Wrestling the paper demon

Sometimes,when I have time to dream, I dream of a day when all my paperwork is nice neat folders, and as soon as a piece of paper enters my home it goes into a file.

While I am no longer ruled by piles of paper, I'm also not in command of it. I have paper from work (faxed, emailed, and postal mailed which must be scanned). I have records for all the cats, and many many vet bills, which need to be copied and included in the folder of each individual cat. I have my father's paperwork (which I had thought was complete, but alas, tis not). I have my own bills that come through. I have receipts for work. Receipts for the cats. Receipts for house repairs. I have my record-keeping books. And then there is the miscellaneous paperwork. The projects you have planned. The article you would like to keep (I no longer do). I also have educational materials that I give out--articles, DVDs, brochures. THREE different types of business cards (work, cats, and wildlife should I ever handle wildlife again), as well as postcards to advertise in a more overt way.

I realize some people manage paper without difficulty. It comes into their lives, and goes out of their lives. I am getting better at this--in fact, quite good compared to the Management By Piles method I used to use. Nonetheless, paper does not EAT. Paper does not BREATHE. Paper does not need to have its LITTERBOX SCOOPED or its LAWN MOWED.

Guess what takes last place at my house?

Paperwork frustrates me, especially when I feel like it is under control, need something, go to grab it, find the nice fat file, and ARGH! The one piece I need is NOT THERE! How can this be? It's not FAIR! I was being GOOD! I should be REWARDED!

I have a desk dedicated for work, and most of my work paperwork is electronic, so luckily that is under control. Still, there are two folders--paperwork that is assigned, ready to be scanned, paperwork that is in process and may or may not be completed. I try to turn the paper "paper" into electronic paper as quickly as possible so I don't have to look at it, but scanning (ugh!) is surely a boring task.

The real issue is personal and cat paperwork. Especially cat paperwork. Let's say I go to the vet. I get a receipt for my bill. This also has the work done on that cat(s). So I need a copy in the cat's file (for the adopter) a copy for my books (taxes if needed) and a copy for my records on that cat (which I keep). That means, ideally, as soon as I get home I should head to the copy machine, copy, and file.

Yeah, right. What normally happens is I have a pile of recent vet receipts, until someone wants to look at a particular cat. Then I dig out the receipt and copy it. If I'm smart, I make enough copies so I can put the original in my tax file as well. If I'm lazy or low on ink, I don't. Which means I have to deal with it again later on (stupid).

Ink and copying is another issue. I live in the hinterlands. I am a two-hour round trip (when all is said and done) from a Staples, or Kinkos. I don't often have two hours. If my brain is engaged, I'll remember to take things into town, or pick up what I need, when I go to Ithaca on the weekends.

Often, my brain is not engaged.

Every time I can't lay my hands on something right away, I swear I'll get every little bit of paper organized. For the most part with new incoming paperwork, that's happening. But the old stuff? Ah!

So very simple requests can turn into a royal pain in the butt. Right now I'm trying to get information to family on the joint bank account I had with dad. Simple, right? Sure, if you are a person who keeps your check register updated, and didn't pay for a lot of bills with your personal debit card because the bank wouldn't open a credit card in your father's name. And if half the paper in your house hadn't left when your partner left. I doubt anything I need left the house, however it did all get moved to different files and places in the house.

So off to the bank to get the missing pieces, where I spend many valuable minutes with a teller who gives me moo-cow eyes telling me how expensive it will be to get the past records. I go home and look again. I go back to the bank and learn that "really expensive" is just a few dollars a record. For goodness sake, I realize we live in a poor region, but don't give me a heart attack woman! So I order the pieces I'm lacking.

All the time I am telling myself "never again, never again."

So if anyone has any really good tips on organizing paperwork, do let me know!




I tripped over the rolls of carpet for almost two weeks before finally making time I did not have to cut and lay it. I was having a major guilt trip the whole time, knowing I should be doing other things (paperwork!) but also knowing I can't get kittens out of the house (seven left!) unless people can get into see them. And kittens eat, poop, and grow (unlike paperwork--although you might argue paperwork grows). To top it off, stress and alcohol give me acne, so I couldn't even drink.

Which is probably a good thing, given that I was working with very sharp knives.



I'm glad that I did get it down, because I am so happy with the result--and the cats are so happy--that when I feel my blood pressure starting to rise, I just stand back and look at it. Nothing like a milk chocolate floor to calm you. And happy cats in the sun. I find them asleep where ever they like, scattered around the floor. Maybe there will be an empty chair for me to sit in now and then!