Paper Clutter

Am I the only one having to deal with paper clutter? I really like getting out but yesterday, I had to put off going to the Farmer's Market to deal with it. Two full trash bags full of it. It had all been neatly stacked in various boxes and baskets waiting to be decided on. I guess it is ambivalence but yesterday was a do or die day.

Ambivalence stemming from, do I keep that card my friend sent me? It had such a kind message. I need a tangible reminder. Or I need to pay that in two weeks. Or I need to deal with such and such a situation, but I am putting it off. Which takes me to another word. Procrastination.

Procrastination, is a misnomer. It start with pro which is a positive, but the rest is negative. It is based on fear, isn't it? What will happen if I deal with this. What will they think, if I can't make that payment? What if? What if...

Anyway, some of these papers were so out of date it was easy to deal with them. Others I had settled already. There were five envelopes that had addresses I needed to write down. So what I am figuring out, is I need to have an address book near by, in the kitchen, as well as a shredder, which I already have, and I need to have to have a system. I already throw away the junk mail as I receive it. But I need to be honest with myself. Perhaps call a spade a spade.

Perhaps I need to have a category called: Afraid to deal with! followed by Deal with it! as an encouragement. Another category called due in two weeks. To be filed. To photocopy. To decide. The point is I am going to deal with my mail in a more timely manner because I am starting to like not having all those boxes stashed away or stacked in a corner.

Maybe I am not alone.

I have only one more basket to sort and I will be through. I am going to design this system. It might just work, not only for me, but for someone else.