The picture below is the paper ‘clutter’ that was brought
into our house just yesterday. AND, this
isn’t even all of it. Any mail that is
addressed to my husband I set aside for him to open and deal with.
I separated it into 3 piles:
Dental, bills, coupons.
I had a dentist appointment yesterday with a new sedation dentist. With my horrible experiences that I’ve had with dental procedures in the past, it was time to find a new dentist that would knock me out for anything – simple cavity fillings, cleanings, anything.
Yesterday I had x-rays done and a gum evaluation done. And then they formed a treatment plan. And then (it’s a fancy-schmancy office) they
presented everything to me in a nice folder with their name on it, two business
cards with my upcoming appointments, my treatment plan, and two other
informational sheets. It’s a nice thought…but
it’s stuff like this that makes me nuts and makes paper unbearable. *On a side note, I walked into this office
and it smelled like lavender (relaxing).
As I filled out my paperwork, I noticed a little glass-doored refrigerator
full of bottled water and juice. Then
while I was in the dental chair waiting for my exam, the hygienist whipped out
a laminated sheet and asked if I wanted any complimentary services: lip balm, a warm blanket, a warm pillow, an
ipod to listen to with music of my choice, etc.
The plastic gloves they used are flavored (pink for bubblegum, green for
mint). And everyone that worked there was
pretty and sort of acted ‘stepford-wife-ish’, but in a good way. Super friendly, almost fake, but not
quite. And they were either wearing
white or black. The rest of the office
was lavender colored (calming). Anyways….a
little insight into my new dental office.
So I brought home the folder they gave me, then checked the
mail to find it stuffed with ads, coupons, and the electric bill.
I immediately threw out what I could (the envelope and other
stuff that comes in the electric bill), and also the ads of places we never go
(Albertson’s? come on….even when their
stuff is on sale they are WAY more expensive than any other grocery store
here).
I went through the coupons and clipped the ones I might use.
Then I went through my dental folder and pulled out what I needed. I recycled the folder (meaning I put it in my
‘folder stash’ at work to use for something else).
This is what was left:
I got my planner and wrote down my appointment times for the
dentist. Then I 6-hole punched my other
documents and filed them in the week of my appointments (after-care instructions
for after my sedation appointment, etc.)
I did the same with the coupons and filed them as well.
And suddenly, my large stack of paper to deal with was no
more! Paper clutter is the WORST and I try
to deal with as much as I can right as it enters the house. Husband is pretty good about dealing with his
stuff. And we scan anything important
that needs to be kept. This new system
has been great because all of my papers are always with me at ALL times. I highly recommend it!
