I have decluttered 1,000 pieces of paper in just February. Ninety-nine percent of it was scanned before I recycled it, and this doesn’t include all the photos I’ve added (which is in the hundreds.)
What amazes me is that, even though I have scanned about 3,000 paper items in 2021, I still have thousands left to get rid of. The reason this surprises me is that my paper is organized.
I can put my hand on any bill from the last seven years. I know where all the articles I want to keep are, and I read them all the time. I don’t have horizontal piles of paper; everything is in a file folder, plastic folder, or binder. I like to organize, and my paper reflects this tendency.
Organizing isn’t my problem.
Hiding is my problem. After organizing my paper, I tucked it in a closet, a bin, a drawer, and a shelf. I spread it around, so it didn’t look like a lot. But as I am now discovering, IT’S A LOT.
At the rate I’m scanning things (about 100 items an hour), it will take me a few months to get rid of all the paper in my life. That makes me tired just thinking about it.
I haven’t reached the point where I can see the empty drawers, bins, and shelves because more paper keeps emerging. But I know that day will come, and I will rejoice.
Do you have an item in your life that has multiplied like Tribbles (those cute Star Trek creatures)? Apparently, they keep increasing unless you put a stop to it.
I have a plan for future papers, so my paper overflow can’t happen again. That is my favorite part. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Realizing there is a problem is the first step. Accepting that you can stop the overflow is the second. The actual reduction isn’t hard, but it can be tedious. I’m sure the end results will be worth it.
I’ll let you know when that day arrives. Sometime in mid-March at the earliest.