Conquering the summit

I have been watching Clean House and Clean Sweep and Mission Organization for several years now. For those of you who don’t know, they are all television shows about how to organize your possessions. They really have been inspiring.

Last year, I had a yard sale to get rid of un-used or under-used possessions. I made over three hundred dollars in one day, selling nothing for over forty dollars (and that was only one item). I wasn’t there to maximize the cash. I was there to minimize the mess. And it worked. I’ve got fewer possessions that I have to deal with. The ones I kept have a purpose, and I know where they are.

Believe it or not, I work as a professional organizer in addition to being a writer and a teacher of writing. Other people’s stuff? I can sort, keep, recycle, containerize, with no problem. Same thing for my possessions. But…

My bug-a-boo is paper.

Several decades ago, I developed a phobia about opening my mail. I don’t know why. Perhaps it is because the only mail I ever seem to receive is bills or junk mail. I’ve never had a snake show up in the mail box; no one has ever put an envelope full of dog waste in my mail either. (I once had an unpleasant roommate who sent dog poo to our frat-boy neighbors, but she did not send it to me). I really am perplexed about this mail-opening phobia. In addition, I have always been scared that if I throw something away, that I will need it later. So I keep things—receipts, instructions, interesting news articles, old magazines. Rather than filing these things, I stack them. And the stacks have gotten out of hand.

Recently, I decided that my life will be better if I follow through on all my efforts to get my office neat, so I have begun dealing with all the paper. I set the timer for an hour, and work to sort, file, and purge my papers. After an hour, I stop. It doesn’t matter if there is more to be done tomorrow. There will always be paper to deal with tomorrow. And the day after that, too.
I am actually managing to dig to the bottom of piles. I find that I keep far too much—stuff I really don’t need. If I haven’t referred to it in months, I probably will never need to.
I am also finding that I am glad that I have kept some stuff—not kidding, the notes from the “how to open a business” seminar I took ten years ago—yes, ten years ago—are worth reviewing and working on again. Luckily, I have those notes, and they are in good shape. I actually filed them away in a three-ring binder, so that they will look good on a shelf, not filling up a pile.
And when I am done with the paper purge, I will really be confident in my organizing ability and more confident about hiring myself out as a pro-organizer. Paper is the summit of the profession.

I know that a lot of writers have a problem with too much paper. Hey, we are writers aren't we? Isn't paper a large part of our lives? Just make sure that you don't let it take over yours.