my paper problem

[Sara]

I think I've always had a paper problem. I can still remember being in junior high and saving every single little note from friends and magazine clippings. lol Back then, my mom bought me a huge cardboard storage box to put it all in.

Here I am years later and I have little notes all over. I write on backs of envelopes, have incoming mail stacked up, magazines to go through, artwork from the kids, and sooo many papers that come home from school with Zachary. I try hard to keep up with it, but each week I'm staring at these same piles. They just don't ever entirely go away. I know it's not even possible to not have any, but I've got to get on top of this because of how it drives me batty to look at it.

I've decided to use a sterlite storage container on wheels for now. I've decided it doesn't matter to me if the papers themselves are super organized. I just want it where it's not something I look at every single day. I can keep it in the office/computer room and everything will just be handy. It has three drawers and I usually have 3 piles. :D I want my counters clear sooo badly.

I know this is hardly revolutionary, but these paper piles make me nuts and I just announced to Gabe that I've just had enough. lol I'm off to haul my sterlite container upstairs. :D

[homemaker carol]

:D

Dd is like you Sara, she won't throw a single piece of paper away. Now I see whats shes going to be like when she gets older. :eek:

[Sara]

The good thing is what I describe as piles/stacks is probably not what other people consider a stack. To me anything over 2 pieces of paper is the beginnings of a stack. lol I like things orderly and papers is definitely my weakest area.

Gabe is worse in some odd bad habits. Here's one...I have 4 large glass vases on the entryway counters. I put them there hoping it would prevent the "stacks" of paper from accumulating. Nope. We still manage to shove an envelope here and a magazine there. Gabe has even started putting receipts in my vases! How bad is that???

The very weird thing is that if someone else were to tell me they had this same problem, I'd say oh just put it in a file system. I've got a file cabinet and I don't use it. I'm in this habit and feel like a 12 yr old over how I just don't take the time to organize it well. I figure ok I'm going to progress to this sterlite container and then graduate to my file cabinet. :D

I'm a work in progress over here. Always striving to improve my systems or lack of systems. :D

I'd love to say it's because I've got better things to do and focus on and that is truthful, but c'mon now. It wouldn't take me longer overall if I simply put it in my file cabinet.

At UPS I was in loss prevention and the queen of detail, documentation, and filing. I think that job did me in. lol It was kinda frightening that everything I ever did was filed into a cabinet. I used to have dreams at night of tons of these file cabinets filling a warehouse room after I'd worked there for 30 yrs. lol

Ok, now I've rambled and shared more than anyone wants to know. lol Too much coffee!