Opening Space
I have given myself an hour a day to open space and design the life I desire. Unknowingly or maybe knowingly we burry our dreams and our true desires under piles of stuff that takes us away from our true self. Maybe we are following the dreams of others, or what others want for us or see in us. So much so that we forget who we truly are and what we truly want.
In April triggered by spring cleaning and tax season I decided to delve into reorganizing my files. How much paper do I need anyways, how much can I scan and save onto a USB and the cloud. I once read a really good book, I can’t recall the title but what I do remember is the author asking “what do I need to fly the plane. “What do I need to fly my plane… my life. What do I need to direct access to run an organized household? It means we sometimes have so much stuff in front of us in our kitchen, on our desk that we truly don’t need daily access to so all it really is doing is creating clutter and over stimulation of unnecessary stuff in our lives. As if we don’t have enough to think about or do daily. Sigh.
So, while working on files I checked on how long do I need to keep certain files, like bank statements. Here is what I found about bank statements: “According to the IRS, you should keep your records for three years from the date you file your original return or two years from the date you paid the tax. Yet, the IRS may ask about returns filed win the last three to seven years, which is why it’s always good idea to keep your bank statements for longer.” How long should you keep bank statements, sourced from: www. Adobe.com
So here is the kicker. As I went through my files…it took days. I found old projects that I never completed but that sparked renewed interest. I also found tons of “dead paper” meaning paper stuffed away that no longer served any purpose. I shredded, I trashed, I took moments to say goodbye to a part of my life that popped up in old notes, pictures, letters and documents.
It was a relief to let go and open space for the life I am living now and want to embrace. As I rummaged through old files, I took a notepad and began to jot down what was important in my life today. What files do I seek out on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis and filed them away accordingly. Files such as past tax documents went into a plastic bin and into storage. Files such as records of warranties, property tax documents, insurance policies and other legal documents went into a more accessible cabinet inside the closet. Finally in my two-drawer file cabinet directly in front of my desk and work area I placed items that I file daily, weekly or monthly which included bills paid, receipts etc. I kept a generic file for Insurance (Auto, Home etc.), Home (Maintenance, HOA Payments etc.), Medical, Incoming/Outgoing and so forth.
On my second file cabinet I included projects for this year, fun things I want to do or accomplish, and places I want to travel to this year.
The one thing we all have in common is that almost daily we need to deal with incoming paper, mail, and documents. Staying on top of this traffic can be overwhelming. Establish a system that works for you, place items in one place and set a time each week to deal with them. The worst is when you know you have a document but have no idea where it is at. Hence, why I am now moving into less paper, less files, easy generic file names that I can quickly pull when I need say a copy of my insurance or proof of a paid invoice.
Hope this article inspires you to clear the deck of the paper monster. To spend less time looking for what you need and more time enjoying life. Set a time weekly to file, shred and deal with the monster and soon you will banish the dragon and be free. Open space and time in your life for what really matters, for the life you want to build and live today. Cheers to opening space.
