De-cluttering Week 11 - Refining Filing Systems

I remember hearing that we would use a lot less paper in this computer age. That does not seem to be the case at my house.  It is always a challenge to keep a handle on all that paper, and keep it filed in ways that will help me retrieve what I need when I need it. 

Years ago I purchased this In and Out Tray system, but it quickly became a place to store stuff on a more permanent basis. It was a nice neat stacking system, at least.  I realized that I had been stacking, not actually much else with any of those papers in over a year, so I thought I'd start there.  I sorted and weeded for more than an hour.  I found health, diet and exercise related articles, photography stuff, and computer related information and even a number of news articles on local happenings. I put each of the categories into its own file folder, and put the files into the desk file drawer that I used to have trouble getting at.  There are a couple of other file folders now  holding papers I need to take the time to look more closely at, before deciding what I can actually ditch, and what needs to be properly stored somewhere else.  They can stay, for now, in the tray. 

I know you are wondering why I'd store such papers, when often needed information can be searched for online.  Much of the photography and/or computer related stuff is in the form of e-mails from my learned friends. They have taught me a lot over the years, and these are my "notes" in case I ever forget (which is something that happens more often in recent years).  I value those lessons, so I hang onto them. 

The local news articles are like history of major events that have happened here.  If I was smart, I'd stick them in a scrapbook, or some kind of binder so they could be flipped though more easily.

The health related things are more recent, and have been pulled out of magazines this winter with the idea that I'll try the things mentioned in them.  I'm sure I likely will if I ever get over all these darn winter illnesses that have been plaguing me this year.

Next I moved on to the three tier letter holder.  I tend to put bills and receipts in that, as well as other information I want to be able to reach for at any given time.  The letter holder belongs on the wall, and it was until I moved my office into this room. It's never been hung up in here yet, though it found a place to reside on the box behind be, until I cleaned up that area.  Now it's propped up beside the computer screen, in easy reach.  It will get hung on the wall just as soon as I figure out just where the best spot is now.  No matter where I put it, it won't be as handy as it is at the current moment. I'm sure of that.

I've spent a week with another bad bug and really thought I wouldn't be able to de-clutter anything this week. I felt a little more human yesterday, so I did all this sorting.  How hard could that be?  Well, somehow I must have over done it a bit as I don't feel nearly as well today.  I'm just glad I didn't try
to take on anything more strenuous.

All this reminded me of the box of stuff I took off my desk when I got the new computer and flat screen monitor.  It appears in a photo from when I cleaned off the wooden box and the stuff around it so that I could get at my desk.  Now, maybe I've made enough room to put away some of the stuff that's in that box.  That can be next week's job, if I don't think of something else in the meantime. 
 

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