The Lounge
Well here I am again. Putting the same resolution on my list year after year. "Tackle the paper monster and squash it for good." This time, I'm serious. I've had it! It's the only thing in my home that I cannot control (besides my weight);whole other topic. I consider myself to be fairly organized. My house is always respectably clean. I could work on the laundry a bit more, but I've made a lot more progress this year in that area. So now, PAPER! I hate it & hate handling it. It makes my brain cluttered, not too mention, makes me feel disorganized, which in turn wastes a lot of my time!
My background: My husband and I own a business and work out of our home (Over 5 years now). I have a home office, two file cabinets, scanners, smartphones and access to all things internet, apps, etc. I have plenty of space to put things in, 3-ring binders, folders, etc. but it all ends up on my desk - the biz stuff, the kids stuff (ages 14 and 9) both in public school, sports, religious ed. I love to coupon, still read magazines/newspapers, use sticky notes, notepads, calendars, both offline and online ones.
Can someone tell me their magical way in taming the beast??? My biggest issue is my kids artwork, schoolwork (yes, I do save some of their stories they've written because well, they're great!), biz receipts, invoices, house bills, then there's printed pics and cards, i.e. bday, anniversary. I have somehow managed to have all of these items on the desk at the same time. UUgghh!!! I've kept my desk clean a whole week and then it starts to creep up again and then it somehow multiplied into a litte monster. The only thing that's somewhat peaking my interest is taking a pic with my smartphone and saving online. Has anyone done this with any success?? Surefire suggestions welcome. No judgements/criticisms please :) Thanks!
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I have the same paper monster!!!! I'm awful about it! -
You are not alone! I went through just one tall pile on my desk and had 2 bags of trash. Still have to force myself to file and go through and take care of some other stuff.
The truth is that if we took one item and handled it, it isn't nearly as bad as we think and doesn't take very long either. It's just getting started for me. Argh!
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Get "Going Paperless for Dummies" , learn how to use your scanner and digital filing system, then DO IT.
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I hear ya I have the same problem. I got most of organized nod gone through now for the going paperless part. Where to find to motivation
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I totally understand that!
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Good luck! :-) -
Paper mess is my final frontier, too. DRIVES ME NUTS. Good luck conquering yours!
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No idea...I have the same problem. -
Update: I have discovered Evernote and it is awesome. Used mainly for receipts, kids school notices, report cards, medical records, statements, bills, solicitations, FYI's, etc.. I use it with my scanner and it scans direcly into Evernote. I've decided I'm going to make yearbooks (in large binders) for each kid, it will contain artwork, awards, pix and so on and it will be labeled for each kid and year. A friend of mind gave me this great idea. I used to scrapbook, but it was too time consuming, this will be more like putting things into clear page protectors so nothing will fade or deterioate. And, if I ever have the time, I'd love to do photobooks for all my online pix. It's wishful thinking so wish me luck!! I'm starting to think I can slay and kill the paper monster! Yeah!
