This is part 3 of our filing 101 series for insomniacs: what to shred when.  Again, these are only general guidelines, which I borrowed from others online.  They don’t even necessarily match up with my previous post, so just add common sense (in place of milk).

1. One month: Utility statements, sales receipts, credit card receipts, bank deposit and ATM receipts, etc.
2. One year: Bank and credit card statements, monthly mortgage statements, paycheck stubs, etc.
3. Seven years: Tax documents, W-2 and 1099 forms, year-end bank and credit card statements, etc.
4. Keep forever: (OK, forever is a relative term, and there is some room for interpretation, but these are just guidelines to be on the safe side.)  Annual tax returns, receipts from major purchases/appliances you still own, year-end summaries of financial services, home improvement records, beneficiary designations, etc.  Also include any important vital documents as indicated in the previous post.

Shredding can be lots of fun, or it can be tedious, also hard on the shredder, human or machine, and once shredded, always shredded.  So do small quantities at a time.  Keep a shredding box near your filing cabinet.  A shredder is a great investment if you deal with a lot of paperwork and are concerned with identity security and privacy.   Shredded paper makes great packing material, and possibly other things.  Otherwise recycle.  I don’t recommend shredding cabbage with it, though.  Also, watch the fingers.

Well, I’m glad I could be of assistance with your insomnia needs.  You’re welcome.  Remember, one shred at a time.  😉

So, your incoming papers have now made it from your entrance basket or depository, past junk mail recycle, to your two subdivisions, “time-sensitive action” (bills, replies required, etc., which obviously need to be dealt with ASAP) and “file or process“, which can be further slotted as you like into categories like kids’ papers/HW, other business, and whatnot.

Now comes the tricky part:  where to file what.  I borrowed most of this material from others online, so I don’t take credit, I just offer these general guidelines.  Bottom line is, whatever makes the most sense to you is the way to go.

1. Frequent Access Docs: Bills, statements from banks and companies you’re doing business with,etc. should be filed in front for easy access.  Monthly, you should sort and archive any older than one year.  (See archive.  Or put it off, and see what happens!)
2. On-hand Archive Docs: important current papers such as insurance policies and benefit documents should go toward the back, but still accessible.  Make sure your file folders are labeled clearly and specifically.
3. Archive: File these docs into file boxes for storage: closed bank account records, old credit reports, 10-year-old taxes, etc. (There are differing views on how long to keep old tax docs.  Some say 7 years, some 5, and so on.  Being OCD, I tend to go with the longer time.  Secretly, I save them all!  I know it’s neurotic, but the IRS makes me nervous.)  You can also archive misc. older non-essential personal stuff you want to keep.
4. Purge: This is my personal favorite, but the hardest to do.  It consists of useless papers like user guides to long-gone gadgets, former employer paperwork, etc.  But it also involves important docs older than certain periods of time, bound for the shredder, which I will cover in my next post (or whenever I get around to it).

I should mention, separate and apart from all the above, your original vital records, such as official birth certificate, social security card, passports, diplomas, will, living will, advance directives, beneficiary designations, deeds, titles, and so on, should be secured in a fire-resistant safe box (locked, with the key accessible), located near your emergency kit and to-go bag.  You can file copies of these in your on-hand archive docs, or scan them to your e-files.

Well, I’ve put myself to sleep, and if I’ve done the same for you, you’re welcome!  (I can type in my sleep.)  And if any of this helps you cope, all the better.  I know it’s dry and boring as hell, so you can rest assured I’ll get off it pretty soon, and write about some other earth-shattering, mind-blowing stuff.

Here is a cat (not mine, but related) filed on a shelf.

My evil scheme is working.  I’ve turned into a sorting/purging/shredding/archiving machine, sort of.  This small embryo of a habit has taken on a life of its own, without my having to do much.  The trick is to keep it small, time-limited, and daily, or it turns into a monster, the very thing that defeated me in the first place.

Back in the Vortex, I went through this process of purging files (and possessions) in order to move to Ohio.  At that time I had access to an actual shredder, which I proceeded to overload and bust.  (No, not with the possessions.) I’m sure my brother was not amused.  Now I just do it by hand.  I make a pretty mean shredder.

My incentive now is having less volume of crap to move to TN.  Longer term, it’s to downsize for the sake of my survivors.  I’m determined never to repeat what my parents left behind through negligence, assuming someone else would get to it.

If you’ve been following my sordid drama, I had discovered a nightmare of chaos just under the surface façade of normalcy in my parents’ house.  It took me years of excavating and bulldozing through mountains of assorted, scattered papers, everything from vital documents to old shopping lists just mixed up together throughout the house, to get to the bottom of it all.  And that was just the papers.  It was literally an archaeological dig.  But moving right along…

I’ve moved so many times that I travel a bit lighter these days (partly by “donating” items to other family and friends, to which my poor son can attest).  It also helps to be confined to a tiny, shared apartment, and having little spending money.  I’ve learned to be more resourceful at reusing, repurposing, recycling, and all those nifty R-words, but things tend to re-accumulate without even trying, like dust.

Saving documents—it’s like a mental disease.  The what-if disease.  Vanquishing this disease has something to do with my order vs. chaos principle.  I don’t know much about scientific chaos theory, but personally I don’t put much stock in chaos resolving itself into some sort of order and purpose, all by itself.  If you let stuff accumulate, it will take over the universe, and suck you down into a black hole, or some such thing.  It’s the L42 Chaos Theory.  ©™ 😉

* * *

Anyway, back to earth… so here’s what you do with incoming papers (assuming you still have any literal paper, which most people still do), going forward.  (This principle also applies to electronic docs, to some extent.)

First, have a basket near the front door to catch all incoming mail and papers.  NO OTHER SURFACE ALLOWED.

Position the PAPER RECYCLE box or bag right near it for junk mail to go directly into.

The trick is to anchor all other surfaces with decorative or functional items which indicate: NO PAPERS OR MISC. GO HERE!  This must be consciously enforced at first, but eventually will become habit.

Next, have trays (etc.) strategically located nearby to subdivide into the following categories:

*TIME-SENSITIVE ACTION required, where your bills and replies required go to be   processed, and

*OTHER categories ready to be processed/filed/disposed of.  This can be one or multiple slots.

To keep it simple, I’ll stop here for now.  The above is a big one to master (and enforce) at first.  In another post, I’ll list where to file which type of documents, and when to shred them.  Again, this assumes you still have some physical documents and files, which most people still do.  I’ll leave the electronic filing to the experts.  (Mine are all over the place, and I’m not even going there.  They take up much less space!)

That’s my PSA for today.  Hope it helps!  I don’t take credit for most of this, I’ve learned much of it from others.  A little preemptive prevention, repeated daily, will save you a lot of overload later.

I’ve been tackling the monster that is sorting and purging my old-school filing system.  In the process, I’ve found a number of helpful DIY articles on how to make small but effective changes to your basic lifestyle habits that will make organizing, and staying that way, more automatic.  More on that later.

Then I came across this blog, dealing with a feedback loop from hell ©™ (as Mark Manson would say @http://markmanson.net) having to do with the vicious cycle of depression and chaos.  I’ve been there, and there’s a lot of truth in here.  Thus, I’m just sharing the entire article (hit “keep reading” for the rest).

Anyone who has experienced how depression and clutter feed upon each other and incapacitate one, will recognize the validity of this approach.  It echoes what I’m finding to be effective myself—begin with very limited, minimal steps, something very easy and realistic, then STOP, and repeat daily.  At first it’s overwhelming, but in time, the self-affirmation and success of each tiny improvement will encourage you to keep at it, and it becomes your new habit.  It won’t cure the depression, but it definitely works on the sense of hopelessness and guilt.   Read on…

This is what (the inside of) the windows looked like this morning!  This is why I think the natural world creates art that is so superior to our imperfect attempts.  (This is also how I trick my brain into writing when I have nothing to say!)  Despite our determination to ruin our earth, nature usually finds a way to carry on beautifully without us.

I’ve resolved to write something every day, but you’ll be relieved to know I have writer’s block today.  Yeah, me with nothing to say, it happens.  I’ve wracked my brain, but there appears to be nothing in it (other than some unprintable things to say about the delusional DJT, which is the same as nothing).

I’m feeling very unimpressed with the human race, so here is a collage of some animals I have encountered along the way, because animals are making more sense right now.  It’s a very loose definition of “animal”.  See if you can recognize any of them.

Our, shall we say, not very sophisticated downstairs neighbors, whose population keeps rising, have been very irresponsible about keeping the common front and side doors locked, as we had asked them to from day one.  They claimed they kept losing keys, even after we let them copy ours again.  They want to be able to smoke out there and then just disappear, leaving the front door wide open day and night.  If we said anything, they would get very adversarial.  This is not a safe neighborhood, with people breaking into houses on our street all the time.  We are understandably concerned about all of our security.

Today the neighbor came upstairs and admitted that we had been right to warn them.  Our next -door neighbors had an attempted break-in and burglary, only they had installed security cameras,  caught the perps in the act, and had them arrested.  Our downstairs neighbors, confronted with this evidence, and other near-break-ins they had experienced themselves, finally saw firsthand the threat they are exposing all of us to, including their little children.  They promised to do better.

I’m always seeing metaphors.  I immediately thought of all the ignorant Trump voters who don’t see the danger they’ve brought upon themselves and all of us.  But when their choice comes back to bite them, when they no longer have healthcare or the safety nets they depend on, when their and their children’s basic needs and protections are denied, they are going to have an extreme wakeup call.  It’s inevitable.  I just hope we all don’t have to suffer too much deprivation and insecurity waiting for them to realize the consequences of their actions.

I admit to being judgmental of stupid, ignorant people who refuse to look at the facts and weigh their options and decisions, and how they affect others.  I’m having to teach myself to reserve judgment and hope that some of these people will eventually see the cause and effect and make better choices next time around.  I’m also learning how much I don’t know.

I now understand that many rural poor people have not been able to benefit from the healthcare marketplace at all because of the way it didn’t work for their demographic, and they’ve seen the modest economic dream they aspire to priced out of the market and crushed.  We in more privileged, progressive circles don’t always get that memo, and then are shocked when these people vote for an illusion of change.  All of us need to study the facts and unite around reform that includes everyone.

Well there you have the metaphor of the day.  I had been going to write about how my resolution plan is coming along, but I’ll just say it’s working well.  It’s hard at first to build new habits (including mental habits), but with realistic daily practice and repetition, you can even teach an old retired horse new tricks.

These are blue-footed boobies, just because.

I never liked the term “retired”–it reminds me of an old horse put out to pasture to die. It’s done to you, it’s passive.  When we’re forced by unavoidable circumstances to give up our jobs, or the work world can’t use us anymore, it spits us out into the waiting room, where we’re supposed to play golf or bingo or be zombies on drugs until we die.  We have little income, not working, so we’re considered expendable parasites, especially by the current incoming political mobsters.  But surprisingly, this post isn’t about that.

Being retired isn’t something I had expected to be any time soon, but life in all its unpredictability had other plans.  I expected to have to work hard until I dropped dead.  Instead, having to caregive indefinitely for my parents, I thought perhaps they’d outlive me!  Otherwise, without prospects, I’d end up homeless, or close to it.  But I’ve droned on about this ad nauseum in the past, and this post also is not going there again.

Now, here I am, not dead, not a drugged zombie, not under an overpass, and confronted by the phenomenon of being an idle “retiree” with time on my hands!  The world outside labors and struggles on, and here we sit, getting to sleep, cook, read, write, and watch Netflix–the unthinkable.  You’d think I’d feel privileged and relieved, but some days I feel so lazy, restless, and wasteful of time.  We don’t have spare cash to go do or buy frivolous things to entertain ourselves, so we pretty much just stay home and be boring.

Not that I’m complaining!  It beats being homeless or hopeless.  It’s just weird to have so much empty time, when others are working and slaving just to get by, or out there doing Matters of Consequence.  I think I have too much time to think, thus all the mental agonizing over Life the Universe and Everything.  Hm, what other clichés can I inject in here?

It just seems ironic that when I finally get the free time I’ve always longed for, I don’t have the resources, energy, or wherewithal to use it wisely or effectively.  I’m an Aquarius, what can I say?  I should be out there fixing the world!  Or at least making more worthwhile use of my time, now that I have some.

Now here comes the truly honest revealing part–I’m actually a lazy blob who revels in staying home and doing homey things.  Gasp.  What a shock.  Not.  I’d have to fight my Inner Hibernator to go out there and fight Injustice, or even go grocery-shopping.  I fear conflict and confrontation.  Having to deal with official business or bureaucracy of any kind gives me extreme anxiety.  I avoid phones altogether.  I like being online because it gives the illusion of being safe and on your own terms.  You can come and go anonymously, like an invisible spy.  You can interact without engaging too much.  Perfect for an introvert, coward, or procrastinator, like me.

Fooled you again, this post is actually about none of the above.  It’s about keeping a resolution to practice my writing (on whatever) every day, and limit my time online doing mindless stuff.  I’m trying to substitute good habits for bad.  As with any nemesis, such as organizing and decluttering stuff, or exercising, I’ve found that if I do just a very limited amount in each category daily, it’s easier and less daunting to do again the next day.  Thus a new habit is formed.

Seriously, try it.  It works, if I don’t back down.  It sucks doing it at first, but later I feel better about myself, and less intimidated next time.  Maybe it’s just part of my obsession with fighting back chaos with order.  I don’t do chaos well.  I did my time with it, and it makes me crazy.  I need some external order, at least some semblance, around me to feel internally sane and okay.  Some people can function with disorder swirling around them, and I admire them, but it doesn’t work for me.

Anyway, many detours later, on one of which I seem to have mislaid my point, there you have my daily writing assignment.  Making and keeping resolutions is also a new concept for me, like being retired.  I’m being resolute and resolved.  I guess that’s the point.

Both habits and habit-breaking only succeed by repetition.  Duh, they’re a habit.  Habit-forming is easy.  Habit-breaking is harder, because it takes conscious determination and effort not to fall mindlessly into the familiar, comforting habit.  At first you have to will yourself into resisting and reversing habitual behaviors, day in and day out, until the new habit is formed.  Seems like stating the obvious, but try it some time…and some more time, and time after time, because by definition it won’t happen overnight.

For example: mindless exercise on the Infernal Machine is abhorrent to my very nature.  I have to steel myself to do my one-minute minimum per day.  In time it will be less of a chore, but never  automatic.  Some people or animals may like being a rat on a treadmill, but not me.

Filing, not my favorite activity.  I spent decades building my imposing file cabinet of ancient manuscripts, and downsizing it is a daunting task.  OMG what if I need that arcane, obsolete document years from now to prove something or other?  Damn you, stupid paper-hoarding genetics!  I will defeat you if it kills me.  Or if the file cabinet weighing literally a ton falls on me, whichever comes first.

Judgmental, intolerant attitudinal habits, also inherited from my parentage and upbringing, are much less tangible and hard to kick.  I’m starting to realize how deeply they can be ingrained.  They jump out and bite me every day, living in a backward place like Ohio.  I have to consciously confront these demons, acknowledge their presence, and recognize them for what they are–insidious and divisive.  Not a simple task.

Unnecessary eating, now that’s the kicker.  Not like we have or eat much food in the first place, let alone junk food, but it’s the comforting security illusion that’s in play here.  That, and the endless waiting room atmosphere until we can move out of here.  Not to mention it’s frigid out, warm in here, and we’re hibernators.  So it’s a challenge, but it shall be vanquished.  Some day in our future home!

Reducing FB time; now there’s a real time-waster.  I have to redirect myself to more substance on-or offline, like worthwhile articles, research, newsletters, books, and making myself do this writing.  So if my blahgposts seem like make-work or busywork, it’s because they’re retraining exercises.  If by some small chance they uplift or entertain, it’s merely a coincidence.  It’s easier to be a mindless zombie than make the effort to think and try to communicate intelligently.

Posting more informative, constructive posts and articles also takes some filtering and screening out the drama drivel.  There’s so much incredibly bad news out there right now!  The Horror!  It must be  exposed so everyone can share my misery and outrage and despair!  It takes some restraint to control the knee-jerk reaction, and try to limit shares to what may inform and inspire us to act more civilized and proactive.  Or even just some needed comic relief.

Finally, the key to changing habits is to do something realistic in each category daily.  Don’t take on too much at a time, but don’t back down.  That’s the trick to defeating self-destructive behaviors and attitudes.  Recognize them for the little buggers they are, and consciously refuse to enable them, one increment at a time.  Replace and repeat.  I’ll let you know how that goes.

Can a double negative equal a positive?  Let’s find out.

My guilty secret is: I’m a procrastinator of anxiety-inducing annoying tasks.  The only solution is to make myself do something on my put-off list each day.  I do not make resolutions as a rule, but I’m making an exception for this potentially anxiety-causing new year of 2017.

In anticipation of moving to our new life in TN this year, I’m going to work on chipping away at the chief culprits on my baddie list, whether bad habits, behaviors, or attitudes.

1. Exercise on the Infernal Machine (elliptical) at least one minute each day, in lieu of hiking, which just isn’t happening while hibernating.
2. Work at sorting and reducing all my paper files throughout the winter.  (I’m an old-school paper trail hoarder.)
3. Exercise snacking self-control.  We only eat one meal a day (midday) and mostly healthy, balanced food, but we’re obliged by circumstances to be sedentary right now.  I blame Netflix.
4. Reduce FB/social media time, and focus on writing and reading, which have suffered as a result of aforesaid mindless FB indulgence.
5. Attempt to post more constructive, proactive articles and items, and less paranoid hysteria, online.  Thus this post!
6. This one’s more philosophical: try to restrict my judgmental intolerance to people who deserve it, like DJT & Co.  It’s hard to break ingrained mental habits.  (If thoughts could kill…I didn’t say that.)

All the above only works if I be realistic and just bite off tiny portions of each task daily.  Otherwise it will just revert to my Procrastination List.  Thus, I did my (literal) one minute on the torture device, organized and consolidated a few files, wrote this post, did some research on a practical topic (chicken-raising), tried not to repost negative articles or comments, and I’ll let you know how the snacking goes.  The evening is young.

As for the evil DJT, the best I can do right now is to ignore him, and focus on improving myself and being part of the solution to those I care about.