Where’s the Dining Room Table?

Ask The Organizer...

by Devora Farrell of ThisOrganized, LLC

If your answer is, “Under all that paper, most of the time,” then this one’s for you. What you can learn from this:

·       You and/or your designated paper-processer person prefers to spread your papers across a horizontal surface to better see everything

·       If you do not currently have a desk for this purpose, you may wish to acquire one or use a rolling file cart that can be relocated as needed

·       There are some decisions you can make in advance, for example:

o  Remove all mail from the envelope in which it arrived and discard the envelope

o  Discard any return envelope for bills you wish to pay online (if the envelope is pre-stamped, please do not use the stamp for a different purpose; it’s not honest)

o  Discard all mass-mailing results that you have not specifically requested

o  Assuming you have internet access, transfer all anticipated bills to an autopay system

o  Any document that can be readily accessed online does not require a hard copy

o  Any mail that you do not specifically need to keep can be shredded

o  Set up manila folders or envelopes or grocery-delivery-sized boxes labeled with categories or vendors or family members’ names to begin to sort documents

o  All charity solicitations can go in one box or bag to be processed in batches

o  The dining room table will be cleared every day before dinnertime (without relocating any papers to a different horizontal space)

o  All daily publications can be purged after a day, all weeklies after a week, all monthlies,  after a month and so on; life goes on, information gets updated, processes are refined—it’s really okay if you don’t avail yourself of every possible source of knowledge

o  If an item has not been discarded yet, it does not necessarily mean that it was saved for any particular reason—it just may have been overlooked

o  If you’re not sure what to do with something, put it aside and move on so as not to interrupt the momentum

o  If your brain is feeling like it’s been in a blender, it’s time to take a break

·       Choose a sorting system that you can actually see yourself using based on how you think, rather than a one-size-fits-all

·       Guilt and self-flagellation has no role in this process; so stop it already!

·       Give your new habits time to establish themselves, re-evaluate in 3 months and tweak the system, then re-evaluate in another 3 months

·       Baby steps—you don’t have to solve it all in one shot

·       If budget allows, consider hiring a personal assistant for a few hours a week to keep you current

·       If it’s a particularly busy time of year (ahem!), you have my permission to bag or box it all up and deal with it later; you’ll still have a clear dining room table

·       Once you’re aware of your endurance level and pace, schedule upkeep appointments to keep it going

·       Know that out-of-control-paper is the number one reason clients give for calling me and scheduling time (3 today, so far…)

·       “This too shall pass”

Mrs. Devora Farrell really does love doing this. Really. Everyone needs their activity they do to unwind. This is one of hers, with rearranging closets as a close second. She can be reached at [email protected] or (973) 919-7761. And yes, she is still scheduling appointments before Pesach.