When In Doubt, Throw It Out

For those of you who are new readers of this blog, I recently got a promotion. I finally crawled my way to the top of the scrap heap to become my store’s General Manager. Taking stock of my environs, I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was clean house.

Many of us get so bogged down with everyday tasks in our work and home lives that big projects often get cast to the side. But a molehill quickly becomes a mountain, which becomes a mountain range. Forgive my very labored metaphor but you get the picture.

During the time I’ve worked at my store I’ve had to look at eyesores in our storage area in the form of boxes upon boxes of old paperwork. As anyone who’s ever worked in business can tell you, paper can pile up quickly. Sales reports, policy updates, action plans, etc. continue to accumulate long past the point at which they should’ve been pitched/recycled.

Now, one should exercise caution when beginning to pitch things as each organization has its own protocols regarding paperwork retention and disposal. Once you understand the correct process(es), though, you should grab a shovel and start chucking.

So that’s what I did. I’ve currently recycled more than ten boxes’ worth of paper from reports dating back as far as 2011 and I’m still not done. The pile of papers culled from my personnel files that needed shredding was a foot thick. Side note: I bought a paper shredder for my office and it’s the reason Marie Kondo came up with #SparkJoy because it brings me so much of it.

I bought a paper shredder for my office and it’s the reason Marie Kondo came up with #SparkJoy because it brings me so much of it.

Embarking on this process has been somewhat difficult because everything I’m doing runs contrary to the way I’ve operated my life thus far. Up until now, I’ve been a fan of the “keep it just in case” organizational schematic, which unfortunately is every hoarder’s Achilles heel.

Up until now, I’ve been a fan of the “keep it just in case” organizational schematic, which unfortunately is every hoarder’s Achilles heel.

Have you ever tackled a big cleaning project that you found daunting? How did you do it? Where did you start? Let me know in the comments or email me at thevoraciousbibliophile@yahoo.com.

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