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ExUrbanis

Urban Leaving to Country Living

TRUE CONFESSION: My INBOX Overfloweth!

March26

I have a confession to make: for the past few months, I have had a growing creature on the corner of my desk. It was my INBOX.

In the dark days of winter when I couldn’t face making decisions, everything went into my INBOX – for the “next” time I was at my desk; I would deal with it then.

It started out so innocently (4 years ago) like this:
 photo InBoxMar13emptybox450_zpsc8720905.jpg
(It was in better shape then.)

But the pile outgrew the box and reached the point where it couldn’t support itself. So I put it in this:
 photo InBoxMar13smallampmiddle450_zps111e1c99.jpg
(See how nicely it fits!)

Alas, even that didn’t last and I had to find another box:
 photo InBoxMar13bigampmiddle450_zpsd2d00627.jpg
(See all the room around the red box? That’s extra space for “stuff!”

No question about it: my INBOX was threatening to physically take over my office, as well as burdening me with lots and lots of guilt. Mind you, I have a number of other baskets to cull, but they’re project files, not current items that keep me awake at night.
 photo InBoxMar13A450_zps9b44143c.jpg
(This is “BEFORE”.)

I don’t know how she did it but my favourite organizing guru, Jen Hofmann at Inspired Home Office, threw me a life-preserver last week, in the form of her monthly newsletter, Juicy Gems. The subject line read: What to do with the baby elephant on your desk.

Jennifer wrote that newsletter especially for me; I know she did. So, I listened to her advice. It was brilliant!

I had my husband carry the box down to the dining room table, and I dumped it out upside down (one of Jen’s tactics). I spent many 5 minutes periods over the next couple of days standing (another two of Jen’s tips) at the table, sorting.

I pushed anything paper that was no longer relevant down to the edge of the table where my husband picked it up each time he walked past to go to the basement to feed the wood furnace. (Yet one more of Jennifer’s hints – not that the paper be burned, but that disposal be easy).

When I got to the bottom of my pile, I had several smaller piles that I knew exactly what to do with: file, return to shelf, put away in drawers, and so on. This was all in my INBOX – and probably half again as much paper but Bill took it away too fast to be photographed.
 photo InBoxMar13netcontents450_zps629d3738.jpg

AND I have new INBOX:
 photo InBoxMar13endresult450_zps5ea8ad0e.jpg
(This is “AFTER”.)

I know it still looks like a lot to do, but it works for me. And I’m so proud that I just had to share it.

SO – what’s the state of your inbox? As bad as mine was? Worse?

posted under Just Me
10 Comments to

“TRUE CONFESSION: My INBOX Overfloweth!”

  1. On March 26th, 2013 at 7:45 pm Deb Nance Says:

    This does look much more doable!

  2. On March 26th, 2013 at 10:49 pm Debbie Says:

    I’m juiced about it, Deb – I think I can have it cleared out in the next month. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by!

  3. On March 26th, 2013 at 11:38 pm Vasilly Says:

    My inbox might just be a little bit worse than yours. That’s because the contents of my inbox are all over my living room. *sigh* I was just telling my mother that I should just set fire to everything and act like it never happened. 😉

  4. On March 27th, 2013 at 7:58 am Debbie Says:

    Funny thing, Vasilly, you probably wouldn’t miss it much: so much of those things that kept me awake at night ended up being burned because they were no longer relevant. – But don’t set fire to your living room 😉

  5. On March 28th, 2013 at 2:52 am Leslie Says:

    So true about not even missing the stuff. When I remodeled my office last year I had a similar pile(s) on my old desk. I moved it all to the guest room and stared at it for a few weeks. When I finally sorted through it, half of it were things I didn’t remember why I kept … like old mail, notes on scraps of paper and pages ripped out of magazines. As I gaze at my desk tonight, the pile looks about the size of the one you have now, and I hope to keep it that way.

  6. On March 28th, 2013 at 8:59 am Debbie Says:

    I wonder, Leslie: would our lives have been better, or more precise, or detailed, or organized, or whatever, if we had done what we intended to do with each of those pieces of paper when they were new? It’s such a relief to get rid of them…but I always wonder.

  7. On April 11th, 2013 at 7:06 am Whispering Gums Says:

    I do this regularly … build up a huge pile, then sort into doable piles, but somehow there’s always one pile of “what to do” that becomes the basis of the next huge pile. Still, I feel good that I process 80%. That’s good isn’t it?

  8. On April 12th, 2013 at 3:04 pm Debbie Says:

    Oh, Sue – I think that’s what’s happening to that small pile again. It’s like sourbread starter!

  9. On April 11th, 2013 at 11:27 pm J.G. Says:

    My inbox is in piles, and I’m afraid to aggregate it, unless I can find a big box like yours! And no matter how much I do, there’s always lots more. Maybe Jen can help me, too . . . .

  10. On April 12th, 2013 at 3:05 pm Debbie Says:

    There’s always more to do, it seems, J.G. Have a look at Jen’s blog & newsletter (& her courses – I love them). She might be able to help 😉

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