Let the Games Begin

AAARRGH, the dreaded paper pile…or in my case, piles.  If the surface is flat, I will inevitably place something on it.  I have piles of children’s artwork, piles of mail, piles of receipts, piles of “I have to get to that” stuff, etc.  I do not think any countertop, table, or dresser is immune.  The problem with this “filing system” is that A) it is not very aesthetic, and B) I cannot find anything without rummaging for it. 

My goals for this part of my journey are to:

• File all important documents in one manageable file system.
• Put all unnecessary papers in the recycle bin.
• Frame the children’s keepsakes.
• Dump the excess children’s artwork (SSHHH! Don’t tell them, please.  They think that they are all keepsakes.)
•  Clear my surfaces.

This task is tantamount to moving a mountain.  Not only do I catch papers on my surfaces; I also bag the paperwork up really fast if I have company coming.  I have all good intentions to go back and empty the bag appropriately, but that does not seem to happen.  When I finally do go through an old bag (usually to look for something important that should have been filed immediately), I discover that most of the “stuff” in the bag should have been discarded, not saved.  So one countertop, one table, one bag at a time I WILL CONQUER THIS MOUNTAIN!!!!

Today I chose to tackle the countertop between the kitchen and the dining room.  (This was a good start because it naturally led to another chore that needed to be done, but I digress.)  This is where all the current mail, newspapers, and school memos get dropped.  It is central to all family happenings, so it is a convenient “landing pad”.  I also tend to leave all my receipts here after I unpack the shopping bags.  It often looks like this:

After about an hour of sorting and recycling, I ended up with this and a small pile of mail to be handled and a small shoebox with receipt. 

So now that I have shared this with the world, perhaps I will keep my resolution to not clutter this space again. 

This project led to another task that may amuse my readers.  The shelf just to the right of the counter was storing my Passover dishes.  Yes, Passover was three months ago.  If I did not start this blog, I may have kept them there until next spring.  So this is what the shelf looked like before I started organizing:

Oh, so you noticed that this is not a full set of dishes?  My bad…the rest of the dishes have been stored for the past three months here:

You mean this is not a cabinet?

I obviously do not use the dishwasher often.  The truth is it took my about half an hour to put the dishes and the silverware properly in the cabinets downstairs that are designated for seasonal or excess kitchen supplies.  Yes, I already have a designated location.  I just “never got to it”.

All sorted and ready to go downstairs until next Pesach

All ready for next year!

Wow, what a difference!  Paperwork and holiday dishes all in one day!  I wonder what I can conquer tomorrow.