magazines, working on the newspaper staff in high school--I like paper, plain and simple. I even like the smell of some paper (does anyone know what I'm talking about? the smell of a new magazine or a new book?) I get excited about the blank paper in journals, and I don't care how many notepads I have around the house--I can always use one more.
But, paper has started to get on my nerves, too.
With each day, more paper comes in the mail--bills, medical statements, financial statements, advertisements, magazines, catalogs. . . .and while there is quite a bit of junk mail, there are also those "important" documents that I can't just toss in the trash.
Ever since I graduated college (and that was many moons ago), I've kept some file folders of stuff. This includes bills, medical records, tax documents, pay stubs. . . you get the idea. All things that need to be filed for "future reference." You know--in case the IRS comes knocking or I need to refer back to that hospital bill from eight years ago when I was in a horse accident (and yes, I actually did refer back to it last year--so you see, two points for me in keeping that, right?)
So, I have these file folders that have expanded to include: Insurance, Credit Cards (for credit card receipts), Home (for repairs, appliances purchased), Medical, Sentimental--
Ok, gotta stop myself right there and talk about this: the Sentimental category. I've always been one to save cards--birthday cards, Valentine's cards, Mother's Day cards, encouraging notes--all of them. I remember not too long ago going through a box of cards at my mom's house that I had kept from childhood. I found card upon card that had been given to me from relatives or friends on various holidays and celebrations--and I kept almost all of them! And, yes, it was fun to go through and re-read them (not to mention the fun in noticing how much cards have changed through the decades), but I finally had to reduce my collection to a select few.
I still save cards and notes that I receive. Years ago, I started to put them in a spiral-bound book---taping them in the pages in chronological order. I probably have three large books filled. To me, those are just as special as photos. The words in those pages capture a memory just as much as some pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words--but the words of a sweet friend or family member are priceless.
So, you can see, I have this dilemma on what to do with all this paper. Obviously, I've drawn the line with notes and cards--can't part with those (or at least, not as easily). I used to save every. single.piece of sentimental paper--ticket stubs, programs, placecards for a dinner--you name it, I saved it. I have gotten better. Now, I just close my eyes and toss it in the trash, looking the other way. Not really. But, you get the idea. Just trust me when I say I have gotten a little bit better in that category.
So, I have this dilemma with paper. Part of my problem, I realize, is that I fall prey to the line of thought, "Well, I may need that some day." So, inevitably, I hold onto it, filing it away. And, when I go through every so often and purge those folders, many of those papers remain in the category of "I may need that some day." Thankfully, I've started reducing the number of bills and statements that come in the mail by asking to receive them via the internet. That's a start.
And, I've gotten better about at least getting the paper into the folders, as opposed to moving them from one pile in the house to another pile.
Can anyone relate? I used to have these nomadic piles--they would sit in the kitchen or on the table, then I would "clean" the table and move them to the buffet table, then they would find their way to the office and after about 2 weeks, they would get filed.
I read, though, about a helpful acronym: OHIO
Only Handle It Once
Whenever you open your mail, do something with it right away. Throw it out, file a bill to be paid, put an invitation in the calendar or on the refrigerator or file something in a folder.
That's helped with time-management--but I still have lots of paper.
Maybe I need that organizing guru--the guy who's been featured on Oprah--to come to my house and help me de-clutter the paper.
Does anyone out there have any pointers on how to handle the paper overload?
Since I can remember, I have always loved paper. Whether it's reading, writing, getting "fun" mail, looking at magazines, working on the newspaper staff in high school--I like paper, plain and simple. I even like the smell of some paper (does anyone know what I'm talking about? the smell of a new magazine or a new book?) I get excited about the blank paper in journals, and I don't care how many notepads I have around the house--I can always use one more.
But, paper has started to get on my nerves, too.
With each day, more paper comes in the mail--bills, medical statements, financial statements, advertisements, magazines, catalogs. . . .and while there is quite a bit of junk mail, there are also those "important" documents that I can't just toss in the trash.
Ever since I graduated college (and that was many moons ago), I've kept some file folders of stuff. This includes bills, medical records, tax documents, pay stubs. . . you get the idea. All things that need to be filed for "future reference." You know--in case the IRS comes knocking or I need to refer back to that hospital bill from eight years ago when I was in a horse accident (and yes, I actually did refer back to it last year--so you see, two points for me in keeping that, right?)
So, I have these file folders that have expanded to include: Insurance, Credit Cards (for credit card receipts), Home (for repairs, appliances purchased), Medical, Sentimental--
Ok, gotta stop myself right there and talk about this: the Sentimental category. I've always been one to save cards--birthday cards, Valentine's cards, Mother's Day cards, encouraging notes--all of them. I remember not too long ago going through a box of cards at my mom's house that I had kept from childhood. I found card upon card that had been given to me from relatives or friends on various holidays and celebrations--and I kept almost all of them! And, yes, it was fun to go through and re-read them (not to mention the fun in noticing how much cards have changed through the decades), but I finally had to reduce my collection to a select few.
I still save cards and notes that I receive. Years ago, I started to put them in a spiral-bound book---taping them in the pages in chronological order. I probably have three large books filled. To me, those are just as special as photos. The words in those pages capture a memory just as much as some pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words--but the words of a sweet friend or family member are priceless.
So, you can see, I have this dilemma on what to do with all this paper. Obviously, I've drawn the line with notes and cards--can't part with those (or at least, not as easily). I used to save every. single.piece of sentimental paper--ticket stubs, programs, placecards for a dinner--you name it, I saved it. I have gotten better. Now, I just close my eyes and toss it in the trash, looking the other way. Not really. But, you get the idea. Just trust me when I say I have gotten a little bit better in that category.
So, I have this dilemma with paper. Part of my problem, I realize, is that I fall prey to the line of thought, "Well, I may need that some day." So, inevitably, I hold onto it, filing it away. And, when I go through every so often and purge those folders, many of those papers remain in the category of "I may need that some day." Thankfully, I've started reducing the number of bills and statements that come in the mail by asking to receive them via the internet. That's a start.
And, I've gotten better about at least getting the paper into the folders, as opposed to moving them from one pile in the house to another pile.
Can anyone relate? I used to have these nomadic piles--they would sit in the kitchen or on the table, then I would "clean" the table and move them to the buffet table, then they would find their way to the office and after about 2 weeks, they would get filed.
I read, though, about a helpful acronym: OHIO
Only Handle It Once
Whenever you open your mail, do something with it right away. Throw it out, file a bill to be paid, put an invitation in the calendar or on the refrigerator or file something in a folder.
That's helped with time-management--but I still have lots of paper.
Maybe I need that organizing guru--the guy who's been featured on Oprah--to come to my house and help me de-clutter the paper.
Does anyone out there have any pointers on how to handle the paper overload?
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