Last night I took on the gargantuan task of cleaning out a filing cabinet. Whew! That was big. But I got everything in two long drawers down to just 3/4s of a file box of things I still need to save. There is a ton to have shredded - old paycheck stubs, financial papers, employment documents, etc.
I also threw away several huge press kits I had saved as examples for future projects. I had to laugh to think how much we used to spend to create press kits and now it all happens on a web site. Incredible. I also threw out lots of reference articles I thought I might need someday. Almost anything I can find online now.
It was fun, weird and annoying to go through things from my high school days all the way up to two or three years ago. I found copies of resumes that dated back to the days when I had nothing to put on a resume. I went through a file of wedding announcements I had saved because I really liked them. What a snore...Every announcement I had in the file was off white, fancy scroll script, one page, etc. I had forgotten that this was all there used to be. Outdated. Roundfiled.
What did I save? I kept newspaper clippings of articles I have written as a journalist or columnist, articles written about me, printed material that represents the creative work I did at each job had, one paystub from each job I've had, a few airline tickets from special trips, one copy of each resume in the folder, and brainstorming notes and documents I created for businesses I started or thought about starting.
I have now gone through all my storage. I know that all I have is only what it vital to save and meaningful to me. So freeing. Everything else is G-O-N-E. Hooray. I share this because I bet you might have a project like this looming over you. But having jumped in, I am so happy it's done and not so intimidated to jump into more organization projects. If I can do you, you can too! I promise.
Have a super weekend and if you're up for it, tackle a little organization project! You'll be happy you did.
4 comments:
Great post! Yes I have a few of these projects hanging over my head! Thanks for inspiring me!
I get a great deal of energy from doing that kind of sorting and tossing. It sometimes drives my family crazy.
Fondly,
Glenda
Good Job!!! I am so impressed...we have a four drawer file cabinet (family stuff) that is in dire need of organizing and thinning out. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Warmly,
Tracey
x0x
P.S. I know just what you mean about the press kits...spent my fair share of time and money on them years ago!
Good for u! I bet it was a daunting task that feels good to be done!
Post a Comment