If you have been following along on my journey, you will know I have gotten rid of lots of paper clutter in 4 days.  It hasn’t been the usual paper clutter.  It has been the stuff tucked away in boxes and now filing cabinets that I haven’t looked into for about 10 years.  Sure I open the drawers and then I think it is all in place so I will deal with something else.

It wasn’t until recently I realized my home had begun to have more hot spots than usual.  I work hard at the new paper clutter coming in and made a filing system that makes sense to me and is almost done.  As I come upon a piece of paper that needs a file I make one.  How I am doing it quickly is using Post It Notes.  I have found this to be handy.  Still hot spots are around and I have found it taking longer to get my home company ready.

I expect to get rid of many files and folders themselves.  You know there is no exact science to all of this.  One just has to find a way that makes sense to them.  One of the horizontal filing cabinet drawers will be used simply as a drawer.  This is what my plan is.

So how am I going to accomplish this next “Paper Clutter Eliminator” step without tearing up the house?  We still have to keep our basic habits and routines that we have or are working on establishing.  If we don’t do this, this game isn’t going to work.

Why Are We In This Paper Clutter Madness anyway?

Because we didn’t realize “The POWER Of 15 Minutes” and how effective it is.  Since I have been using The Power of 15 Minutes, I knew it would work but I wasn’t ready to tackle those drawers.  I have opened those filing drawers many times and just get overwhelmed with all that is in there. I understood using the 15 minute principle in other areas.  I just wasn’t ready in the world of paper clutter.  The best thing to do was to shut the drawer.  Sure I would pull a few things out here and there during my journey.  Mostly I would open it and then just shut it again.

 Baby Boomer Flysisters Stop Beating Yourselves Up Over Paper Clutter!

Now, there was a time that I used this file cabinet everyday.  The thing is that has been around 15 – 20 years ago.  It did serve its purpose because the technology was just getting started and we all still depended on files.  So, I don’t think the Baby Boomer Flysisters should beat ourselves up over this anymore.  Many things were saved because that was the way it was back then.  There were no computers in the home.  The technical revolution was really just starting and we were headed for some big changes.

I remember this well.  Back in 1989 I worked for a fortune 500 payroll processing corporation.  This is where I first came in contact with the computer.  That was 23 years ago.  We were in the baby stages of this and would be a few more years where everyone would have a home computer.  We started scanning all of our paperwork into the computer.  Online banking became available.  Bill Paying is also available.  Some of us still are not quite there with all of this.  Myself included.  I have started.  I have had my checking account online for a few years.  The other day I finally signed up for Bill Pay.

Where Will We Be In 30 Years?

I wonder in 30 years what type of clutter we will be dealing with?  Obviously digital clutter will be an issue.  But maybe by then paper won’t be so much of an issue and it will just be clothes and toys as the generations that are becoming adults are more of a throw away generation.  This of course is my theory and unrelated to Flylady’s which I have never asked her this question.

All of this information I have been giving you is what I have learned from my experience of the past few days and hope it can be helpful to you.  I am writing all of this in real time so if you are up for it, check back tomorrow and see what else I have learned and can pass on to you!

Keep Working On The Greatest Paper Clutter Eliminator Game and Keep FLYing!
Marilyn

I am going to work on the top drawer today and to keep from getting overwhelmed………

I am going to put it in my portable file box I used in my days of outside sales close to the paper shredder and trash can.