Organize my papers

I can’t mark off any more piles as done, but I am making significant progress on two of them: left of the computer and right of the computer. I’m feeling less claustrophobic at my desk; it’s almost as if I can feel the peace spreading out a little from the keyboard.

Today I also got rid of an old computer desk and an ottoman that were just taking up space to no good purpose.

I’ve given up on a lot of little tricks to get myself to do this (rewards, timers, etc.), and am approaching it a little more like my knitting. Just do it. Pick up the first thing on the top, and keep going for a while until your brain or hands are tired. By golly, it’s working.

Well, it took me nearly all day of agonizing before I could actually get myself to do anything, but then I really did some things. Current status:

1) Left Side of computer
2) In front of keyboard DONE
3) Right side of computer
4) Box next to right side of computer
5) Pile next to box
6) Box on floor below pile (includes yarn and socks)
7) Box below that box
8) Small pile on ironing board (but important – contains lease to be signed) DONE (and signed lease)
9) Cart next to bedroom door DONE
10) Box next to cart

- Plus put away everything else piled up on the ironing board, and organized all the stuff that had piled up in several boxes behind the ironing board (mostly cleaning products & tools).
- Plus cleaned out the cabinets under the kitchen and bathroom sinks (where the cleaning products were going.)
- Plus dusted a little around where the papers had been.

Very productive. The rest of the papers are still daunting, but I feel like I have a chance with them.

I have piles of papers everywhere. Or at least it seems like everywhere. Actually, I’m in much better shape than I was five years ago, but I seem to have reached a plateau. I have other objects I could organize, but the papers bother me a lot.

Piles o’ papers:
1) Left Side of computer
2) In front of keyboard
3) Right side of computer
4) Box next to right side of computer
5) Pile next to box
6) Box on floor below pile (includes yarn and socks)
7) Box below that box
8) Small pile on ironing board (but important – contains lease to be signed)
9) Cart next to bedroom door
10) Box next to cart

I think that’s it…..

I’ve tried breaking it into smaller pieces, but either I’m still overwhelmed, or the pieces so small that I don’t make much progress very quickly and I get discouraged and give up.

Hopefully putting this in a goal will change that.