How Sorting A File Cabinet Got Me Back On Track
January 17, 2008 | In Report From The Field |
I haven’t always been an organized person, but I have been one for over 20 years. At one point I thought this was in direct opposition to what I felt was clutter and disorganization around me in my parents’ home. Although I’m sure that all children want to be different from their parents, my tendency toward organization appears to be an outgrowth of the settling of my personality. Since the first time I actually like being neat and organized, I’ve sought it out everywhere.
My favorite HGTV show is Mission Organization. My desk is the neatest one in my department. I will create filing systems with checklists and labeled folders to keep myself on track. I like having things in their place and bristle when something is out of place. 
However, I don’t like filing away papers I want to save for one reason or another. I like having stuff organized, but if I don’t use it that often, I’m more likely to put it neatly in a box than I am to sort it into categories. I find filing tedious and boring and usually put it off so long it become a real chore. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve told myself that it would be easier if I did a little bit of it every day, but I still don’t.
Given my propensity for neatness, I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that the messiness of doing something totally different, becoming an activist, would throw me for a loop. The more I started to see how I couldn’t get that under control, the more I felt out of control with everything. Including the two file cabinets I have in my home office.
I finally made the time over the weekend to sit down and dig through the mass of paper that I felt was overwhelming me. While tackling the paper in these cabinets isn’t directly an act of activism, it is directly related to my breaking out of my funk and getting back on track. And, in a way, it did help my activist efforts as well, as I’ll explain below. In no particular order, below or several things I learned as I completed this task.
1. I cleared out mental clutter. The two file cabinets I have are cheap white metal, two drawers each. Three of the drawers had files in them, and the fourth I was (and still am) using for storage of computer manuals and empty file folders. Several months ago, I went through my files and sorted everything by Alphabet. I had A-Z folders, but they were bulging and I was afraid to look for anything in them. In addition, if I had too many papers relating to a particular subject (like old tax returns), I started a separate folder. These were all scattered and difficult to find anything in. Although from the outside the cabinets look neat, and my system was probably better than others, it was still a scary place for a woman who cleans (with cleaner and paper towels) her desk every week. Just opening the drawers was enough to give me a headache.
All this was over when I was done. I now have neat files, all labeled (I got a labeling machine for Christmas) and in ABC order. All the extra files have been consolidated and put in ABC order as well. My husband was even amazed when he saw how pretty they are. In addition, I got rid of items I knew I didn’t need, and found some others that I wasn’t sure I still had.
2. I prepared for the future. There is a very good possibility that my husband, kitty, and I will be moving in May. The less we have to move the better. I recycled enough paper that I consolidated all the files down to two drawers in one cabinet. I might even be able to get rid of the second cabinet. How’s that for getting rid of stuff and simplifying?
In addition, now that I’m truly organized, with an index to all the files, I can find whatever I need quickly and easily. Plus, so can anyone else. Therefore, my husband can find our marriage certificate, or the copy of the apartment lease if the need arises.
3. I moved closer to a paperless home office. Over the past several years, I’ve been getting closer and closer to a paperless home office. I don’t print unless I have to and I’ve stopped all paper bills that I can. I’ve even streamlined the bills I do pay so that most of them are paid online. The worst side effect of this is that I have a lot of 39 cent stamps that I’ve had to buy 2 cent stamps to supplement. (For my overseas readers, postage in the US went up to 41 cents about 6 months ago now, although postage was at 39 cents for only a couple of years, if I recall.)
Now, by cleaning out my file cabinets, I’ve taken one step closer. I recycled a lot of stuff because I can find the information online. Appliance manuals, tips for crafts and similar - all tossed in the recycle bin. A lot of the paper that got let go was paper I didn’t even know I had. Because, news flash, I was looking the information up online anyway!
4. I got a great sense of accomplishment that kick started motivation. First and foremost, this motivation has turned into blog posts. I will probably look back on these posts in 6 months and realize they weren’t the most stellar work I’ve done, but they are better than a short note stating some excuse why I’m not posting. Clearing out the file cabinets took 4 hours, but it gave me back so much. I’m certainly hoping that the next round of purging I do will motivate me even more.
And, as I mentioned, this first step in getting rid of stuff and simplifying my life was small, but it was the first step. I saw how much I could do when I set my sights on it and how great I felt afterwards. This afternoon I was reading a book on Downshifting and my mind wandered from the book and starting thinking about sorting through DVDs and CDs. Look out entertainment center, Cathy is in clutter clear out mode!
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has realized what a little organizing can do. I also know that most activists don’t go around bragging about a weekend project clearing out file cabinets. But, in my defense, I’m not yet an activist, and clearing out my file cabinets was fun! Everything I do, no matter how small it seems, I know gets me one step closer. And now that I’ve decided to do a little bit of Downshifting, clearing out my file cabinets actually helps me directly in this endeavor.
So, have you done something lately that really helped give you a new perspective on life? Please let me know in the comments below.
Photo by ARTS
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