Red never seems to stop complaining about her piles of paper, although she knows how to tackle them, and knows their mere existence causes stress. And it’s not just paper, it’s any clutter, including digital messes, although the approach to dealing with both is very similar. The irony is that it’s easy to do – the hard part’s getting started. Or, in Red’s case, to stop complaining.
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Oh, there are more days than I'd care to admit that I'd be
grateful if it was just my desk that had too much paper on it as I've been
known to use my
floor as a
filing system
. Really! And I've been known to lament about feeling
like I'm
drowning in paper
on way more than one occasion.
So, what do I do? Well, after kicking myself that I've let things (once again) get out of hand instead of keeping on top of the paper clutter , I take a deep breath and remember the advice that Black gave me years ago. And although I initially resisted following her advice, once I gave in, I found it was the perfect (and easiest) way to turn a mountain of paper into manageable stacks. And since it's her "system", I'll let her explain it to you. |
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All those words and Red provided only empathy – but no real
advice. However, she brings up a good
point in that paper will always accumulate, and we should strive to keep it
from getting out of control … versus trying to control it "perfectly".
Now, in terms of the advice I gave Red, this is where our accountants would suggest that I refer you to our book, but I hate when people do that. Instead, I will refer you to the relevant excerpt that is available on this site, Too Much Paper – Not Enough Time . But, here is a short version ("short" in terms of explanation, not the time it will take to make the piles shrink): take a handful of paper and begin to sort them into piles based on priority – immediate, this week, next week, next month, next lifetime. You will quickly realize that the majority of the items will be very low priority, such as reading, filing, or shredding. And, separating out the highest priority items will not only help you focus on them, but will reduce the stress of wondering if there is something important you are forgetting to do. |
Chapter 18: Whine Or Lemonade? Your Choice
In the midst of Red’s crisis (her word, not Black’s), when she was finally learning about money (at the age of 40+!), she was shocked to discover that her sister, Black, secretly paid for half the cost of a Ferrari engine even though she was married to an extremely wealthy man. But for Red, what stood out the most in the conversation was Black explaining how, for her, racing is an analogy to life.
P.S. – At the time, Red just listened politely as she found it difficult, almost impossible, to equate how racing a Ferrari at speeds exceeding 150 miles an hour had anything to do with life. Especially as, back then, her “driving” experiences consisted of carpool lines, playing chauffeur for her daughters, and loading Labradoodles into her “Mom car” for trips to the vet. But today, Red will tell you how that analogy has stuck with her all these years and is probably one of the most powerful of Black’s many (seemingly endless?) racing analogies.
| … my overall spending is related to boredom. The money is filling a void … not making me happy. Yes — racing makes me happy. For many reasons. I have thought about it a lot in the last few weeks. The key is knowing why you are spending money and what you are getting in return. |
| And what have you figured out? |
| That racing is an analogy to life. |
Black
assets.rebelmouse.io
red head
assets.rebelmouse.io
| I can’t wait to hear this! Please go on. |
| When you race, you have to keep your eyes up and look down the track. You look way ahead in order to be prepared. There is not much you can do about the next corner because it is coming too quickly. It is a commitment you have already made. You see it in your peripheral vision, but you are focused on the things you can change. On the next lap, you focus on improving what you did last time. For example, if you screwed up a corner, you do something differently. You learn from your mistakes. |
| And when do you stop and smell the roses? And enjoy what you have? |
| Every time I climb in the race car. Every time I hit a perfect apex. Every time I improve my lap times. Every time I think about how fortunate I am to be able to race. |
| Pretty expensive roses! |
| Agree. But we can afford it, so it is not wasted money … unless, of course, I do something stupid and wreck the car. Which may explain why I am not faster. I never really put the car at risk. I guess I am trying to race cost-effectively. |
| Sorry, but there’s no way you’re going to get me to believe there’s a cost-effective way to race a Ferrari! So don’t even try. Go to dinner. |