Left brain files it. Right brain piles it. Probably not research driven but a nice way to explain strategies for handling paper in the not-so-paperless-world of the computer age.
Colleagues would try to hide their smile that followed me as I moved to a particular stack of paper containing exactly what she/he had asked to borrow. I knew. I knew exactly which stack and how deep into the stack. Never failed.
My desk is a gift commissioned from a local carpenter. Bob thought I should have a school size desk so retirement wouldn’t seem so bleak. Guess I had done the retirement whine to the point that he was desperate to cushion my reluctance. Twenty minutes after delivery, the desk disappeared. And I don’t exactly know where those piles were before the desk arrived.
And then there are toys. It is a requirement of grandparenting. Too many toys are never enough and garage sales are a fact of life.
Once upon a time, the right brain system flourished in my space. My nightstand, my office/computer/storage/toy room. The rest of the house got left brain priority.
For several months, our life has struggled with a new rhythm. The old routines are gone as we reestablish volunteer commitments and family routines. Our situation with Four Ordinary Women requires dedicated time each day. Health issues nudge into the mix and the scramble just gets more complicated.
Even that trusted “15 minute rule” fails me. Clutter is reproducing exponentially. I turn my back and it happens. The piles have taken over. And it isn’t a right brain triumph. It is a personal quirk gone amuck.
But I have a solution…the only possible solution.
Move. Get lots of boxes, dump the piles in, tape securely, label right brain and call the moving truck. Oh. Wait. I have to move right along with those boxes. The boxes will follow me, right? A not so perfect solution.
Anyone for toasting marshmallows on a blustery winter afternoon? Now that really could be my perfect solution.
Pat Antonopoulos' Blog 