| Well, it really depends on how much time I have. For example, it wasn't a natural disaster, but several years ago, a gas line at my house was accidentally cut during foundation work. All I did was run in, grab my daughter and dogs, the car keys, and got the "you know what" out of there. You hear stories of people taking photos, computers, and perhaps a beloved stuffed animal, but in that moment, all I cared about was saving the lives of my loved ones. Back in 2017, although I can remember it as if it were yesterday, when Hurricane Harvey was quickly intensifying and heading toward Texas, I had about six hours after getting a mandatory evacuation notice to get out of the house. So, at that point, I was able to not only pack my bags but also gather important documents and a few sentimental items (and move things to the second floor in case the first floor flooded). Granted, it was all in an incredible rush/panic, but I still had those few precious hours. Now, copies of all my important papers are in a binder and on a flash drive, both ready to grab. And I created a master "evacuation checklist" based on this hurricane checklist (as that's the most "common" natural disaster in Texas), in case I'm lucky enough to have time to pack. |
| Given that natural disasters do not always give you lead time, everyone should have an evacuation checklist. I based mine on this evacuation list (but, the Ready Campaign has lots of great planning tools) as well as experience, since Hurricane Harvey resulted in a mandatory evacuation of my high-rise. (The basement, where all the building's mechanical equipment is located, flooded and left the building without power and uninhabitable for almost two months.) All my digital files are on my primary computer, a laptop that I could grab. I know I could back up to the cloud, but am paranoid about security breaches, so I automatically back up everything to an on-site backup, and to two portable hard drives. (Ideally, I would keep one in a safety deposit box.) It is part of my “evacuation time capsule”. And, what I mean by that is … imagine you were going to lose everything in your home — determine what items you would want to “save” (whether for sentimental or practical reasons) and put them in a small piece of luggage or carry bag. The interesting thing is when you do that, you will most likely find the items you consider irreplaceable are not the most expensive ones (those become your insurance company’s problem, anyway). |
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| Are you kidding?! I'm a cookie-baking carpool mom, and although we had just published a book based on my "crisis", we didn't even think of ourselves as authors. (My sister saved our emails and Instant Messages, and has never told me if she taped our phone conversations!) And the book was supposed to be the basis of a sitcom! We had literally done one speaking engagement and now were being asked to get in front of classrooms full of high school seniors for a semester-long course. During their LAST semester! Surprised? "Shocked" might be a better word. Or, maybe "panicked." |
| My immediate reaction was, "Sure, not a problem." Then, while Red was busy panicking, I focused on how to get it done. The request was in keeping with KIPP's approach to looking for non-traditional methods of educating students, so they agreed when I asked for a task force of students to help us develop the program. (I knew it had to be relevant or there was no point in doing it.) And, it was the students who suggested we use our book as a textbook, calling it a "reality show in a book" … which, at least, validated my idea that the book could be the basis of a sitcom. |
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Image on screen is from "What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!"
| Oh, there are more days than I'd care to admit that I'd be grateful if it were 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 complain about feeling like I'm drowning in paper on way more than one occasion. So, what do I do? Well, after kicking myself for letting 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 mountains of paper into manageable stacks. But since it's her "system", I'll let her explain it to you. |
| All those words and Red provided only empathy — but no real advice. However, she raises 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, our accountants would suggest I refer you to our book, but I hate when people do that. Instead, we put the relevant excerpt 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 papers and begin sorting 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 also reduce the stress of wondering if there is something important you are forgetting to do. |
Don’t Expect A Compliment From A Sarcastic Sister — But Have A Comeback