Image on screen is from "What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!"

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.



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… 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.


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And what have you figured out?


Black's HeadBlack assets.rebelmouse.io

That racing is an analogy to life.
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Curious about the “Back Story” to our animation teasers? Red’s daughter, Sawyer, told us we needed to do some very short animated “teasers” … so Black said, “Great.You want to work in video production. Take the final working versions of our animation and start creating them!” So, she did!

P.S. – For those of you who've met us or seen us at speaking engagements, we'd love to know if you think the animators have accurately captured us! (You can email us at Banter@RedandBlackBooks.com.)