Paper Piles and Delayed Decision Disorder (DDD)

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Paper Piles and Delayed Decision Disorder (DDD)

As a professional organizer, I work with a lot of clients who struggle with anxiety and a sense of heaviness related to piles of paper. They often feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and out of control.

Through the years of purging piles and clearing clutter with my clients, it has become very clear to me that the root cause of this issue is what I have coined as Delayed Decision Disorder (DDD). DDD is not a valid medical term, but it is the root cause of every pile of paper, every piece of unprocessed mail, every cluttered closet, and every folder or bin of “miscellaneous”stuff.

So how do you get DDD and, more importantly, how do you cure it?

Often piles start with the inner conversation that says, “Oh, I’ll just do this later,” or “I’m too busy right now” or we simply get side-tracked and turn our focus elsewhere. Understand this, DDD is not the occasional procrastination that we all fall victim to from time to time. It is the continual delaying of decisions and half-finished projects accumulating over extended periods of time. What happens with delayed decisions as it relates to paper is the creation of a “piling system” when what we really long for is an efficient “filing system.”

So, are you afflicted with DDD?

Symptoms: Paper piles, cluttered countertops and flat surfaces, unprocessed bills, unfiled receipts, junk mail, newspapers, magazines, business cards, school work, bulging filing cabinets, expired coupons, manuals and warranties for things you no longer own

Causes: Procrastination, loss of focus, inadequate or non-existent systems, uncompleted tasks, not knowing what to keep and what to toss out, not having proper supplies or adequate space

Remedies: Physical therapy (as in sorting, purging, MAKING decisions, and filing) and a commitment to stick with the project through completion

Possible side effects: Reclaimed time previously wasted looking for lost items, uncluttered flat surfaces, money saved by eliminating late fees and penalties, increased peace of mind knowing right where things are, feeling empowered and more in control

“Sometimes you don’t feel the weight of something you’ve been carrying until you feel the weight of its release.” ~Joshua Becker

5 Tips for Reducing Paper Clutter

1. Discard unwanted mail and paper before it enters your home or office.

2. Remove yourself from junk mail lists and cancel subscriptions to magazines and catalogs that you do not read. Contact originators to be removed from lists.

3. Create an inbox or tray for papers that need to be processed.

4. Create four file folders and label them: To Do, To File, To Read, To Others. Optional folders: To Scan, To Shred. Keep file folders in plain sight for easy access; I recommend a vertical desktop file folder sorter for this purpose.

5. In a timely manner, separate paper into the four or six categories listed in #4 and then process them according to the associated task.

In summary, getting organized and clearing piles and clutter requires a commitment to go through the process that takes you from chaos to calm. That process includes: Making timely decisions, setting up systems to process paperwork effectively, eliminating the unnecessary, and committing the time necessary to clear and then maintain paperwork, and becoming very intentional about what you bring into your home or office.

Andrea Brundage is a professional organizer/productivity consultant and a public speaker. Her company, Simple Organized Solutions, educates and consults with clients who are tired of the overwhelm and want to live in an intentional and organized environment. To connect with Andrea, visit www.ProfessionalOrganizerAZ.com, www.twitter.com/andrea_brundage, www.facebook.com/ProfessionalOrganizerAZ or call (480) 382-1085.