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Post by grasshopper on Sept 19, 2014 11:23:28 GMT -5
Sorry PaperGrace. My fault. It was late. But please do join the thread!
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Post by papermoon on Sept 19, 2014 20:45:51 GMT -5
papermoon. How much time are you going to spend per day? Or are you setting a different kind of goal? Do you count e-mail as paper clutter? I think I'm ready to set a daily time goal, but I think I'll start very small, like 10 min. I'm not quite sure how much time I'll spend. But increments of 12 minutes seem to be my magic number, so perhaps one or two 12-minute sessions per day. I'm still shaping my plan of attack, to start on Monday... then I'll track it on my private blog, with occasional check-ins here. I do my digital decluttering as a separate task... I've been doing that daily for nearly a month and it's going quite well. Pain-free even.
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Post by lostchild on Sept 19, 2014 23:54:21 GMT -5
Did some more work today but just in opening mail. Another fear letter arrived but I am painting pictures with my daughter. House has gotten so much better I have time to be a better parent.
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Post by cando on Sept 20, 2014 0:13:10 GMT -5
lostchild -- That is wonderful that the house is better & you have time to be a better parent. Wow! Sorry it's been so long, once again... An update: Sept. 2 - 24 papers into recycle bag from floor of DD's bedroom. Also, removed bag of papers from DS' s room "to be shred". Spent 24 minutes going thru some papers that were on Dining Room Table -- 1 magazine put in my room. Did some Donation Paperwork & 5 papers put in recycle bag & filed 4 papers. Spent 15 minutes making Estimated Tax Payment & got it ready to mail. Made mini storage payment (15 min). Entered info from papers from DD's room into computer. Then, 2 papers put into recycle bag. (13 min). Sept. 3 - Went to post office and mailed tax payment certified. Spent 30 minutes decluttering papers including mail from yesterday that was on Dining Room Table. 2 coupons put where they go, 2 magazines put in my bedroom, 3 papers "to be shred", 1 paper tossed. 49 papers/packets/paper type stuff into recycle bag. Also, spent 23 minutes printing out forms re: Lawyer Project & doing paperwork re: Lawyer Project. 45 minutes spent completing forms for New Dog for Camp Bow Wow. Printed the forms (problems printing). Made list for tomorrow. Sept. 4 - 24 minutes = Went thru some papers from Dining Room Table & Office in a Bag -- 4 papers "to be filed", 2 coupons put where they go. Entered book on my book list so I can give away book. 17 papers into recycle bag. 53 minutes = Decluttering/organizing papers from Dining Room Table/Searching for papers re: Lawyer Project. 25 papers into recycle bag. 1 bag of recyclable paper type stuff taken to outside can. Paid bills. Sept 7 - Worked on paperwork for "Lawyer Project" at least 4 hours. Sept 8 - Went thru bunch of papers for Lawyer Project. Also, did paperwork for Lawyer Project. Sept. 9 - 1 hour 15 min. = Did more paperwork re: Lawyer Project & a phone call, too. 11 hours = Stayed up most the night working on Lawyer Project - Master Procrastinator... me! Sept. 11 - 4 hours - Lawyer Project. Sept. 13 - Spent 7 hours searching for more important papers re: Parent's Legal Project. New Name, new project -- continuation of Lawyer Project. Sept. 14 - Did lots of paper organizing re: lawyer project and Parent's Legal Project. Sept. 17 - 1 hour = Went thru mail from last 2 weeks that was on Dining Room Table. Coupons put where they go, 3 catalogs/magazines put by my bed, bills put in Office in a Bag, 16 papers "to be shred", 1 paper holding out for DH, have some mail to send to both DD and DS. Phone call re: letter from our medical insurance. 89 papers into recycle bag. Looked into 2 medical bills that I need to call about. 4 papers into recycle bag. Went thru today's mail - 1 to be shred, 1 I'll need to calla bout, put some papers in Office in a Bag. 3 papers into recycle bag. Sept. 18 - Re-calculated 1 of my medical bills. They were billing for something they shouldn't, but was able to see where they backed it out. whew! Sept. 19 - Went thru yesterday's mail & today's mail. 6 papers into trash. 6 papers into recycle bag. Put bag of paper recyclables into garage. CD
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Post by lostchild on Sept 20, 2014 0:31:05 GMT -5
can do you have done a terrific job. I have to do paperwork in spurts. I find it more effective. I take a four or five hour block,an energy drink and dig in!!!
I am having a mini session tomorrow sometime!!! Focusing now on cleaning my store room. Its an interesting area. I am getting to find some of everything for every listzilla on site.
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Post by lostchild on Sept 20, 2014 1:10:37 GMT -5
Just found papers from robbery that were issued by insurance company! Found daughter's papers from last school year. Tossed those!
Tossed old crayons and got more stuff trashed.
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Post by grasshopper on Sept 21, 2014 3:19:36 GMT -5
I am seriously considering starting a 10min per day paper clutter challenge, papermoon. Mon would be a good day to start for me too.
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Post by papermoon on Sept 22, 2014 21:32:56 GMT -5
grasshopper, I'm starting today any minute now... really. No really, I mean it! I'll be doing 12 minutes a day for the first week. Then I'll add another 12-minute segment each week until I reach my goal of 1 hour daily. In the past I've tried 10 minutes (not enough for me)... 15 minutes (anxiety rising)... and even a few attempts at 1 hour (paralysis for months afterward). So this time I'm going to sneak up on my 1-hour goal, 12 minutes at a time. I hope it works! I've been very good about keeping on top of current papers and the daily mail... with the exception of medical papers. Ever since I became eligible for Medicare, those papers come in faster than I can process them in the short time I've been allotting to the task. Also, I have a huge pileup of really OLD papers from the last millennium. So altogether I've got plenty to fill 1 hour a day ad infinitum. And why shouldn't I? I'm retired now, so I may as well make this my "job." The salary sucks, but the benefits are fabulous.
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Post by papermoon on Sept 22, 2014 22:33:46 GMT -5
A bit nervous when I realized it has been 5 months since I last seriously looked into the paper piles. I dived back in, but only into the shallow end of the pool for now. Nothing earth-shattering, just misc. sorting and shredding for 12 minutes. Now for a cup of tea to settle my queasy tummy.
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Post by grasshopper on Sept 22, 2014 23:32:57 GMT -5
10 min x day 1! Sorted contents of a desk drawer. Reduced it by 3/4. I still need to find proper places for what's left, as I want to get rid of that desk. Took about 45 min. I was watching tv at the same time. Yah! We did it, papermoon! First day's goal accomplished! I think the next 12 min won't be as nauseating, papermoon.
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Post by nekomom on Sept 23, 2014 8:11:19 GMT -5
I worked on papers yesterday. I have recommitted to the backlog and dived in. I survived and shall dive on in again today.
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Post by PaperGrace on Sept 23, 2014 12:32:49 GMT -5
Yesterday I had a burst of ability.
I went through all the papers on the bar top. It took hours. It was pretty much all the mail we've gotten since mid-April.
There is now a binder system in place for important papers. We'll see how long it lasts this time.
I'm thinking from this starting point I could maybe handle doing a little bit every day. All the new, and then a handful of old.
Also, I need a shredder.
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Post by cando on Sept 23, 2014 14:19:57 GMT -5
Good going, everyone! Decided that I will no longer post about paperwork that I am working on, but only post about when I am decluttering, filing, organizing, tossing, or disposing of paper type stuff. Sept. 22nd - Monday: took 2 1/2 bags of paper type recyclables to outside can, took bag of shreds to outside recycle can. CD
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Post by grasshopper on Sept 24, 2014 1:17:25 GMT -5
Congratulations on all the progress, nekomom, papergrace, and cando!
10 min x 2nd day!
Longer really. I'm sorting through a box of old professional papers. I think I'll finish the first go through tonight. Then I will have a much smaller pile to cope with.
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Post by papermoon on Sept 24, 2014 2:11:31 GMT -5
I did my 12 minutes today, second day in a row, and I lived to tell the tale.
I started dismantling a journal containing revelations I would never want anyone to read. It was important at the time (2012) to write it all down, but those dark days are gone now. The book itself is a really beautiful leather journal made in Italy, and only about 20 percent of the pages have been written on. So I'm slicing out those pages with an X-Acto and sending them to the shredder. I'll keep the remaining book for something less, um, fraught.
I've been putting off this task for a long time, because I thought it would be too painful. But I am getting some very good insights from re-reading it now... then into the shredder, no regrets.
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