Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork

What the world really needs is more love and less paper work. – Pearl Bailey

This is week 3 of Silly Saturday Program.  I couldn't agree more with Pearl Bailey!  This phase in my project is seriously silly and just plain hard work.  Papers accumulates so fast.  If you don't keep on it regularly, it can get out of control.  This time of the year, especially during an election year, you have to be ruthless and throw the stuff the moment it arrives.  We have been getting 3-5 publications on the presidential candidates a day on top of all the regular junk mail that arrives.  Just one day's worth of mail can make it's own little pile of daunting stuff to deal with.  Putting off dealing with it doesn't help the situation. Wouldn't it be nice if paper didn't consume so much of our time and space.

I came across a few factoids on paper:

• Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S.
• Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year; about 680 pounds per person.
• The average household throws away 13,000 separate pieces of paper each year. Most is packaging and junk mail.

So here I'm at the paper phase in my clearing out clutter.  I needed to remind myself that there are times in life where people are more important than dealing with the papers.  I had taken time to be with family over the past year, so I've got a bit to deal with.  Being blessed with additional paperwork responsibilities as a power of attorney for my mom has added to my piles.  It's tough enough clearing out your own papers, let alone knowing what to keep or not to keep when it's someone else's.  Life just happens, and love is way more important than papers.  Now it is time to get on with the paper clearing and get it done fast!  Fortunately, it's easy to lose paper weight...wonder how many pounds I can shed.

Be patient with yourself if you find the moments of love are more important!  Be ruthless when you're dealing with papers as the come in and when you finally get the time to deal with them!

At least it is in one corner....

Paper is just not very pretty!  Ah, that's
good motivation, get rid of ugly pounds of
paper!